The key products that BetterBonds created are Herbal Product as Singles, Formulations & Mixes, and Gemstones/Crystals Jewelry & Raw. Of these, the herbal portfolio is almost entirely in-house with formulae and usage knowledge developed by Ramala Hubb’Allah, the visionary-designer behind BetterBonds. Gems & Crystals are sourced through dealers, and jewelry is crafted by partner artisans, with a vision to have a signature studio in future if this work is renewed.
Herbal Portfolio
Herbs were harvested by local partners and families and sometimes by Ramala and her child themselves (rarely and recreationally) and prepared into value-added products almost entirely by Ramala. This included the drying, preserving, infusion and medicine-making process, research, formulation, developing application scenarios, packing, branding, marketing, shipping, customer advisory and receiving feedback through a loop, and using select feedback to improve the entire cycle.
This intense hands-on learning from field to processing kitchen to shipping to obtaining feedback and plugging the feedback in the process, not just taught Ramala the ins and outs of a wholly native Himalayan business but has also given her important insights and experience that puts her in a unique position to possibly shape the future of nature-based development in the region, or replicate this development in a different region.
IMAGE: Bath Salts, a novelty product made on demand for a high-value client.
Crystals & Jewelry Portfolio
As for the JEWELRY, it is crafted by artisans and the designs come from a mix of sources: artisans’ traditional designs, clients (who often source images from the Internet), traditional design catalogs from similar world cultures (Indian, Tibetan Bohemian and some modern), and eventually, in-house designs by Ramala and her daughter, artist Sofia who is being trained to sketch jewelry design.
At the time that the business was paused in 2022, the vision was to develop mostly in-house designs that would be crafted by partner artisans, and also to eventually train the child in crafting own jewelry. She started crafting in clay for practice, and it will be quite some time until she can make jewelry, if she chooses to.
IMAGE: Handmade silver pendants with original gemstones.
In addition to these two core offerings (herbs + crystals), Ramala chose to support the local shops by buying a collection of items that included traditional crafts, shawls, embroidery frames, wooden products, dry fruit and even pumpkins from farmers, which were shipped to farmers markets in the capital city, Islamabad. This was done as an extension of Ramala’s work in establishing an Online Farmers’ and Artisan’s Market on Facebook. She also did supplementary research into such matters as biofuel, off-grid solutions, architecture and replacing intoxicating alcoholic beverages with a viable vinegar production and probiotic drinks with non-intoxicating levels of fermentation. See a video about our vision “From Wine to Vinegar” on this page.
THE PRODUCT RANGE
Herbal Offerings
HOUSE PRODUCTS AND FORMULATIONS:
✅ Herbal Teas and Tisanes (Single herb and mixes, with mixes formulated by Ramala. She also researched novel single herb usages and preparations, both sourcing usages from cultures around the world, and developing her own unique usages and applications–such as teas for psoriasis and eczema.)
✅ Dandelion Coffee, hand-harvested plant parts cut to perfection, slow-roasted on wooden fire and ground roughly to yield a rich, creamy coffee. ☕
✅ Balms (Most balms are unique formulations that have not been prepared before and since, including a certain hero herb the perfume of which is hard to catch and has only been turned to perfume twice, the first product discontinued and the other offered by an Etsy shop.)
✅ Herbal Syrups in a Pure Honey Base, No Added Sugar (Mostly for flu, cough, infections, scurvy, depression and other cold-related illnesses). A graduated form of this also became a COVID remedial drink in 2020. Based on research of flu conditions seen in seasons prior, Ramala correctly guessed in March 2020 that COVID coagulates and thickens blood, and her formulation used a proprietary herb that the Chinese later used as part of their COVID protocol starting April 2020 when observations confirmed that COVID was thickening and destroying blood. ♥️
✅ Infused Oils (some for hair and mostly for therapeutic massage to restore mobility and reduce pain and inflammation and aid with better aging)
✅ Experimental Products such as Bath Salts, Electuaries for Cancer, Oxymels for flu/cough/infection, Infused Honeys. Unusual seed powders.
Soothing Inflammation Away
Handmade deep soothing balm for eczema and psoriasis. Made in-house, with Ramala’s formulation.
Honey Varieties
A client’s image of Honey shipment they received, containing seasonal favorite raw and purified honeys. We packed them in used cartons, to lower our imprint and impact on environment.
FROM PARTNER PROVIDERS/SOURCED:
✅ Honey (up to 15 varieties from Russian Olive to Robinia, to Caper Vine, to Cherry, Mint, and Lavender. These were not infused honeys but rather the actual nectar of the respective herbal flowers.)
✅ Shilajit — hero Himalayan mineral-rich mountain resin, sourced in prepared form from quality makers.
INQUIRIES FOR (BULK) EXPORT OF SHILAJIT ARE OPEN.
Visit the Shilajit Page!
✅ Berries and Berry Powders and Juices, with a focus on regional hero herb, Sea Buckthorn. Ramala developed an electuary from sea buckthorn powder to potentially help with cancer relief.
✅ Seed Oils: Cherry seed.
✅ Nut Oils. The standard Apricot sweet and bitter, Almond sweet and bitter, Walnut.
Craft Products, Handmade Items, etc.
Items other than gemstones, crystals and jewelry
These include a selection of shawls, handmade embroidery frames, embroidered purses and caps. These were often procured on demand or included as gifts. While BetterBonds quickly became Himalayan by choice, it was birthed in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, and initially carried a medley of handmade items such as bone handicrafts (halaal), marble bowls, Himalayan salt items, and Sindhi embroidered wallets. This owes to Ramala’s love for all arts and crafts of Pakistan, a love that harkened back to the early 2000’s when she first wanted to make a website carrying crafts and permitted antiques and vintage items, but was constrained by her knowledge of e-commerce. <3
NOTE: Ramala worked in the informal and folk market, working partly with established local shops, and partly with maverick teams of pickers and suppliers who were working in this capacity independently. All work was done sustainably, and Ramala developed the guidelines for sustainable and safe harvest. No banned or restricted or endangered substances and herbs were engaged, apart from limited exploration of ep.h.edra, a herb that grew in the wild around her home and the fruit of which is sometimes collected by locals out of curiosity.
While this list covers nearly everything that the fantastic portfolio of BetterBonds, the packages of which were likened to “treasure chests” by wowed clients, Ramala has the gift of creating and experimenting. She listed a number of products that she would love to create, as she imagined that she was birthing an entire industry. She is happy to have realized her remarkable dream to a great degree and wishes to continue forward beyond 2024.