The autumn feast of Samhain is upon us, the Perfumery is covered in fallen leaves, fires are lit, cats are indoors and we're drawing breath after a year of surprises.

In January 2009 we looked at our accounts, our cashflow projection and our bank balance, and prepared for the worst. The major economies of the world were in recession, and Ireland doubly so. The early years of the Celtic Tiger had first created and then inflated a property boom that imploded in 2008 taking out the construction sector, our banks and a sizeable chunk of fiscal revenue. Sales were falling for businesses both large and small, and banks were refusing to lend to businesses despite being propped up by the government in order to be able to do so. Things, to be blunt, did not look good.

Most Irish people were pragmatic. Ireland had never really been a wealthy country and most of us could remember back at least as far as the recession of the 80s when interest rates were in the high teens and unemployment even higher. More than a few people welcomed the slowdown as a return to sanity. "We lost the run of ourselves" was a phrase frequently used to describe the previous decade.

(Don't worry, this isn't going to be a long, boring tale about recession.)

Fast forward to the end of October and 2009 has been a great year for us. Our overall sales are slightly up on 2008, our website sales are up, and the number of visitors to the Perfumery has increased, despite it being a dismal year for tourism in Ireland. We've won an award for our garden and had a major feature in a national newspaper. Everything we're doing is wrong: we make products by hand, in one of the most expensive countries in Europe, in a place that's nearly impossible to find, using expensive ingredients, for a luxury market, in the middle of the worst crisis since the Great Depression. To top it off, we have a deliberate anti-growth strategy and yet despite all this our business continues to grow and our customers seem happier than ever. We must be doing something right, even if it's only by accident. (You could let us know what we're doing right, or wrong, by writing a review on tripadvisor. It would really help us.)

We like to think that our business works because we believe in it. That it works because we are lucky enough to have fantastic staff. That it works because we make products that we like, that are simple and honest. It is a business and it would be nice to be more profitable, to not be worried about getting through each year, to not have to have a big overdraft at the bank. But we'd like to think that we're not solely about maximising profits and growing ever larger. What we enjoy most about the business is the people we work with and the people we meet. The sense of achievement when we create a new product and people enjoy it. The simple satisfaction of sweeping the leaves in the yard, adding a new feature to the garden, watching our new oaks tree inch higher. Perhaps because this business is also our home, there is a sense that what we invest in it, in time and creativity as much as in money, is a long term investment in creating a place that is nice to live in, nice to work in, and where one can be excited about what one does. Where you can look forward to winter as a time for new projects, instead of worries about the drop in sales.

This winter we are working on packaging our new range of handmade, natural creams. In the space of just two years these creams have become our best selling product range, after our perfumes. So we're designing proper labels, looking at new jars, and generally getting this range up to the packaging standards of our other products. Speaking of packaging, we're also working on a long term strategy to simplify our packaging and reduce waste. We will shortly be changing the Frond packaging so that it will share components with the Burren Botanicals range. There are only a hundred or so of the old style Frond bottles left, so if you like them order one soon!

Don't forget that there are special offers in your email. We are rewarding our long standing customers with a free Burren Botanical perfume worth €35 on any order over €70, so you can save up to 50%. Other promotion codes will give you 10% off your order, or a free Organic Lavender essential oil. As always, there is free shipping with any order over €250 within Europe, or over €300 for the rest of the world (order value excludes shipping). Check your email for your promotional code and make sure to enter it at the checkout when ordering.

With our best wishes for the coming holiday season and 2010.

Ginger helped with writing this newsletter, but he says it makes him very tired.