This week, we spoke to Hazel Barry, founder and managing director of H2K in Harrogate.

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Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does. 

We produce skincare and toiletries for people with sensitive skin. They're made from vegan ingredients, including Kalahari melon seed oil (that's where the K in our name comes from), and they're all formulated here in Harrogate.

We have a website and flagship shop on Montpellier Parade and we also supply hotels throughout the UK and the Middle East.

What does it take to be successful in business? 

A huge amount of tenacity, a lot of patience, determination, compromise, and the urge to have lots of fun.

What drives you to do what you do every day? 

I love the brand, the product creation, the formulas, and the fact that we help people.

I love the fact that people come into the shop to tell us how much we've helped them. We sell a magnesium spray and a lady came in to say that her teenage daughter had used it and it had changed her life. That made me so happy.

What has been the toughest issue your company has had to deal with over the last 12 months? 

How long have you got? Trying to build up the business again after Covid has been hard. When covid hit, all the hotels shut, so I was left with 150 pallets of stock just sitting there in the warehouse.

But as luck would have it, a couple of weeks before covid hit, a hotel had asked us to produce a hand-sanitiser, and that's what we ended up making for the next two years.

Which other local firms do you most admire, and why? 

I love Bettys and admire them because they've been going for such a long time. They stick to their brand and are great at what they do.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders? 

Charlotte Farrington, CEO of the Yorkshire Children's Charity, is brilliant. She does a fantastic job and is a real ambassador for Yorkshire. She's fab.

What could be done locally to boost business? 

The council could start by fixing the pavements, so that people don't trip up when they're going round the shops.

They should make parking cheaper too – it's ridiculously expensive in Harrogate.

And Harrogate's a hilly place, so they should allow people to ride around the cycle paths on electric scooters so they didn't have to use their cars.

Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate? 

Harrogate is very positive-thinking. A lot of people who move here want to do well and are very supportive of each other. I'm from Bingley, and when I arrived here 20 years ago, that was one of the first things I noticed.

The worst is that Harrogate is very cold in winter!

What are your business plans for the future? 

We've got a lot going on! We'll be launching our new formulations in time to celebrate our 25th anniversary in October, and we'll be starting to retail in Dubai later this year too.

We've also just agreed to do all the fragrances for Virgin Active's yoga studios. That's really exciting – every time you go to Virgin Active, you'll be able to smell H2K!

What do you like to do in your time off? 

I play badminton and go for walks with my husband, daughter and dog.

I also go to a lot of events organised by Yorkshire Business Woman.

Best place to eat and drink locally? 

La Feria on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate – there's lots of variety and it doesn't matter who you're with, the ambiance is always fantastic.

Also, you can't go wrong with William & Victoria's, just up the same road – it's still going strong after all this time, and it's still amazing.

This is the latest in a regular series of weekly Business Q&A features. If you'd like to suggest someone in business in the Harrogate district for this feature, drop us a line at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

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Read more:

• Business Q&A: Jack Schofield, Atlas Helicopters


• Business Q&A: Andrew North, Alexanders Prestige


• Business Q&A: Tim Brown, Brown Trout

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