Self-care, for me, was never what the word usually suggests — no long beauty routines, no looking put together. I've always understood it as a question of inner balance, and as something you have to practise.
How it started
A few years ago I was facing a change of career. I had spent years in the Swiss social sector — work I enjoyed, and that taught me a great deal about people. Even so, I wasn't sure it was still right for me, and I took some time out abroad.
That is where the idea came from: to build something of my own that does some good. That is how Sibicura started. Sibi cura, Latin for “to care for oneself” — something that gives a pause its shape.
How it took shape
Production raised a question. Mass-produced incense sticks and holders are everywhere, and cheap. Those supply chains often hide child labour and poor working conditions, with little transparency. That has no place in a product meant to bring calm.
So I decided to have the holders made in Switzerland — Swiss Made — and, for the incense, to work only with partners I know personally and have vetted myself.
The incense came first — light one, set it down, breathe for a few minutes. A pause that asks nothing of you.
Today
Time out, meditation, breathing exercises and simply staying with it have become my companions. With Sibicura I want to pass that on.
— Ivana Galdos
