INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL LORENTI JR., MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SENSATIA BOTANICALS

What is it like to be the Managing Director of a beauty and wellness company?

Exciting. I love my job. It’s extremely challenging but extremely rewarding as well. It is a daily KungFu fight of problem solving having to always come up with solutions that not only fits with everyone’s agenda but also is fair and balanced for everyone or everything involved.

What do you find to be the most rewarding part of Sensatia Botanicals being based in Bali?

Well not only based in Bali but our Head Office and Production Facility is located in Karangasem, East Bali. Karangasem is Bali’s farming province and for me it is the real Bali. We are surrounded by coconut trees, bamboo stands, rice fields and water spinach pools bubbling out to the ocean just a few hundred meters away. To me this location makes sense and is often the inspiration to create natural and eco-friendly products.

But if there is one thing that is most rewarding for me it has to be being able to offer work to such an amazing and humble group of people. Since most folks in Karangasem are traditionally either a farmer or a fisherman it is often quite difficult to maintain a sustainable income for themselves and their families but via Sensatia Botanicals we are extremely proud to employ 130+ people via our profit-sharing program. So not only does everyone have a stable income but also the more Sensatia Botanicals grows the greater the reward.

What new projects/partnerships/products are you and the company most excited about?

Heaps actually. We have some very exciting products in the pipeline, but as not to be a spoiler I won’t talk about the upcoming product releases, but rather the vision for our new production facility. So the concept is to try and create a factory with the smallest possible eco-footprint. There are quite a few points to this but generally the main concerns are; First, We intend to collect & treat rainwater for use throughout the factory rather than contributing to Bali’s already decreasing freshwater supply. Second, we also intend to treat our wastewater back to useable freshwater that would maintain the same high quality specs as the treated rainwater. Third, the entire factory will run on very clean Solar Power with our excess sun-generated electricity fed back into PLN’s power grid. Fourth, we would like to focus on a division that will process more locally sourced raw materials into useable ingredients for our products such as distilling our own essential oils and creating our own extracts etc., We believe through these efforts the final product, which is already very clean, will also be created in a very clean way in an eco-friendly production facility.

What are your favorite Sensatia Botanicals products?

There are so many, but my daily necessities include one of our Sulfate-free Body Washes in the shower along with a weekly face exfoliation with our Coconut & Vanilla Facial Scrub. Then I use an incredible new product that I never even knew I needed. Stay tuned for more info on that coming out towards the end of November. Then if its morning one of our facial c-serums, if its night then I use our Anti-wrinkle serum. I also always have practically everywhere… in the car, near my computer, in my backpack; Lips Balm, Hand cream, Aloe Vera Botanical Gel, Lemongrass Botanical Lotion, Surf Naked Sunscreen and Aloe & Cucumber Facial Mist. But I also really love a good sea salt scrub from time to time as well as our after-sun dream cream. Aaahhhh, I cant decide there are so many good ones.

How do you integrate wellness and balance into your life?

Well, luckily I grew up in a family that was quite health conscious and loved doing outdoor activities. My parents would never have junk food in the house and luckily we never craved these things. My siblings and I would prefer a big tall glass of milk instead of a soda or granola bars instead of candy bars. So I eat pretty well staying away from junk food as much as possible. I also get some sort of exercise every single day to get my heart pumping and sweat pouring. Its important to get exercise not only for physical health but also for mental health. It absolutely keeps you mind and thoughts positive. Another important thing for me is to spend as much time in nature as possible. Breathing fresh air with excellent views and the sun on your face is very important for overall health. I am also an avid Virgin Coconut Oil drinker. One shot of VCO in the morning really supplies the body with important nutrients to keep the body well maintained and keep one’s immune system strong and healthy.

If you could go on a long holiday anywhere in the world, where would you go, and what would you do?

How long is long? Hahahaha… Well in my 47 years of life on earth I pretty much realized that I virtually don’t function any farther north or any farther south of about 20 degrees of the equator. Keep me nice and warm around Mama Earth’s bulging belly, the equator, and I am happy as a clam. Generally my favorite thing to do is explore the space where the ocean meets the land, where you can be in just boardshorts all day long. I love the idea that the coastline is ever-changing and is never ever the same from second to second. I think my next bit of exploration should be Seychelles.

What have been your fondest memories and/or experiences you have had as the Managing Director, or Sensatia Botanicals in general?

My goodness there are so, so many, but I think the one that I will always remember because it still provides me inspiration to this day. It is very simple but a matter of a way of life in the village. This was years ago but it was at a time when we had the greatest sales we had ever accomplished, needless to say the crew also received the biggest lump sum they had ever received as part of the profit-sharing program. I asked one of the boys, so what did you do with your money? He said I just gave it to my mom to deal with. I was extremely touched by this coming from the west where what’s mine is mine type of attitude. It was really at that point I thought this is very important to take this company as far as we can so we can support as many other people who really have the desire to better their condition. I believe through a good, solid, honest product, transparency and lots of hard work we will absolutely achieve our goal of doing just that.

What have been your greatest challenges and successes in your professional journey?

I think the greatest challenges have been to continually remain in accordance with the endless an ever-changing rules & regulations from every different sector of the government. You can imagine just trying to fulfill all of BPOM’s regulations is a full time job, not to mention all the other offices that we are required to stay inline with as well. But having said that BPOM’s office in particular is also part of our greatest success. In 2015 we were awarded Bali’s first & only GMP Certified Cosmetic Production Facility. I remember when I had the first meeting with our team regarding this huge book of International GMP standards. I said to them this is going to be a major pain in our butt, but it is a guide on how to build and maintain a successful cosmetic company according to international standards. We went through about a year or so of preparing our production facility with all of the documentation etc., required and finally achieved Certified GMP status in 2015. Definitely one of my proudest moments because it just seemed impossible, but with a dedicated hardworking team I soon realized anything is possible.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? How has it served you personally and professionally?

Well I have a few for sure…. but probably some words of wisdom from my father & grandfather. They would always encourage us children to work hard for what we want in life, there is no free lunch they would say. They would also say through hardwork you can achieve whatever you put your heart and mind into accomplishing. I have always been a hard worker and very driven. I thrive on challenge and I do believe anything is possible.