Meet Elliott & Quiana Curry | Natural Body Butter, Hair & Skin Products

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elliott & Quiana Curry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elliott & Quiana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My husband and I have always wanted to start our own business. However, we struggled to find the “thing” we were passionate about…until we had a daughter, Ella. After she was born in 2019, we noticed these alarming blemishes on our perfect two-month-old daughter’s body. We later discovered she had eczema. Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition that causes dry skin, rashes, itchy skin, scaly patches, etc. Essentially, it’s an allergy. Because of this, were extremely cautious of the moisturizers we put on our baby. After reading labels, we noticed that even the “safe” baby products were loaded with chemicals, perfumes, and synthetic additives we couldn’t pronounce. Like every parent, we just want the best for our child, but the products available were not it, so we started researching natural products.
We came across natural shea butter and fell in love with it. It worked excellently for our daughter’s skin, made it soft, and was completely natural. However, managing raw shea butter can be time consuming and messy, which led us to whipped shea products. While easier to manage, most whipped shea products include additives and the dreaded “fragrance” — or perfumes. Simply put, we knew the Chanel #9 knockoff scent wasn’t a good match for Ella’s delicate skin.
So we started to create our own chemical-free, all-natural, organic whipped shea butter for her. It was perfect, and those dry patches began to soften, giving her the baby-soft skin every mother wants to feel. Next, we started intentionally infusing the whipped shea butter with additional nutrients, vitamins, and plant-based essential oils. Each natural additive was very intentional and designed to offer unique benefits, such as soothe the skin, prevent inflammation, etc. And it worked like no other product we had ever used. It even rivaled popular prescription medicines.
One day my husband’s cousin — Kay — visited us and noticed us applying a moisturizer to Ella’s skin from a mason jar. She was interested because she too suffers from eczema. We gave Kay a jar and didn’t think much about it. After coming back a few times and urging us to consider offering it as a product, Kay became our first customer. The word quickly spread among family members and several of Kay’s friends. It became evidently clear we unwittingly created the business opportunity we always wanted. And this was the thought behind and beginning of Butter by Q.
Today, we are developing multiple products and solutions designed for people who are like our daughter and have sensitive skin. No matter what we do, we remain true to who we are and our “Why.” This is important because it’s really easy to look on Instagram and become fascinated with pastel-colored, cotton-candy scented, sparkling whipped shea products. While those may be perfect for some, it’s not who we are or why we do.
Our purpose is to make safe, naturally-scented products for the Ellas and the Kays out there who may be sensitive to the alternative. We are proud to offer products safe for the entire family infused with nutrients and plant-based scents — just as Mother Nature intended.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
No, it wasn’t and isn’t easy. At the moment, my husband and I both work relatively demanding jobs and have two small children. This means very late nights, tense conversations, long weekends, and really early mornings. However, we are both determined to see Butter by Q become the success we know it can be. More so, our purpose drives us along with the knowledge of four little eyes watching everything. Our ultimate goal is to normalize Black excellence for our children. We both grew up in rural Northwest Florida where black businesses and professionals were not as prevalent. Our parents did the absolute best they could and overcame tremendous circumstances to give us a life better than they had. And we are carrying that torch forward with ferocity.
While we have a very clear growth strategy and goals, we are not there yet. Until we get there, we will continue pushing forward. Once we achieve certain milestones, we are anticipating both dedicating it all to Butter by Q. Fortunately, we have very supportive families who pitch in wherever they can.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Honestly, this is sad…but if we had friends visiting the city, my husband would break out the smoker! He has seemingly mastered smoking ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and anything else with a bone. Unfortunately, we have found that there are very few restaurants that we can go to that makes something we don’t make at home. More so, being home allows us to stay focused on Butter by Q. If we did venture out, we would probably head to the Aquarium because the kids love it. As you can see, our life truly revolves around our babies (Luke, Ella, and Butter by Q).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our families offer endless support and encouragement. And our inspiration — our children.

Website: https://butterbyq.com/ COMING SOON.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butterbyq

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/butterbyq