Global Filipino: Anna Meloto-Wilk

Photo of Anna Meloto-Wilk from “40 Under 40 International Development Leaders”

When it comes to all-natural beauty and top-of-the-line cosmetics, none other than Anna Meloto-Wilk’s Human Heart Nature (HHN) have taken the country by storm since its conception since 2007.

Daughter of Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto, Anna found the “Pro-Philippines, Pro-Poor, Pro-Environment” company with her husband Dylan, a British national, and her sister Camille.

Modest Beginnings

Anna’s father grew up in the sacadas of Negros. Deprived of luxurious possessions, her father learned to make the most of what he’s got—a trait that Anna inherited.

“It was like, my father imprinted in me a desire to always live a more meaningful life beyond personal interests.” Anna shared. “[He] raised us to regard each person as our equal and to treat them with dignity and respect.”

This trait was formed from a life-changing visit to one of the most notorious places in the metropolis.

“In my freshman year, my dad brought me to Bagong Silang, the biggest squatters’ re-location site in Metro Manila… Bagong Silang was notorious for being a training ground for criminals. My father had organized a youth camp for gang members and drug addicts to try to reach out to them and understand the root causes of poverty in our country… Needless to say, it was a life-changing moment for me and also for the young people that I met there,” Anna explained.

She added, “Bringing me there was a risk and at the same time a peace offering. It was a gesture to show that he regarded these forgotten youth, that he considered them to be part of his family in the same way that he loved his daughter.”

After graduating from Ateneo de Manila University, she defied her peers’ and family’s expectations. Instead of joining Gawad Kalinga, she joined the corporate world.

“I felt like I needed to find my own path and step out of my father’s shadow. I also fell in love with the art of brand-building and communications and set my career on this path,” Anna said.

Her love affair with the corporate world lasted for four years, until her “inner compass” started tugging at her heartstrings—leading her to her father’s brainchild, Gawad Kalinga Foundation.

But at the end of one love affair, a new romance started to blossom.

“It was also around this time when I met my husband, Dylan Wilk, a young, successful British entrepreneur who came to the Philippines in search for his own purpose in life,” Anna shared.

“He fell in love with the Philippines and the work of GK at the same time that I was having my own epiphany. Our shared values and purpose brought us together and we were married in 2004. We have been serving and working together ever since.”

Anna now serves as the president of Gandang Kalikasan, which produces HHN organic personal care products and cosmetics. She said that Gandang Kalikasan and Gawad Kalinga share the same initials in order “to remind us everyday of our purpose and our mission, that our business exists to build a beautiful society.”

Wilk Family from PDI Lifestyle

The Birth of Human (Heart) Nature

In 2005, Anna gave birth to two important parts of her life: her first child, and her passion for taking care of the environment.

“My husband Dylan and myself, decided to use cloth diapers after reading that disposable diapers contain toxic chemicals and take 500 years to deteriorate,” she recalled.

However, it was while they were living in the United States in 2007 that the concept for Human Heart Nature was born.

“I noticed that there was a growing number of affordable organic products that were being marketed in the supermarkets that were not easily available before,” Anna explained.

After painstaking research, Anna and her sister Camille finally opened their first store at the Blue Leaf Fort in Bonifacio, Manila.

Now, HHN continues to grow—not just as a beauty brand, but as an avenue to propagate awareness about saving the environment and being more responsible when it comes to the stuff we use on ourselves.

“Our final advocacy is on the environment,” says Anna.

“All our products contain no harmful chemicals, are biodegradable and between 96-100% natural in terms of ingredients. We believe that the Philippines is in a position to be a globally competitive supplier of natural products and raw materials and we are capable of building a world-class brand that all Filipinos can be proud of.”

The company is also very active in being a catalyst for helping alleviate poverty in the Philippines.

“Our vision was to create a company that could provide sustainable livelihood for many of our poor farming communities by using locally available natural ingredients such as citronella, lemongrass, virgin coconut oil, sunflower oil and many more undiscovered or under-utilized botanicals for cosmetic products.

“We invest in communities by paying fair trade prices and providing processing equipment to farmers that will allow them to sell their produce at a much higher price. In our main office, a third of our more than 100 employees hail from Gawad Kalinga sites. We deliberately work with local community organizers to recruit from the poor who receive proper training, higher than minimum wage salaries and full company benefits.”

Photo of AMW winning an award from Ernst & Young Global Ltd.

The Future of Nature

Anna, together with her husband and sister, looks forward to making HHN a “global brand” that will put the Philippines with the top providers of organic cosmetics and personal care products.

“We want to change how business works, that its sole purpose is not only to make profit but to create value for everyone. As I said, we believe that the role of business is to create a beautiful society for all,” added Anna.

As a businesswoman and an advocate of the poor, Anna wishes to shatter stereotypes about the urban poor in the Philippines. She would also like to continue to overcome people’s misconceptions about using all-natural and organic products by making HHN products more accessible to the masses.

“I think that ordinary people need to start thinking about the future and the sustainability of our daily practices over convenience. We need to invest in our future by changing the way we do things now,” she said.

It’s not an easy job, but someone’s gotta do it.

“It’s a daily struggle but we just try to influence people by example,” Anna beams.

In everything that she does, Anna knows that she wouldn’t have all these success if not for the Creator’s blueprint, that’s why she wants to fulfill what she believes to be God’s purpose for her life. She believes that trusting God’s plan is something more people should imbibe in their lives to become more productive and successful, just like her.

You can learn more about Gandang Kalikasan, Human Heart Nature, and their advocacies through their website on http://humanheartnature.com/usa/index.html

Interview conducted by Alpha Miguel-Sanford, editor, Aspire.Motivate.Succeed.
Article transcribed and written by Ching Dee, correspondent, Philippine Canadian Inquirer.