A VISIONARY Bury businesswoman who pioneered "organic" skincare products when the term was just a word in the dictionary has been rewarded for her foresight.

From humble beginnings in her kitchen nearly 20 years ago, Rona Rose's Faith In Nature company today commands a firm foothold in its buoyant market and employs 17 staff.

And it's more than evident that her customers have faith in her company. For Rona's organic aloe vera range, embracing shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, foam bath and soap, has been voted the best body care products by Britain's independent retailers.

The thriving East Street-based company, whose year on year turnover is up 30 per cent, still embraces the same ethics, philosophy, principles and standards which have hallmarked its operations since 1974 when New York-born Rona lived in Edinburgh and began making bodycare products as a hobby.

What originally started out as a hobby blossomed into a full-time business for Rona, who hails from New York. She began making bodycare products in the kitchen of her at homeEdinburgh home. When orders began to pour in she bought manufacturing premises and Faith In Nature was born.

From the early days, she made moisturising creams and lotions to her own recipes formulated by herself. Her aim was to manufacture natural additive-free body care products.

The organic approach was virtually unheard of back in the 1970s. But today, such products are generating increased demand from ecology and environment-conscious customers.

Faith In Nature moved to Bury in 1989 and re-located to its headquarters at the Saw Mill from the town's Kay Street nearly three years ago.

Said Rona: "We make more than 50 skincare and bodycare products. Our core retail outlets are health food-wholesale stores. We also have our own website to allow shops and wholesalers to place orders."

The company also supplies to a number of "own label" supermarkets and one of their top clients has been Liberty's of London. The award-winning aloe vera is complemented by a host of other bodycare products using raw materials ranging from gingko biloba to chocolate.

Rona, who is just as enthusiastic about the business as she was 20 years ago, said: "We were pioneers back then in terms of organic products. We created products with natural ingredients which worked as well as, or better than, commercial brands without using paraffin oil, synthetics, artificial dyes or animal by-products.

"We had the foresight then to know that organic was the way forward."

She is delighted that in a survey conducted among the UK's independent retailers by Health Food Business , Faith In Nature's organic aloe vera range came tops. "This came completely out of the blue. We are very thankful to the retailers and customers who certainly believe in us, our products and what we're doing."

As managing director, Rona takes an active, hands-on role in all her company's activities. "I still supervise the manufacture of each and every batch made in our factory, scrupulously checking every formulation and ingredient to ensure our high standards are maintained.

"I just love what I'm doing and it's been tremendous to turn what was originally a hobby into a profession."