Hello,  my name is Luc and I live in Kilcoy which is a rural town located in the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia.

My purpose of making this brand is to normalise mental health conversations and make the topic less taboo in rural communities.

I moved out here in 2022 and almost immediately saw the rural community struggling. Seeing the cracks in individuals is not surprising by the isolating environment of a small town. It was clear to me that mental health conversation was still taboo and not apart of the norm. My heart truely went out these communities struggling and I felt myself retreating as I thought there is nothing I could do to help this problem.

At the start of 2024 feeling a little bit lost, I saw the problem only get worse over time. Feeling a hole inside my heart about this I came to the conclusion I am seeking something to “change lives”. Corny, I know but the statistics are showing 1 in 5 Australians are struggling with mental health issues. That is 20% of the Australian population!

I found it shocking that it is this rate and will only increase due to the current pandemic that we have all been through, let alone the inflation of cost of living. In knowing full well, that a glass tumbler or a trucker cap isn’t going to change the mental illness crisis we are currently facing, I think that if there are products that are simply devoted to this matter  people would be more inclined to have a open chat about the issues we are all facing in society. We need all the help we can get and I say this as myself which I have struggled with the black dog and have lost mates to suicide. The idea originally sparked up due to living next to a 50 year old man battling with the same mental heath issues, he lives alone and has been brought to tears when I started putting individually wrapped cookies in his mailbox with a note saying “you’re not alone”. Little did I know but six months down the track and I was informed the note and cookie he received that day made him feel like he had a purpose to live and saved his life.

Here at Countryside Calm Co, 10% of profits made that gets sold here will be donated to https://rrmh.com.au to help Rural and Remote Mental Health.

Small actions have power. Talking has power. Together we can create a small dint into this mental health crisis.