Written by Stephanie Carmon
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a small treasure right in the heart of Merida. I was called to come check out some of the specialty made products at Puras Cosas Buenas and what I found left me walking around with my mouth open…literally. Tucked into the Colonia Mexico is a holistic center where you can find a plethora of top quality natural products all made by hand by the same people that will be greeting you at the door. Puras Cosas Buenas is just that–Purely Good Things.
This store and holistic center complex came about as a product of a community of Italians and Mexicans who live on a ranch outside of Oxkutzcab,Yucatan where they also have and eco spa and lodge called Las Aguilas Eco Spa. They started out with the idea to live a natural, healthy, and self-sustainable life. They believe in living a life where they know where the products they consume are coming from. Originally they were making all their products for themselves only, but because there were so many friends and acquaintances interested in buying their products they decided to open up to the public. This collective is a group of extremely talented artisans and knowledgeable healers. At their ranch, they have organic gardens, they raise cows and goats for dairy products, they make natural remedies and cosmetic products as well as handmade shoes, crafts, jewerly, art and leather products. The complex is truly a gem and is right in Colonia Mexico, if you live here I am sure you have passed it a hundred times.
Location: Ave Jose Dias Bolio Calle 21 no. 103 corner of the roundabout Ave Libano (Calle 20)
Phone: 999 688 9453
Puras Cosas Buenas Store: Cheese and Dairy Products
This is the store you see as you walk in toward your left. Here you can find a whole section of the most wonderful dairy products that come direct from their ranch. I absolutely fell in love with all their dairy products. They have several different types of top quality cheeses, fresh cream, milk, pure butter and yogurt. There are also so many natural goodies in here: organic honey from their ranch, organic grains from around Mexico, coffee, handmade pastas, leafy greens from their gardens and organic eggs. Franca and her husband started learning how to make cheese when their son was young and seemed to be allergic to all dairy products. They discovered that when he ate organic pure dairy he was not only able to digest it but had energy and was very healthy. So, they started making cheese and all dairy products for their family and friends. They produced such high quality lactose that soon they were invited to sell at the Slow Food Market in Merida. They have both dairy cows and goats at their ranch that live a happy and full life; they are part of the family. And these pets produce incredible dairy products! I used some of their cheeses for an event which were quite the hit. All these products are very reasonably priced as well.
Contact 999 6889453
https://www.facebook.com/purascosasbuenas1
Pasticceria Italiana –pastry shop and cafe
Tucked into the corner of this complex, Cristiana invited me into her coffee, tea, pastry and Italian food shop. There you can find freshly baked cakes, including the famous pan de nata, cookies, breads and of course a tiramisu to die for–really one of the best in Merida. They also serve lunch such as paninis, homemade gnocchi and pasta. All their products come from the ranch and are organic and of the highest quality, including butter, yogurt, cream, several different types of organic cheeses and eggs. They make all sauces including pestos and tomato sauces. They also offer options of gluten free and sugar free in all their baked goods and they take specialized orders. You can get a mean limoncello or coffee liqueur in a bottle. The place is delightfully decorated and really a perfect stop for an authentic Italian cafe experience.
For more information call: 1 688 9451
Mil & Una Esencias Skin Care and Cosmetics
Maurizio and Paola dedicate themselves to natural body and skin care. They see the process of making each product from the very beginning of the plant cultivation to the bottling and sales. Most of the plants come from their organic farm on the ranch and then they process the plant in their laboratory. They use all organic plants such as aloe vera, neem, moringa, noni and other plants to make face creams, body creams, face tonics, masks, shampoo, soap. They make skin treatments as well for cellulite cream, acne, and sensitive skin. Their skin care products start with a tonic to clean the skin and then depending on the type of skin of the customer, they have various skin care products that help regenerate the skin. The noni regenerates the cells in a potent way. La moringa is incredible for dry skin because of its amino acids. Neem works extremely well for lice. They are also beekeepers and use the propolis from the melipona bees which encourages healing and soothing problematic skin. It also accelerates the rate of cell growth and decongests pores. I have been using their Noni daily moisturizer for two weeks now and I love it! It feels really nice and is very hydrating.
Margherita Ricci Boutique: Handmade Arts and Crafts Store
This is the store on the right-hand side as you enter and it is full of artesan products.
Shoes Margherita Ricci
Margherita handmakes all her shoes. The concept is that the shoes should be both comfortable and elegant. Most are cushioned and made of either soft leather or synthetic materials. She also has a hypoallergenic line where no shoe glue is used because it may cause allergies in certain skin. Margherita is constantly looking for new materials that are both unique and comfortable. She makes all types of shoes including casual sandals, closed toe shoes, evening shoes as well as kid shoes and her prices range from $400-$500 Mexican Pesos. She has styles for anyone and you can visit the shop or buy online.
Contact WhatsApp: 997 973 8055
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calzadoexclusivomargheritaricci/
LaurArt Creaciones
Laura creates wonderful jewelry pieces hand painted on wood. Each piece is unique and custom made. She looks for harmony in each piece by combining colors and stones. She is now drawing designs of Zen mandalas as well, some of I have and love to wear! The earrings and pendants are painted on both sides and protected by a resin which allows them to last a long time. She has an elegant line antiallergenic 925 sterling silver earring hooks and precious stones. She also has a line where she uses antiallergenic stainless steel and semi-precious stones and has earrings and necklaces sets. In addition to her jewelry Laura paints household items such as clocks, plates and cups and tissue boxes. She can also do personalized designs for her customers.
Contact WhatsApp: 997 973 8055
https://www.facebook.com/margheritaricciboutique
Ternuritas Dolls
Rita makes beautiful handmade dolls. Each doll is made with all of Rita’s love and affection. She even places a heart inside each doll. The dolls are very detailed and absolutely lovely: each one has its own personality, hair color, dress and style. She can also make doll ornaments for Christmas trees, nativity scenes, book marks and dolls that double as bags to hang in your kitchen to hold the many grocery plastic bags that unfortunately pile up at your home. They are a perfect gift for a child or a doll lover!
Contact WhatsApp: 997 973 8055
Massimo Collection
Massimo is a master artisan craftsman of both cow and goat leather. His cow leather products are firm and have a very thick sturdy feel and look, while the goat leather is softer and more malleable. The leather comes from the northern and central part of Mexico. The cow leather is dark brown and the goat a light tan color. He makes portfolios, wallets, belts, fanny packs as well as many other leather products. All his products are extremely useful and popular among the expat community because of their high quality. He also works by order and can make specialty items for his customers. Massimo sells in the Slow Food Market on Saturday mornings also. His line is classic casual and definitely worth checking out.
Contact WhatsApp: 997 973 8055
https://www.facebook.com/margheritaricciboutique
La Forma
Francesco is a multi-faceted master artist. He created his brand La Forma where he offers his products such as laser etchings on glass and acrylic that are used for lamps, clocks, and nightlights as well as for healing purposes in chromotherapy lamps. He dedicates a lot of his time creating designs for chromotherapy lamps, called Cromavita, which are used in holistic treatments. Francesco etches intricate designs into the glass of the chromotherapy lamp which is put over LED light of different colors. The lamps he makes are based on the work of Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist. Emoto claims that positive words and emotions, classical music and positive prayer directed at water produce beautiful crystals, while negative words and emotions and crude music, such as heavy metal, produce ugly crystals. Water is a very special chemical and considering our body is made of 70 percent water, we can greatly benefit by balancing the liquids we drink. You can place water or any liquid in a glass on the Cromavita and it will balance the “energy” lacking from a person’s body, whether it be on physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental levels.
He also makes nightlights,clocks and lamps for offices. He does several types of designs and his lamps can be made to order. He also works with architects and interior designers and makes moldings for houses as well as creates incredible murals and decorations made from plaster and mineral colors. He is a true artist.
Contact WhatsApp: 997 973 8055
Wellness Care
Athenea Herbarium Vitae (inner courtyard)
This is a lovely holistic store dedicated to herbal remedies in tinctures. Monica is licensed in traditional herbology and Mexican traditional medicine and makes high-quality tinctures. Many of the plants come from the organic gardens at their ranch or if she needs to import, she is careful to import only the best certified organic plants. She uses the ancient alchemist spagyric technique which is a special way to harvest and work the plants according to the influence the planets and the moon have over the plants so they can emit more of its healing properties. Each plant is harvested at different times. Based on the 3 philosophical principles of the spagyric method the plant parts are then separated, purified and reunified during a large process. They collect pure rain from the jungles, distill it and use it for the tinctures. The spagyric product is energetically very much stronger than a normal tincture and more complete because it contains the mineral salts of the plant. The complete process enables the body to recognize plant medicine and to use the plant’s properties more effectively. Monica has many wellness products that alleviate a large number of ailments including inflammation, problems with the nervous or immune system, cold and flu, stomach and skin issues. A person can visit Monica and she will ask a series of questions about their ailment and offers for free the bioenergetic test, then recommends a specific spagyric tincture.
For an appointment with Monica at Athenea call or send a message to 999 178 2881 (only through Whatsapp or Telegram) or email infoathenea@yahoo.com-mx
Armonia Holistica
Armonia is an alternative wellness center where they help people with various ailments through therapies such as biomagnetism, Flor de Bach, bioresonance therapy, and lymphatic drainage massage. As you walk in, you will be greeted by Floriana who is a certified therapist with over 15 years practicing the therapies mentioned. She will sit you down and ask you about both your physical and emotional state and then suggest a therapy accordingly. She is very knowledgeable and most of the people at Puras Cosas Buenas come to her when they are feeling under the weather or out of balance. She works with Andrea Podesta who is also a certified Bach Flowers therapist. Armonia Holistsica es a wellness center that is open to the public by appointment only.
Biomagnetism is a therapy to regulate your body’s pH levels which reduces inflammation and infectious pathologies, thus allowing your body to naturally get back in balance. It involves the precise placement of high field strength magnets over very specific areas of the body, to support the regulation of pH in these very areas. By maintaining adequate pH, homeostasis may be reestablished so that the body can heal itself. Biomagnetism works to help one feel better physically and mentally.
Bioresonance is a scientific method of electromagnetic bioresonance that neutralizes and kills pathogens in the body. At the end of the last century, Doctor Clark proved that the pathogens have an electromagnetic frequency that they use to live. This same sustained frequency also destroys the pathogen in just a few minutes. The human body without pathogens is healthy and vital.
Lymphatic drainage is a rhythmical massage performed to stimulate the circulation of lymph fluid around the body. This helps to rapidly speed up the removal of wastes and toxins from the lymphatic system. It is also thought to provide a major boost to your immune system.
To make an appointment with Floriana call 999 950 6648
Bach Flower remedies are a natural method of healing discovered by Dr. Bach from
1920 – 1930’s in England. They restore the balance between mind and body by
casting out negative emotions such as fear, worry, hatred, and indecision which
interfere with the equilibrium of the being as a whole. They’re made out of watered-
down extracts from the flowers of wild plants. The idea behind Bach flower remedies
is similar to homeopathy; however, they use fewer materials and don’t work directly
on physical symptoms, but instead on the emotions.
To make an appointment for Bach Flower’s therapy call Andrea Podesta at 9994352776
(only through Whatsapp or Telegram)
All in all, if you are interested in living a healthy and natural life, you definitely must check out Puras Cosas Buenas. It is a great place to find gifts especially coming up on the Christmas season.
For more information including location go here: https://www.facebook.com/purascosasbuenas1/