by Pamela Kleibrink Thompson, photos by Jim Peterson
“Camille Beckman is a lifestyle company,” shares Roshan Roghani-Ishaq, vice president of Camille Beckman in Eagle. “We create beautiful products for women and now beautiful experiences with the long-waited addition of the Chateau in our lives.” The goal at Camille Beckman is to create a future where women are healthier and happier. All Camille Beckman beauty products and cosmetics are handmade in their 108,00 square foot factory. The facility uses 70% less energy than a similarly sized factory, thanks to the use of renewable resources and ‘reduce and recycle’ production policies.
The mission of Camille Beckman is to engage, educate, and inspire women to be their best through educational content, one-of-a-kind experiences, compassionate humanitarian efforts, and the sale of high quality, sustainable goods for women. The grounds at Camille Beckman include expansive public gardens and an events center, Château des Fleurs, which is reminiscent of an elegant European countryside getaway, and a restaurant called Le Coq d’Or.
Founded by Susan Camille Beckman Roghani, Camille Beckman produces beauty products in a positive work environment. “At Camille Beckman we put family first,” notes Roshan. “A lot of our team members have been with us for 15 or 20 years. We have minimal turnover because this is a good place to work. We are highly involved with our employees and know what they want to achieve. We are also flexible when they need to take care of children or grandchildren. When families are nourished and employees are given flexibility to be actively engaged in their family and their community, they are more focused and work better as members of the team.”
Susan began the business in 1986 in a bungalow in the North End. Women who were refugees and recent immigrants mingled in Susan’s living room with women who grew up in rural Idaho, communicating through art as they crafted products Susan sold at craft shows or to stores. “Our company has a multi-generational approach and employs people with diverse backgrounds,” shares Roshan. “When you have a team with different cultural backgrounds, you gain different perspectives. Oneness is one of the biggest values ingrained in our company’s culture.”
When Roshan was 6, the Camille Beckman Foundation was formed. “There’s need everywhere,” says Roshan. “Our goal is to take part and contribute in the ways we feel best help the future of the women and children of this one world that we are all charged with loving.”
Since 1995, The Camille Beckman Foundation has helped build orphanages and schools in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States. “We work across the world and in our own state,” says Roshan. The foundation has helped more than 120 organizations that create health and education programs and provide access to basic needs for men and women in the Treasure Valley and throughout the world. Local organizations the Camille Beckman Foundation has contributed to include the Women’s and Children’s Alliance, Idaho Food Bank, Terry Reilly Health Clinic, and Genesis Health Care. The foundation helps with donations of time, products, or finances, depending on the situation. A favorite non-profit is the International Children’s Surgical Fund, run by Idaho native Dr. Geoff Williams and his mother Beverly, with whom they funded 365 cleft palate surgeries last year.
Susan’s passion for enriching lives all over the world is deeply ingrained in her daughter Roshan. “Intent is key to long-term continued success,” Roshan notes. “When we release a product, we have to think about how it will affect people’s lives and how we can make a more positive impact.”
When asked what inspires her, Roshan readily answered, “Living life with awareness. We can learn from everyone. Little things inspire us—like seeing a mother teach her daughter something new or watching people smile over a shared excitement.” This idea of awareness and shared moments is what spawned the beginning of the Chateau des Fleurs, the newest addition to the Camille Beckman campus, which the Roghani family hopes will one day be a place of unity and memories for the entire community.
When the Camille Beckman factory was built in 2000, additional phases for a restaurant, art gallery, music area, public gardens, and a universal peaceful prayer space were already drawn out with the hope they would one day come into fruition. As they began to discuss this expansion, the project turned from a small collection of buildings to one major building and large gardens surrounding it. Though the Chateau vision is still in its infancy stages, their plans for it are globally transforming.
“No one is building art anymore. Our world is building large, bank-like buildings that all look the same and house the same ideals,” Roshan states. “Our idea is to bring the most unique and beautiful architecture and experiences together here in Idaho, and create a destination space where people can not only come for events or dinner, but also where forums on equality, wellness, purpose, and solutions can be discussed and furthered. The vision is to elevate the conversation in all attributes, from the physical building you see in front of you to the entire discourse surrounding it. Our family is half rural Idahoan and half Iranian; who better to take on the responsibility of bringing beauty to this new conversation and ideological understanding that society is ready to have? This generation is ready to unite and we feel it is our responsibility to bring the culture together through life-changing, love-driven experiences.”
One of the love-driven things you can experience with your mom, grandmother, or someone special in your life is an afternoon tea held in the Platinum Ballroom from 1-3 pm at Château des Fleurs, which is adjacent to Camille Beckman’s headquarters. Enjoy a selection of hand-blended exotic teas and fresh, house-made pastries on July 9, July 13, August 3, August 17, and August 24.
In July, Château des Fleurs celebrates France with Bastille Days. Practice on the petanque (French bocce ball) court, free of charge, until July 16, to get ready for the petanque competition on July 16. Other options that weekend include celebrating Bastille Day (July 14) with a 4-course French dinner at Le Coq d’Or; enjoying the movie Moulin Rouge with cheese and charcuterie on Friday, July 15; or a picnic under the stars with Rose wine on Saturday evening (July 16).
Chateau des Fleurs, 176 S. Rosebud Ln. Eagle
