Rita Greene

Ruidoso News

Brenna Chee remembered her grandmother telling her in Apache “Hnzhúú be ejidilte i” which means “we use nature to take good care of ourselves.” At the time, Chee said she felt awakened.

Chee had been trying to find a way to heal her son’s severe, painful dry skin. She began thinking about how nature could be used in helping him. She listened to her grandmother and the elders. She began researching vigorously because she did not want her son to suffer anymore.

After much hard work and determination, Chee came up with a bottle of lotion which she made from scratch incorporating the traditional practices that her grandmother passed down to her. Chee’s son used the lotion and for the first time in many years, he was free of the pain he had suffered for so long.

Chee told others about the lotion who used it and found that it improved their skin and soon there was a demand for the lotion. Chee then developed body butter and a variety of handmade soaps and soon she made this into a business and named it ‘Hnzhúú Bath & Body.

Her determination to help her son and her hard work resulted in a company. She incorporated Hnzhuu, Inc., in December of 2014. Brenna didn’t stop there, with the help of her family, she also developed Hnzhúú Foods, Hnzhúú Wellness and Hnzhúú Cleaning Services.

Chee and her sons moved back to Ruidoso two months ago after living in South Dakota for five years. She is concentrating on her Hnzhúú Cleaning Services business and trying to get established in Ruidoso. She wants to contract with both businesses and residential to provide cleaning services not only in Ruidoso, but in Artesia, Alamogordo, Alto, and Capitan as well.

Chee has four sons, Joel, 13; Samuel, 15; Zion, 19; and Solomon, 21. Chee said she teaches her sons about entrepreneurship and how important having your own business is. She said they each have different talents which they utilize in the different businesses. “Joel is very gifted working with numbers; Samuel works in videography and graphic design; Zion is half-owner of and helps with the cleaning business; and Solomon is half-owner of and creates salsa for the food business.”

Chee said she and Solomon love chile peppers and they found that while living in South Dakota that blazing hot spicy food was hard to find. Chee said for someone raised in New Mexico, “the chile capital of the world,” “this was really a big deal.”

So, Chee and Solomon began making salsa and called it Sol’s Solsa and gave it the slogan “Heat you can eat!”

Solomon will be graduating from the U.S. Marine Corps Boot Camp in San Diego Friday and will help out with the businesses until he receives orders. Chee said, “he plans on continuing to sell his solsa and watching the growth of the solsa availability spread to many places.”

“Our family’s memories revolve around us using nature to take care of ourselves. That which is good should be remembered and shared. We believe that what we do is our way of giving thanks to the Creator by using our gifts in service to help others. A circle of life that is precious to our family and culture,” Chee said.

Chee is also a licensed minister and is working on a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Tribal Law.

For information regarding the Hnzhúú Cleaning Services call: 575-315-2450.

Hnzhúú Cleaning Services can also be reached online at https://www.hnzhuu.com/hnzhuu-cleaning-services which contains a contact form to request a cleaning estimate. Cleaning services offered can be one-time, weekly, bi-weekly; only kitchen and bathroom is available; laundry services, cleaning appliances, move in/move out services, and cleaning of new construction.

All items listed on the website can be ordered through the website. Chee said, “we are currently making batches of soap which make nice Christmas gifts.”