Kay Saarinen was our 2020 AusMumpreneur NSW-ACT Handmade Business gold award winner. She is a chef by trade, certified horticulturist and studied topical naturopathy, permaculture, and herb culture.
“Skin Care, Eco seed to skin” by Saarinen Organics
Kay grows her herbs on her Certified organic Sustainable farm in Wyndham, NSW and has created her own Eco skin care line from the herbs and also local ingredients.
A truly Handmade, sustainable, Eco skin care range made with 100% stand alone solar power.
“Not only was it important to live an eco, sustainable lifestyle, it was equally as important to create an income that was handmade, eco and sustainable.” Kay says
With a passion for handmade and sustainability, Kay has worked tirelessly on her Certified Organic farm with little machinery or outside inputs, growing and hand making her Herbal skin care range.
When did you start your business?
2008.
What was the inspiration behind starting this business?
It was my passion to live a sustainable lifestyle, tho it became my purpose to create a sustainable income.
What are you most excited about in your business?
That we are a true eco business, we grow our certified organic herbs, manufacture 100% solar and are building a reuse packaging plant to sterilize returned packaging.
What has been the most challenging thing about starting your business?
Investing our families income, not knowing if I was wasting it. We were a single income family with a baby. It was tight, down to the cent every single week.
What advice would you give to other women thinking about starting a business?
Follow your passion and purpose, alway get customer validation before investing heavily.
Why did you enter the AusMumpreneur Awards?
We had just lost our farm to the 2020 bushfires and were very seriously thinking of walking off the land. Our wonderful customers nominated us as a way to say please don’t give up, you are on a good thing, we can’t live without your products. And it worked, we were entered into 4 categories and placed in each one, this gave us the motivation and strength to keep on going.
What did you enjoy the most about being part of the awards?
The media around the nominations was fantastic, we were interviewed for radio and newspapers as well, that was exciting.
What surprised you most about the awards?
How well acclaimed they are and how professional & also respectful they are.
How did the awards help you in your business?
The awards helped us with recognition and exposure in the media. We also have the badges proudly displayed on all our advertising and people comment on them.
What advice would you give to others mums thinking about entering the awards?
Please do, it will benefit you and your business.
What has been the best thing about starting your own business?
Flexibility, pride and self growth.
What’s happening next in your business?
We have just put in a 80K solar system and are now building a room to have our packaging returned so we can sterilize them and refill, a circular economy.
What are your big plans for the future?
To create a farm base tour operation where people can see for themselves what we do, workshops on sustainability and skin care & farm stays.
We are also developing operating systems to allow bigger production sustainably with a labour force on farm and in our lab.
To learn more about Saarinen Organics, please visit their website, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
SAVE THE DATE – 2021 AUSMUMPRENEUR AWARDS!
Nominations open Monday 3 May 2021.
AusMumpreneur Awards Nights 8-10 September 2021
Conference and Awards Presentation 14-16 September 2021.
>> Join the Waitlist here <<
