Over the last 20 years, Kay has been building up her business Saarinen Organics and Skincare, on her permaculture farm in Wyndham.

For Kay however, her business is far more than a job, it's her life's passion and incorporates her entire eco-friendly lifestyle.

"It means the world to me, to be honest, to finally have this recognition that we're not people who are going against society and instead be acknowledged on the importance of being sustainable," Kay said.

When first starting out Kay said they had been met with some considerable opposition, being dubbed hippies for their self-sufficient lifestyle, whereas now the community's support is deeply appreciated.

"Our success is also the whole region's success, we wouldn't be where we are today without the support of the locals," Kay said.

Kay grows, cultivates and creates her own organic skincare products out of herbs from her permaculture farm and where necessary sources as much as she can from local farmers, ensuring their product stays local.

This year the business has some exciting new changes in store, as they've recently upgraded to a new $15,000 solar system which will help power their other investments and existing systems.

The recent purchase of a $40,000 specialised piece of machinery, will allow them to clean, sterilize and re-use, packaging that are returned by clients.

With the recent power upgrade, they have also been able to upgrade their cool room to include a thermostat control so that their products and ingredients can be kept at an optimum temperature.

The national AusMumpreneur Awards have been running for 12 years, and they're all about celebrating the outstanding achievements of mothers working in small business.

The judging process for the awards has already started, running from August 9-20 and the awards night is set for September 15.

This is not the first time however that Kay has been been recognised by the AusMumpreneur Awards.

In 2020, Kay was a finalist as well and won four awards, winning a gold in handmade business excellence.

"And I think that it was just very nice to have some sort of award to show people that, you know, we are actually, we are a true green business," she said.

Kay said there are a lot of businesses greenwashing, but that small businesses like hers, have been in it for many years and are still 'in it for the long haul'.

When talking about her products, Kay said it's all about being healthy for yourself, healthy for the environment, being an asset to the community and having a sustainable environmental business model as well.

To look at the range or organic skincare created by Kay visit her website at: www.saarinenorganics.com