Valla Beach Soaps named a finalist in Rural Business Awards Nambucca Valley Nambucca Valley - popup ad Nambucca Valley News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - June 25, 2023 Valla Beach Natural Soaps, handmade by local business founder Carol Whitmore. VALLA Beach Natural Soaps founder Carol Whitmore is amongst the finalists in the Australian Rural Business Awards 2023. The Awards are presented by Spend With Us to celebrate, highlight, and recognise the talent that exists in rural and regional Australia. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Carol started making soaps when she lived in Tasmania for five years. On returning to Valla Beach seven years ago, she created a home-grown soap making business based on “keeping things as natural as possible”. “I don’t use nasty fragrances, I get good quality oils and I use essential oils not fragrance oil, so the soaps are just subtly scented,” Carol said. She grows a lot of the botanicals that go into the soaps herself and collects seaweed off local beaches to put into her products. Hand wrapped in paper by Carol, all the packaging is plastic-free. “Everything I sell seems to be popular and I have a lot of return customers.” Recently Nambucca Macnuts in Macksville donated Carol 20 litres of macadamia oil. “I’m now making macadamia oil soap which is proving to be very popular. “It’s a nice local collaboration and I thank them for supporting me.” Now in its second year, the Australian Rural Business Awards are designed to acknowledge the strength and resilience of small business owners in rural and regional areas. They recognise that businesses in these areas have been through it all including droughts, bushfires, mouse plagues, floods, a lack of tourism and a global pandemic in the past few years alone. The founders of Spend With Us have been overwhelmed by the response to their awards. “There is nothing that gives us greater joy than seeing businesses from the bush succeed and to see their passion and determination shine through,” said Jenn Donovan and Sarah Britz from Spend With Us The winners of The Australian Rural Business Awards for 2023 will be announced during an online event on Friday 23 June 2023 from 7:30pm. The keynote speakers for the night will be bestselling author Andrew Griffiths and Laura Piccardi from Uppy.com. For more information on the Australian Rural Business Awards please visit https://www.spendwithus.com.au/the-australian-rural-business-awards/. By Andrea FERRARI Carol Whitmore at home in Valla Beach where she hand makes soaps and grows the botanicals to go in them.
