My partnership with Freshwater Farm started simply by a friend introducing us at the surf club a few months ago. I was introduced to Allan Hutcherson, the 'farmer joe' of Freshwater Farm. She thought we would be a good match because I am passionate about the environment and Freshwater Farm produces environmentally friendly soaps and body care products. It was not until we met that we discovered we have so much more in common than just a passion for the environment.
Freshwater Farm is located on Mayers Flat, which is in the Mid North Coast of NSW. This is only 20 minutes away from Seal Rocks, my favourite place on earth. I have been going to Seal Rocks with my family for as long as I can remember. It is a place that I associate with love, family, laughter, adventure and a deep connection with nature. It just so happened that Freshwater Farm embodies these values in their Farm. Freshwater Farm is a family run business, and the Farm is a place where they also venture to experience love and adventure. We all share a passion for caring for our natural environment, weather it is the beach or the land. It was a perfect match.
Learning about what Freshwater Farm do at every step of the way to ensure they have the smallest impact on the planet has been very inspiring. From the planting and harvesting of their ingredients to the packaging and purchasing of their products, they consistently put planet before profit. Here is a little insight into all the care that is embedded in their products:
On the Farm
Freshwater Farm obtain most of their essential oils from the plants grown on their farm. The Farm is covered in beautiful crops of tea tree, lemon scented tea tree, lavender tea tree and salt bush. I learnt that a minimal amount of herbicide is used on the crops, and if it is from a certified organic brand. Once the plants have been harvested and converted to oils, all the left-over plant matter is recycled into soil and put back into the ground. When Allan was showing me around the farm he said "I really want to make sure this farm stays wild, I don’t want to manicure it the point where there is no nature left. It is really important to keep it wild for the fauna in this area." There is a growing amount of evidence showing how important regenerative processes are for the protection of our planet, and this is a perfect example. Allan also has a small collection of beautiful bee hives on the Farm. Not only is Freshwater Farm aiding the conservation of bees, these bees are able to produce Manuka Honey from the lemon scented tea tree. This is the honey used in their products, and is also sourced right there on the farm.
Creating the Oils
During my visit I was lucky enough to see the new oil distiller which was about to be installed. This machine enables the essential oils to be produced right here on the farm, instead of having to be transported to anther factory.
Packaging
Plastic pollution is definitely my biggest environmental passion so learning about all the good things Freshwater Farm was doing to have a small plastic footprint excited me so much. The majority of their products are soap bars which contain only a small amount of plastic in the lining which can be separated from the paper to be recycled. They are currently searching for a completely biodegradable alternative, which I look forward to seeing one day. All their haircare products come in paper packages that can be composted. My favourite product of theirs is their shampoo and conditioner bars, and not just because they make your hair feel awesome. Shampoo and conditioner bars can help reduce the enormous amount of plastic being wasted when we used shampoo and conditioner bottles. Lets say the average shampoo and conditioner bottles last about 2 months. That equates to going through 240 plastic bottles in just 20 years. If we all started using shampoo and conditioner bars, we could stop thousands of kilos of plastic from entering landfill and the environment. PS, the shampoo and conditioner bars can last up to 100 uses before you need new ones.
You may have noticed Freshwater Farms liquid soaps come in plastic bottles. However, did you notice that all of their bottles are made with clear plastic? Clear plastic is the only coloured plastic that can be recycled right here in Australia. Freshwater Farm used to package some of their bottles in a colored bottle, but are now moving towards ensuring all bottles are in clear plastic simply so they can be recycled. Furthermore, Freshwater Farm offer 5L refill bottles for a range of their bottled products including hand washes and hand santisers. A 5L refill bottle can you save you buying 10 hand wash pump bottles, and more important, save 10 plastic bottles from being sent to landfill.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of how Freshwater Farm are continuing to a better planet. I love to think of how cool the world would be if every business thought about the planet like this in the production of their products. Stories like this leave me felling inspired that we can enjoy nice things and care for the planet, and hopeful that business are doing what they can to make the world a better place.
I am so proud to be an ambassador for Freshwater Farm and I can’t wait to share more of their stories with you. Check out The Australian Made Week champaign I did with them here: