ENTERPRISING JOURNEYS
When life gives you limes… make beauty products
The Founders
Natalie Smail & Matt Smail
A range of skincare products made from the extract of finger limes grown sustainably on the founders’ property, with a mission of championing the qualities of native Australian botanicals.
“How GOOD it feels to learn something new and see it work! As a small business owner I am constantly learning new things, whether it’s in e-commerce, Meta Ads, SEO, marketing or sales.”
“Anyone who has worked with finger limes knows what we’re talking about when we say they’re a prick of a tree to work with (they are extremely thorny). Neither of us had a farming background and it has certainly been a challenge as we navigate our way through what it is to be farmers, while going through periods of drought, bushfire, pandemic and floods.”
The Journey
“We love their unique characteristics and the concept of sustainable agriculture by growing native plants that are naturally adapted to Australia’s conditions.” – Natalie Smail
When Natalie Smail bought a neglected finger lime farm with her husband Matt, she wasn’t thinking about making skincare products.
Rather, the former animal nutritionist was dreaming of nursing the orchards back to health and selling the fruit at local markets – and beyond.
But life had other plans for the Smails and their 2500 ailing trees.
After six hard years restoring the 18ha farm from the soil up – and learning the ropes of farm life – their efforts literally bore fruit. Hundreds of healthy, juicy finger limes were appearing on the trees on the property in NSW’s Northern Rivers, and they couldn’t be happier.
But she says with a farm of their size, they discovered that it wasn’t viable to set up a business operating solely in the fresh fruit market.
“We had spent years working to increase our finger lime fruit yields and had been quite naive about how we were going to sell it once we got to that point!,” she says.
“We were in a bit of a pickle.”
All was not lost. A love for bush foods had grown as they restored the orchard, and the shoots of a new idea began forming.
“I discovered that finger limes produce extraordinary quantities of potent phytonutrients, which are compounds that provide incredible benefits for our skin.”
From there, a new venture was born: crafting skincare products infused with the native fruit.
The Passion
Smail fell in love with finger limes as a beauty ingredient as she researched companies making extracts out of native Australian botanicals.
She found a local company in Ballina that could make the extract and deployed her science background to develop and manufacture the products.
She says finger limes are now popular ingredients in many skincare and wellness products as they contain ingredients that hydrate, strengthen, protect and repair skin cells.
“When developing our skincare range, we were very aware that the skincare industry is highly saturated,” she says.
“However, what sets us apart from our competitors is that we are the farmers that grow the finger limes used to make the potent extract in our skincare products. We have an ethical and sustainable approach to farming, and by following best-growing practices, we ensure that our hero ingredient, the finger lime, is the highest possible quality.”
The couple officially launched Bush Harvest Co in February 2024 with three products and have plans to expand the range.
The Challenges
As a small business owner, the question Smail gets asked most is: ‘How do you maintain a work-life balance when running a farm and e-commerce business?’
She says time management and avoiding burnout is the biggest challenge.
“What is that they say about small business owners? They will work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours for someone else,” she says.
“It is a constant challenge.”
She says with a “tiny team of two, I wear many hats – admin, marketing, content creator, sales, operations, fulfilment, warehouse, product development, etc”.
“The farming side of our business also adds an enormous workload to our schedules. Then, I need to find time to learn all of the new things about running an e-commerce business so I can implement them!
“However, I’ve now recognised that it’s better to take a rest or time for myself than to push through the fatigue/brain fog. I am much more motivated and productive when I work this way.”
The Support
Smail says the free Enterprising ME digital toolkits have been among the invaluable resources she has relied upon to build her business.
“The digital toolkits are great because they touch on things such as idea validation through to business strategy, managing money, and marketing,” she says.
“I found the toolkit on establishing finances really useful, as managing cash flow is important for all entrepreneurs. Navigating the financial side of the business can be challenging, and while we have a great accountant, it’s important to have an understanding of your own finances.”
She also turned to the toolkits on brand strategy, building a marketing plan and PR.
“With my science background I never thought I’d be able to get my head around the marketing side of the business, but they provided me with so many great tips in an easy-to-read format,” she says.
Words of Wisdom
Celebrate the wins - big or small: "Most of your milestones will be infinitesimal at the start, but it is important to acknowledge your progress. If you get a good review, achieve a follower milestone on socials, or hear the Shopify “cha-ching” sound when someone places an order, do a happy dance!"
Surround yourself with a good network: "Building a great network of like-minded people is so rewarding and essential for your sanity. I feel energised after I speak to other entrepreneurs and it helps keep me motivated to keep going."
Set up strong processes and systems from the beginning: “If you have these in place, someone can pick up a task and follow the process, minimising room for error or mistakes (for example, when packing orders). This is particularly useful for when you are sick, away on leave, or hire new employees.”
Embrace failure as a learning opportunity: “You’re going to mess up and that’s OK!"
