A single mother of two from Leura has taken out the prestigious Harry Hammon Regional Business of the Year Award at the 2018 Blue Mountains Business Awards ceremony.
Louisa Forrest, the managing director of Lavenderia NappyCare, was “completely stunned” when she won four business awards on the night.
She started her business eight years ago. She was on the lookout for a cloth nappy service while recovering from a caesarean delivery, and to help her daughter who was allergic to disposable nappies and wipes. She couldn’t find one and so the idea “just began to grow legs, then wings”.
Now she manages a nappy business that cleans cloth nappies from 1000 children up and down the east coast (including several childcare centres), saving thousands of tonnes of disposable nappies going to landfill. Her business also donates to charities overseas to give underprivileged children access to clean drinking water.
“Eight years ago no-one was interested in cloth nappies,” she told the Gazette.
Ms Forrest was recognised for Excellence in Sustainability, Innovation and was named the Outstanding Young Entrepreneur. She was also a runner-up for Excellence in Social Enterprise. The event was held at the Fairmont Resort in Leura on Friday November 2.
Ms Forrest will compete at the NSW Business Awards as young entrepreneur and for sustainability.
The Gazette sponsors the awards and will have a full list of winners in next week’s print edition.
