Gold Coast mum’s idea sparks Saf Organics business making $500k

The Gold Coast woman has turned a product she made in her kitchen into a booming business.

A mum who had a “very boring” job working in finance prior to having kids, squirrelled away every $5 note she received to save up to launch a business that has raked in over $500,000 in the past year.

Tegiye Mimi-Ozalp was staying at home with two children aged under two and did not want to return to her dull role but said the family was experiencing “financial struggles” on one income.

At the same time, she was paying close attention to the food she was giving her children and what she put on their skin.

“I was very conscious with what the kids were eating and what I was using on the kids but not paying too much attention on myself,” she told news.com.au.

“One day I sprayed deodorant on my armpits and then picked my daughter up and realised she was inhaling it herself.”

Tegiye Mimi-Ozalp is an Australian mum-of-four and the owner of Saf Organics, a completely Australian-owned and manufactured, natural skin care brand. Picture: Supplied

She switched to natural deodorants and found they didn’t work so set to work in her kitchen to create her own.

The 35-year-old said it involved a lot of trial and error with the use of bicarb making it rough to apply at first, while the mould wouldn’t hold initially and the deodorant had to be kept in the fridge.

The Gold Coast woman said her husband suggested she spin her homemade deodorant into a business but she said they didn’t have the funds.

“I collected $5 notes and sold items that we didn’t need around the house for $5 only and once I reached $1500 that was enough to buy myself a website and create it myself,” she said.

This was the start of her business Saf Organics which sells low-tox alternatives in hair, skincare, body and bath, and health and hygiene products.

Ms Mimi-Ozalp said the $1500 allowed her to purchase 500 containers and labels for her deodorant, which she launched on social media in 2019.

“All 500 bottles sold in the first month and I turned $1500 into $10,000 in just 30 days, then I sold 13,000 and 15,000 bottles and fast forward to four years on and two more kids later and my husband has now resigned from his job,” she added.

Some of the range. Picture: Supplied

When she sent the manufacturer her deodorant it included her hand written recipe but now Saf Organics has grown from one product to selling 23 items, she said.

“Its been a journey. Every time I look at a $5 note I look at it differently, it’s not the littlest note, its done lots for us,” she noted.

The mum-of-four said every time she launches a new product it sells out before it even hits the warehouse and the most recent launch was a sensitive skincare range.

“After travelling Australia for 13 months and learning about the amazing native plants we have in our own country our skincare range was launched. When we say vitamin C, people think of citrus but we have got a Kakadu plum that has over 100 times the vitamin C benefits with the highest concentration in the world so we included that in our serum,” she said.

“Its just been launched as part of our skincare bundle. It’s a five step bundle, not eight or nine products and includes a cleanser, moisturiser, vitamin C and masks but we don’t do clay masks. You apply it and go to bed it’s a beauty mask – it’s a quick five step routine and it’s been going really good.”

A road trip around Australia helped her to create her latest range. Picture: Supplied

But Saf Organics hair detangler is by far the most popular product in its range, according to Ms Mimi-Ozalp.

She said the business was a one woman show until the pandemic hit and actually helped it to boom.

“I think Australian goods just skyrocketed and we were one of the lucky brands and business that were affected by it positively and not the other way around as a lot of brands and business were suffering,” she said.

“But we all Australian made with Australian ingredients and people decided to put their money into their values.”

Ms Mimi-Ozalp said she’d love to have her products stocked in Priceline. Picture: Supplied

Last financial year, the brand made $360,000 but is now on track to rack up more than $500,000 in sales, which Ms Mimi-Ozalp said has “blown” her away.

“I feel like every year we are doubling so I can’t wait to see what next year holds,” she said. “We only recently started going into wholesalers and that alone has made a massive difference to our business.

“Before we were online only and this year we just started in a few health food stores and pharmacies and it’s still very fresh and new to us but one of our stockists restocked Saf Organics three times in five weeks and she doesn’t have the whole range.

“There is a need to have somewhere to walk in and pick natural products up, it’s one of those products like shampoo (that) flies out a lot quicker than online.”

Long term, she said she’d love to be stocked in health food stores across Australia as well as in Priceline