Maternity leave usually comes to an end with a new addition to the family, but Laura Eddington ended hers with a new business as well.

As a mother of two, Laura decided it was important to make a contribution to the environment and decided to do something about it. The idea of Little Bumble came to Laura during her maternity leave with her second child.

“Whilst on maternity leave, I noticed how much food wastage occurred in my household. I began to research what was out there to sustainably prevent food wastage and I was really disappointed in what was on the market.” Laura says.

“I come from a family of farmers. I grew up on the land and we were always taught to be conscious of the earth and how we consume things,”

Unhappy with products available to minimize food waste, Laura had an ambitious idea to make her own. With a background of Science, Food and Agriculture from her years as a teacher, Laura used her expertise to create sustainable and reusable food wraps to help lessen food wastage in the home, as well as reduce the use of plastic.

“Little Bumble started in July 2017 with just me in my kitchen” Laura said.

“I took my products to local markets and businesses and just run it by myself”

”What really sets Little Bumble apart from other brands on the market with similar products is the scientific technique behind the product. It is one of the things that makes us unique”

Fast forward to two years later, Little Bumble now has eight worker bees, multiple local stockists and 40 wholesalers. The business has also expanded its products and Laura runs workshops on how people can make their own reusable food wraps at Little Bumble Hive Quarters in Warragul.

When asked why she choose to set up in Warragul, Laura couldn’t speak more highly about the community spirit.

“I received so much support from the community and my roots were already grounded here, so it felt right to stay here and give back,” Laura says.

“The best part about Warragul is the community. Everyone here wants to be sustainable and environmentally friendly. The community have been so supportive throughout the entire journey with Little Bumble.”

“Over the next five years I am hoping to keep scaling Little Bumble up in Australia and spreading the Little Bumble message beyond Australia.”

“I recently won a pitch competition with Startup Gippsland to travel to China and introduced Little Bumble to the Chinese market and we have been named by Choice as a reusable food wrap star”.

“Starting your own business is an incredible journey, but I feel that when you begin a business in the country, you have a lot of community support from people who just want you to succeed, and will lend a hand in all sorts of unexpected ways.”