Mother-daughter duo Lorraine and Amy are the passionate pair behind Earth Mama, a New Zealand-based online store offering eco-friendly essentials and educational products for families. Rooted in generations of wholesome, country living, their shared values of sustainability, natural living and family wellbeing inspired them to take over the business in 2024. Bringing together their experience in early childhood education, parenting and sustainable living, they bring a deeply personal and practical approach to curating products that support both people and the planet. Together, they’re on a mission to make low-tox, low-waste living more accessible for modern families. Here, they talk to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind Earth Mama, how they balance work and family life, the challenges they have overcome, and their hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business
Earth Mama owners, mother daughter duo Lorraine and Amy, come from generations of women that baked, filling their pantries with preserves, sewed and kept vegetable gardens while raising children with love and good wholesome country living.
When Lorraine moved to live in an urban setting after country life, it was a bit of a shock, and continually living sustainably was a challenge. There seemed to be more packaging after every shopping trip.
Amy lives on a farm with her shepherd husband and small children and has also moved farms recently. Being used to online shopping and driving over an hour each way just to get groceries, Amy is no stranger to living sustainably and using what you have – making the most of town shopping days and repurposing what they had between trips.
When we saw Earth Mama advertised for sale, it was a “that’s a bit of us” moment; we can work together to build a future with more freedom, where we can live anywhere and still run our business while having flexibility for family time.
Earth Mama aligned with our values of living a life that eliminated chemicals, toxins and plastics from our home and body alongside caring for our family and the environment around us. Providing eco-friendly kitchen, bathroom and laundry essentials alongside products for babies, children and Mama with mindfulness and wellbeing in mind.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
We purchased the existing business in 2024 from another New Zealand small business owner who had a similar vision. Investing in the planet’s environment, being eco conscious, and wanting to be more than “just” a store selling natural, earth-friendly alternatives. We desire to become a one-stop-shop for families that engages, educates and inspires whilst highlighting products with the lens of environmental awareness: recycling, repurposing and reducing plastic waste.
A year on, we are finding our direction by slowly building on the amazing product lines we stock in our store. We want to “walk the talk” and sell products that we as a family have tried, tested and use in our homes, so we can be comfortable recommending them to others.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
That it is a challenge to run a small business with a young family, but it is easier than working for someone else, as you work to your own time frames and juggle schedules. In the beginning, maybe we weren’t as prepared as we thought – everything has been a huge learning curve. We take it day by day and learn along the way together. We celebrate our small wins and know it’s a journey we can’t rush, as we plan to pass it on to the next generation.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Working together with different family commitments has its challenges with many late night messages going backwards and forwards across the internet. Lorraine is teaching in early childhood and brings insight into the daily needs, challenges and education of many children and their families. Amy is juggling motherhood with two small children, attending playcentre and preschool while putting time into learning behind the scenes of small business operations. The flexibility of running our own small business and being present with the growing needs of a family both as mother and grandmother is priceless. We are currently based in the same city and the time we spend together is precious. Trying to stay on track of business matters is at times hard when you just want to sit and enjoy each other’s company.
