Julie Andrews has been passionate about soaps and natural skin care from a young age. She collected them, made soap balls from her mother's soaps, she even tried making rose water by boiling rose petals, however she always wondered how soap was made from scratch. In late 1997, as Julie was browsing the stalls at Yarra Glen Market in Victoria, she stumbled across a soap making book for sale for $7. As luck would have it, Julie had the exact amount in her purse for the book, and that day in 1997 is when she discovered her passion. In 1998, Julie used her pastry cooking skills to create her first batch of coconut oil soap which she decorated with lavender flowers. After a few years of perfecting her soap making skills, in 2002 Julie branched out and set up her first market stall at St Andrews Market. With two card tables and her freshly made soap, Julie would wake up early every Saturday morning with her kids in tow to sell her natural soap creations to market goers. She named her small and very humble business, Soapbox Hill. Over time, Julie changed her business name to Urthly Organics to reflect her passion for the environment and living naturally. She moved to a place among the gumtrees in Central Victoria and expanded her range of natural products. In 2018, Julie decided to take Urthly Organics national and rebrand to give it a fresh new look. At the time, Julie's 79-year-old mother had taken up painting.
“I saw this as a wonderful opportunity to create a new family partnership where my mother would create the artwork that would be printed on to Urthly Organics product packaging.”
The rebrand created a new era for Urthly Organics. The team expanded, monthly donations to local organisations began, and Urthly Organics moved out of the home to East Bendigo. Julie has come a long way since 1997. She continues to make all Urthly Organics products by hand from local, fair trade and ethically sourced ingredients, natural colourants, and essential oils. Her product range has expanded from natural soaps to include natural bug spray, face cream, toothpowder, hand and body wash, shampoo bars and deodorants. All products are made with the environment in mind, are fully certified palm oil and derivative free by Orangutan Alliance and endorsed by Palm Oil Investigations.
“It still brings great joy when someone orders a product we have made. This inspires us to continue evolving to better our products for the environment and customers.”
Discover Eco Friendly Solutions. Love to Use and Gift. Protect Your Health and Planet.
Easy Returns
45 day returns in-store and online
Recycle with us
Return eligible products for recycling
Eco friendly packaging
Plus we offset shipping emissions
Loyalty Club
Join the Be. Club and save
Biome acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation (Burwood), Bundjalung, Yugambeh and Koombumerrii people (Southport), and Yuggera and Turrbul people (Meanjin / Brisbane) as the traditional owners and custodians of the land that we work on. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
MEET OUR BIOME AMBASSADORS ~ sharing ideas and inspiration to help us all live more sustainably on our precious planet home ~
Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
In 1998, Julie used her pastry cooking skills to create her first batch of coconut oil soap which she decorated with lavender flowers. After a few years of perfecting her soap making skills, in 2002 Julie branched out and set up her first market stall at St Andrews Market. With two card tables and her freshly made soap, Julie would wake up early every Saturday morning with her kids in tow to sell her natural soap creations to market goers. She named her small and very humble business, Soapbox Hill. Over time, Julie changed her business name to Urthly Organics to reflect her passion for the environment and living naturally. She moved to a place among the gumtrees in Central Victoria and expanded her range of natural products. In 2018, Julie decided to take Urthly Organics national and rebrand to give it a fresh new look. At the time, Julie's 79-year-old mother had taken up painting.
Julie has come a long way since 1997. She continues to make all Urthly Organics products by hand from local, fair trade and ethically sourced ingredients, natural colourants, and essential oils. Her product range has expanded from natural soaps to include natural bug spray, face cream, toothpowder, hand and body wash, shampoo bars and deodorants. All products are made with the environment in mind, are fully certified palm oil and derivative free by Orangutan Alliance and endorsed by Palm Oil Investigations.
