How a Leeds mother turned a home hack craft into an award-winning wool business
Who knew you could make so much out of wool? 🐑
Over 10 years ago, Sarah Turner was a new mother looking for a life hack.
With no garden and limited indoor space, she was trying to find quick ways to dry laundry.
Sarah tried plastic dryer balls but found these were too noisy, especially when the house was asleep.
As a keen craftswoman, she headed to her local wool shop and made an alternative: a wool dryer ball.
Not only did it quietly reduce drying time, but it also softened laundry.
Little did Sarah know that her idea would set the foundation for an award-winning business.
Little Beau Sheep is an Ilkley-based brand which creates eco-friendly laundry and body care products centred around celebrating British wool.
“It started with a very simple idea solving an everyday problem I had and then we’ve taken on this broader mission to help champion British wool and change the way people think about wool in their everyday lives,” Sarah told the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Alongside the wool dryer balls, another popular product from Little Beau Sheep is felted soap: a bar of soap wrapped in wool that gently exfoliates skin.
Sarah’s products are handmade using wool certified by British Wool to ensure farmers are paid a fair price.
By using British wool, Sarah’s products are renewable and durable and support local farming communities.
Sarah said: “It’s a material we have in abundance in this country, but sadly it’s become undervalued. Every year, we produce millions of kilos of wool, but it isn’t worth much to the farmers who produce it.”
“If you think back to the fact that our country was built on the value of wool and the speaker in the House of Lords sits on a wool sack, there seems to be such a disconnect.”
Little Beau Sheep is a brand filled with character, puns galore, and even a playful Shaun the Sheep range.
As the dryer balls are stylised to resemble the wide diversity of sheep breeds, customers fall in love with the fun of Little Beau Sheep.
“The feedback we get from customers is that they put a smile on your face when you’re doing laundry,” Sarah said.
“People have told me that it’s actually guilted them into doing their next load because they see the little faces sat there on the shelf.”
Little Beau Sheep officially began selling on online marketplace Etsy and built its audience through word of mouth.
Now, the brand is thriving and last month even won the Supply Chain Champion Award at the Small Awards, an achievement which Sarah described as “incredible”.
As a finalist, Sarah was invited to meet Chancellor Rachel Reeves at Downing Street, an experience she said felt like being on a TV set.
Sarah said: “It’s very surreal when you walk down Downing Street because it’s normally something you only see on television.
“It felt like a special day to be recognised at that level, and hopefully it shows that the government is serious about supporting small businesses.”
Later this year Sarah will start a three-month challenge to show just how practical the “magical material” of wool can be.
Starting in October, the business owner will wear a British wool woven shift dress for 90 days with an aim to highlight the positive qualities of wool, including how it regulates temperatures, repeals moisture, and resists odour.
“It isn’t just a nice material from the past, it’s a solution to quite a few of our problems that’s lying in plain sight,” Sarah said.
Ultimately, Little Beau Sheep is a business which wants to showcase the versatility of wool while bringing joy to its loyal customer base.
With awards, an appearance on Countryfile, and even a Ted Talk, Little Beau Sheep has certainly had an exciting journey so far.
Yet, Sarah has no plans on slowing down.
Sarah said: “We just celebrated our 10th anniversary and so I’ve spent a bit of time reflecting on what we’ve achieved and it definitely gives me a sense of pride.”
“But I’m definitely not bored of it yet - I’m looking forward to the next ten years.”