Cornwall Business School student Kate Richards on creating her own sustainable surf wax business

Kate Richards, a student on our Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management MSc, started her master's having already created a sustainable product ready to launch.  

Kate grew up in Cornwall with a passion for surfing and took this passion to Thailand where she worked as a surf instructor. It was here that she discovered Lemongrass House, a company dedicated to creating 100% natural handmade spa products. Inspired, Kate brought their ethos and award-winning products back to the UK in 2018, opening Lemongrass House UK in Truro.  

She then realised how the surf wax industry hadn’t progressed towards eco alternatives at the same rate as the wetsuit and surfboard industries. With a passion for both surfing and sustainability, Kate saw an opportunity to create a new eco surf wax, working with the Lemongrass House team to utilise their knowledge of natural ingredients to create Radical Wax. 

We caught up with Kate to learn more about the new business and how her course at Falmouth is helping to further enhance her brand. 

Can you tell us more about your surf wax product? 

Most surf waxes are still living in the past and made from fossil fuels (paraffin wax) and other harmful ingredients. I created Radical Wax as a way to provide a planet-friendly wax that works. 

Radical Wax is a natural, exceptionally grippy and sustainable surf wax utilising repurposed byproducts that are typically discarded in natural cosmetic manufacturing. 

What inspired you to choose a master’s in Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management at Falmouth? 

I realised that while the sustainable surf wax product represented a huge opportunity, I wasn’t very clear on how to successfully take the product to the international surfing market. 

Fortunately, I came across the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management MSc just at the right time. It’s one thing developing a formula for a sustainable product but launching it into a completely new market was something I needed help with. 

The location was important to me because I wanted to study something in Cornwall, where I could meet like-minded people and be coached in person. I visited the course during the summer and immediately felt at home with the two lecturers I met, who had both set up and grown very successful businesses of their own. 

How are you finding the course?  

I love the practical aspect of the course and the fact that I can immediately put the things I learn into practice. I am not only learning about how other people built their business but am learning how to build my own.  

We are currently studying modules on product ideation and sustainable practice, which is perfect for my product. I am just starting to see how the modules are working together to help me with my sustainable product.