When Rianna Feenstra won the major award at this year's Armidale Regional Business Awards for Altitude Farm, it was her second trip onto the stage.
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The young business owner had taken out the Young Entrepreneur Award earlier in the evening, which was an impressive effort for someone so young, who is jugging her fledgling business with university studies.
"It was such an amazing feeling and such an honour, especially being only 20 to have accomplished that - and it was a really good evening too," Rianna told The Armidale Express.
Rianna said the inspiration for her business grew soon after her family moved to Armidale, while she was still in high school.
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"We had bought a few alpacas and sheep, and when shearing season came along, we had all this fleece and nothing to do with it," Rianna said.
"So, I started experimenting and seeing what I could make out of it. Then I started going to markets and selling the fleece, and because of the demand I saw at the markets, I then opened an online store.
"From there, I started selling raw fleeces to the craft market and it has expanded. This year I have introduced on-farm workshops, and I now have a retail outlet in Uralla at Little Birdie."
Rianna said Altitude Farm was remained a relatively small business while she worked her way through a business degree at university.
"I'm doing Business at UNE and I am really enjoying it, I definitely chose the right area,' she said.
"In five years I would like to be the biggest seller of fleeces to the craft market in Australia, as well as being one of the major suppliers to the craft market in the US.
"Already, 50 per cent of my sales are going to the US, so I would like to expand on that."
Rianna said she would also like to increase the number and range of her workshops, and the business was already leading to her to source material from other local farms.
"I'd like to get in contact with more farms, and keep promoting the New England for its fleeces and the quality that comes out of it," she said.