EkoElsa's work team

Mari Tiira founded Elsa's Eco Workshop in Christmas 2020 together with her husband Pekka Santapakka. The team at EkoElsa has evolved over time, and by autumn 2025, it transformed into a trio of two entrepreneurs and one employee. Sales Manager Kati Klinga also occasionally joins the team.

Mari Tiira

Who founded Elsa's Eco Workshop?

Read the full origin story of Elsa's Eco Workshop here. Mari got the idea for soap making in autumn 2020 when she ran out of laundry detergent suitable for her daughter Anna's sensitive skin, both at home and in stores. Mari decided to make the powder herself but realized it was missing a crucial ingredient: cleaning soap. She couldn't find it anywhere, so Mari made it herself. The first soap was made, along with laundry powder, and inspired by this, Mari experimented with different soap recipes and fell in love with the process. Mari created EkoElsa's soap collection with her own needs and those of her close circle in mind, and she is proud of its quality, scent world, and beauty.

Mari serves as EkoElsa's CEO, product manufacturer, and is involved in marketing. Mari is responsible for product development, and her head is constantly full of new ideas. Mari manufactures products together with Pekka. Sometimes you'll find her wielding a soap ladle, sometimes packaging solid lotions, and sometimes intensely focused on a computer screen. Mari loves to capture videos with her phone and edit them. Mari is therefore responsible for the workshop's social media materials and the content of its YouTube channel. As a soap merchant, Mari has had to learn website building, and these pages are her handiwork. Mari also enjoys writing, and on the site, you'll find plenty to read about products, our activities, and occasionally she also writes a blog.

Mari grows carrots, calendula, and silkie chicken eggs in her yard as raw materials for soaps. Silkie chickens are beloved pets, and their eggs are regularly used to bake Silkie Chick Solid Shampoo. Mari developed the recipe, which contains egg yolk and beer, for her own coarse, curly, and dry hair. Mari loves hiking in forests, hugging chickens, and watching detective series. Mari spends her free time with her husband Pekka and two dogs: Siru and Pepe, both of whom have inspired our dog product line: Dogs of My Life.

Mari's first profession is a psychiatric nurse and a mind coach. Mari has also worked in sales and marketing as an entrepreneur for a long time in her career. As a soap merchant, Mari can draw fully from all her life experiences. According to Mari, the best part of entrepreneurship is freedom and creativity.

Mari Tiira

info@ekoelsa.fi

tel. 050 336 1993

Who is the other entrepreneur at Elsa's Eco Workshop?

Pekka Santapakka

Pekka Santapakka is Elsa's father and one of EkoElsa's entrepreneurs. Pekka's handiwork includes EkoElsa's large production tables, soap molds, and soap cutter. After EkoElsa's founding year, Pekka also worked elsewhere and returned as a full-time entrepreneur in autumn 2025. Pekka serves as EkoElsa's financial manager and ensures that consultants receive their ordered products. Pekka also works in production, making soap and cosmetics, a craft he enjoys.

Pekka lives his daily life with Mari and their dogs, enjoying outdoor activities, yard work, and reading.

Who is the third EkoElsa employee?

Ljudmila Hross

Ljudmila started working at EkoElsa in autumn 2025. Ljudmila has lived in Finland since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Ljudmila lives in Heinola with her twin daughters. Her job is to ensure that production can even happen: washing dishes, cleaning, packaging soap, and occasionally even manufacturing. Without her, we wouldn't be able to make quality products on such a tight schedule.

With this setup, EkoElsa will operate at the beginning of 2026. Let's see what additions we can make to the team this year. If the growth rate is as high as last year, we are facing an increase in jobs. But that's only positive, isn't it?