Eat Drink Innovate

Christy Loekito is the founder of The Wondersnack Co. which makes premium gourmet bar snacks in small batches, using real ingredients rather than flavourings.
In this episode, you’ll hear how, as a self-confessed snack-a-holic, Christy was underwhelmed by the bland, boring and overly- processed range of salty nut snacks available and decided to shake-up this category with the creation of The Wondersnack Co. She set about making a range of gourmet savoury snacks from real premium ingredients.
After an accidental meeting which gained her a skilful business partner, Christy scaled up using co-manufacturing and soon achieved ranging in retail stores. However, she soon realised that the costs and challenges of operating in this competitive distribution channel made it one of her least profitable routes to market.
Instead she found profitable inspiration in the bar fridges of 5-star premium and luxury hotels, who embraced her gourmet snacks across Australia, and are now driving expansion of The Wondersnack Co. into Asian hospitality channels.
Plus, in this episode, you’ll learn about the fragmenting Australian food retail environment and the value of looking for new distribution opportunities beyond the usual grocery store suspects.
Learn more about The Wondersnack Co products and connect with Christy on:https://wondersnack.com.auhttps://www.facebook.com/TheWondersnackCo/http://instagram.com/WondersnackCo
Many thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Badalya, a global food and beverage venture catalyst which specialises in taking validated food concepts to global markets. You can check them out at http://www.badalya.com and put them to work building your business.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Krista and Rob Watkins step-changed their business from banana growing in Walkamin Queensland, to starting the world’s first pharmaceutical grade banana flour factory and launching Natural Evolution, a range of natural, nutritious, gluten-free superfoods.
As second generation farmers, Krista & Rob wanted to diversify and de-risk their business. Like many primary producers their annual crop return was at the mercy of mother nature, boom and bust cycles of supply, with more than 20% of their green bananas wasted annually when they didn’t meet strict supermarket buying standards.
In this episode, you’ll hear how one day Rob had an ‘eureka’ moment of discovery when driving over a bunch of dried bananas with a forklift and saw a ‘puff of banana dust’ – this discovery transformed their business from a banana farm into the world’s first commercial banana flour factory. The combination of Rob’s engineering ingenuity and Krista’s baking experimentation, led this couple to develop a whole range of natural, nutritious, gluten-free superfoods under the brand of Natural Evolution – based on the amazing properties of green banana flour, which they discovered is the richest source of resistant starch in the world.
Plus, in this episode, you’ll learn how to create more ‘eureka’ moments of inspiration for your business to help you generate new product ideas.
Learn more about Natural Evolution products, and connect with Krista and Rob on: https://www.naturalevolutionfoods.com.auhttps://www.facebook.com/GlutenFreeResistanceStarchBananaFlourhttps://www.instagram.com/naturalevolution/
Many thanks to our long-term sponsor, the Monash Food Innovation Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Find out how they can help your business become more innovative: https://www.foodinnovationcentre.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grant Collins is a mixologist, drinks advisor and founder of Gin Lane, Sydney.
In this episode, you’ll hear how Grant ditched his passion for personal training early on, to be pulled into the exciting and creative world of hospitality in which he’s worked as a bar tender, bar manager, mixologist, drinks advisor, boutique consultant and bar owner.
You’ll hear how, after having gained extensive bar management experience in the US and UK, Grant moved to Australia with his future wife, and drove the success of award-winning bars in first-class hotels across Australia. That was before he wandered down a street in Chippendale Sydney in 2016, and fell in love with an old 1820’s terrace house. This heritage building inspired him to start his own bar, called Gin Lane, which is becoming a leading light in the booming Australian gin revival.
Plus, in this episode, you’ll learn about the power of 'virtual eatertainment’ - that is leveraging food and beverages that are visually fun, inventive and colourful on social media, and how to offer a multi-sensorial experience that people will pay more for.
Learn more about Gin Lane, see their best-selling cocktails in action, and connect with Grant Collins on:https://ginlanesydney.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/ginlanesydney/https://www.instagram.com/ginlanesydney/http://www.barsolutions.com.auhttps://www.facebook.com/barsolutions.au?ref=stream
Many thanks to this episode’s sponsor, the Monash Food Innovation Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Find out how they can help your business become more innovative: https://www.foodinnovationcentre.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Holloway and Nic Davidson, are the creators of Matcha Maiden, a range of matcha powder products and co-owners of the plant-based, sustainability-driven café, Matcha Mylkbar in Melbourne and Sydney.
In this episode, you’ll hear how Sarah was unable to drink coffee for health reasons and became hooked instead on the nutritional properties of matcha power when working in Hong Kong, for its distinct flavour, high level of anti-oxidants and gentler caffeine level.
On their return to Australia, Sarah and Nic started an online business importing and selling Matcha powder, which not only fueled their own daily matcha latte habit, but also creating a community of like-minded followers. This humble side project has evolved into a business with over fifteen hundred stockists, eighty-seven thousand Instagram followers and the launch of an award-winning, sustainability-driven café.
Plus, in this episode, you’ll learn about the ‘ and how to know when a fleeting food trend will become a more mainstream, mass-appeal opportunity.trickle-down effect’
You can learn more about Matcha Maiden and Matcha Mylkbar, and connect with Sarah and Nic on:https://www.matchamaiden.com/https://www.instagram.com/matcha_maiden/?hl=enhttp://www.matchamylkbar.com/https://www.instagram.com/matcha_mylkbar/?hl=en
Many thanks to this episode’s sponsor, the Monash Food Innovation Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Find out how they can help your business become more innovative: https://www.foodinnovationcentre.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sallie Jones and Steve Ronalds were inspired to start Gippsland Jersey, an independent, farmer-owned milk brand, out of a desire to honour the work and lives of their hard-working, dairy-farming families.
In this episode, you’ll hear how Sallie was spurred on after a personal crisis that saw her father Michael end his life tragically in 2016, followed by a crash in the dairy industry, during which major milk producers slashed the prices paid to farmers, leaving them in debt and despair.
Gippsland Jersey was created to be more than simply a milk brand. By returning a portion of its profits to the Gippsland farming community, it’s a powerful platform for advocacy that helps Sallie and Steve raise awareness of the importance of community connections, fair pay in the dairy industry and support for dairy farmers suffering mental health issues.
As a farmer-owned brand, Gippsland Dairy bypasses the major milk producers and provides, not only a fair price for farmers, but also a means for consumers to make an act of support when choosing which milk brand to buy. It encourages us all to make a more meaningful choice that helps local dairy farmers, rather than simply finding the lowest price on shelf. And judging by the overwhelming wave of support and endorsement from consumers, local businesses and other institutions, it’s a cause that is truly touching people’s hearts and minds.
Plus in this episode, you’ll learn about the power of the golden circle, and why people don’t buy you do or make, but the underlying reason of you do it.whatwhy
Beyond BlueRipple EffectLifeline.*If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please seek help via organisations such as , the or
You can learn more about Gippsland Jersey, buy a Gippsland Jersey calendar and connect with Sallie on:https://www.gippslandjersey.com.au/#gippsland-jersey-titlehttps://www.facebook.com/GippslandJersey/https://www.instagram.com/gippslandjersey/
To learn more about Simon Sinek and the golden circle that starts with ‘why’, go to: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action
Many thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Rocket Seeder, a food and agribusiness accelerator working with the Monash Food Innovation Centre. Find out how they could help your business start-up and scale up at: https://www.rocketseeder.com
This episode photo of Sallie Jones is courtesy of the invisiblefarmer.net.au: https://invisiblefarmer.net.au/blog/2017/4/28/sallie-jones-of-gippsland-jersey-west-gippsland

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Life is short, bake that cake and eat it too!
Emily Chhen was inspired to start Bake It Box in 2016, when she was caught out with expired baking ingredients when making a cake for a friend’s housewarming party.
Emily realised that most people don’t keep their pantry stocked with all the ingredients needed when the mood or occasion for baking strikes. So after packing in her full-time bio-tech job, Emily launched Bake It Box to help overcome these baking challenges. She now creates comprehensive baking kits which provide everything you need, including step-by-step instructions, pre-measured dry ingredients, tools and edible decorations to make a baking masterpiece, delivered right to your door.
In this episode, you’ll hear howEmily bootstrapped her way to build Bake It Box, taking on contract and odd jobs, while pouring all her earnings back into the business. You’ll hear her joy in making home baking easier, so that more people can be creative and bring happiness to others with their baked creations. You’ll learn how she shifted from being a solo operator, to building up an inspiring network of professional mentors and like-minded food entrepreneurs, who helped her bring to life the Bake It Box mantra: Life is short, you can bake that cake and eat it too!Plus, you’ll learn how you are the sum of the five people around you and why it’s so important to seek out the right tribe to be a successful food entrepreneur. And finally, because this is Episode 10 and it’s important to celebrate the small wins, I’ll be giving a shout out to those who have sent me feedback on the podcast.
Learn more about Bake It Box and connect with Emily:https://www.bakeitbox.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/Bakeitbox/https://www.instagram.com/bakeitbox/https://www.youtube.com/bakeitboxau
To learn more about Jim Rohn and his legacy of personal development and business products, go to: https://www.jimrohn.com
Many thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Rocket Seeder, a food and agribusiness accelerator working with the Monash Food Innovation Centre. Find out how they could help your business start-up and scale up at: https://www.rocketseeder.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Life is short, bake that cake and eat it too!

Emily Chhen was inspired to start Bake It Box in 2016, when she was caught out with expired baking ingredients when making a cake for a friend’s housewarming party.

Emily realised that most people don’t keep their pantry stocked with all the ingredients needed when the mood or occasion for baking strikes. So after packing in her full-time bio-tech job, Emily launched Bake It Box to help overcome these baking challenges. She now creates comprehensive baking kits which provide everything you need, including step-by-step instructions, pre-measured dry ingredients, tools and edible decorations to make a baking masterpiece, delivered right to your door.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Emily bootstrapped her way to build Bake It Box, taking on contract and odd jobs, while pouring all her earnings back into the business. You’ll hear her joy in making home baking easier, so that more people can be creative and bring happiness to others with their baked creations. You’ll learn how she shifted from being a solo operator, to building up an inspiring network of professional mentors and like-minded food entrepreneurs, who helped her bring to life the Bake It Box mantra: Life is short, you can bake that cake and eat it too!Plus, you’ll learn how you are the sum of the five people around you and why it’s so important to seek out the right tribe to be a successful food entrepreneur. And finally, because this is Episode 10 and it’s important to celebrate the small wins, I’ll be giving a shout out to those who have sent me feedback on the podcast.

Learn more about Bake It Box and connect with Emily:https://www.bakeitbox.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/Bakeitbox/https://www.instagram.com/bakeitbox/https://www.youtube.com/bakeitboxau

To learn more about Jim Rohn and his legacy of personal development and business products, go to: https://www.jimrohn.com

Many thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Rocket Seeder, a food and agribusiness accelerator working with the Monash Food Innovation Centre. Find out how they could help your business start-up and scale up at: https://www.rocketseeder.com

Make dinner in 15 minutes
Harry stepped out of a corporate career in supply chain management to satisfy a personal unmet need for fast, fresh and delicious home-delivered meal kits. Rather than being daunted by big food delivery competitors like Hello Fresh, Lite’n Easy or Marley Spoon, Harry was enthused to be part of a such a vibrant and growing food service market, and created Feastively.
Feastively gives people the convenience of home delivery and satisfaction of home cooking, without compromising freshness, quality and taste. They do all the boring prep for you – like wash, chop and marinate, so you can just cook dinner in one plan, in fifteen minutes or less.
You’ll hear how Harry built his own food processing capability and delivered meals when the family car was available for use, before scaling up with the advice of business mentors and doubling the business in the first 18 months of operation.
Plus, you’ll learn about the ‘second mover advantage’ and how you can carve out a sizeable business opportunity by filling a gap, offering an alternative, or servicing consumers whose needs differ from those being served by established businesses.
Thanks to Harry’s generous offer - if you’d like to try the delicious 15-minute meals from Feastively – you can go onto their website www.feastively.com and get $25 off your 1st purchase by entering coupon code: EATDRINK. Or you can get a 10% lifetime discount on a Feastively meal plan by entering the coupon code: EATDRINK1. Just don’t forget to check the delivery service to your area within the Melbourne metro region.
Learn more about Feastively and connect with Harry:https://www.feastively.com/https://www.facebook.com/feastivelyhttps://www.instagram.com/feastively/https://twitter.com/feastively
Many thanks to this episode’s sponsor Rocket Seeder, a food and agribusiness accelerator. Find out how they could help your business start-up and scale up at: https://www.rocketseeder.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Healthy office snack boxes
While working as a customer experience designer in a large corporate bank, Ashleigh Whittaker noticed an absence of nutritious snack options when the dreaded 3pm slump hit. Rather than succumbing to the biscuit and chocolate options available, Ashleigh sourced a selection of unique and healthy snacks and created her own snack box for the office kitchen.
In doing so, Ashleigh uncovered a bigger opportunity - to improve employee productivity, wellbeing and morale by creating a workplace snacking service that offered more nutritious snack options. Snack Proud now offers multi-sized snack boxes, snacking programs and full corporate kitchen support, direct to offices and faculty managers, so their employees can feel proud of their snack choices.
Plus, in this episode you’ll learn about the power of prototyping and how to do this for your own business to test new opportunities quickly, easily and cost-effectively.
Learn more about Snack Proud and connect with Ashleigh: https://snackproud.com.au/https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleighwhittaker/https://www.facebook.com/snackproudhttps://www.instagram.com/snack_proud
Many thanks to this episode’s sponsor, the Monash Food Innovation Centre. Find out how they can help your business become more innovative: https://www.foodinnovationcentre.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simple food, extraordinary flavoursIn 2009, Jacqui Harvey purchased a fledgling local business, Yarra Valley Gourmet Foods.For the past decade she has built up an enviable portfolio of beautifully packaged gourmet salad dressings, jams, jellies, mustards, cordials, chutneys, relishes, mayonnaise, and vinegars. Made from the finest local ingredients, this all-natural range of products is produced in small, high quality batches.
You’ll hear how Jacqui focused firstly on hitting the pavement and increasing distribution, whilst rationalising the product range. She then purchased a 20-acre property in Seville to achieve her ultimate vision - creating a food tourism business with a greenhouse, retail store and pick-and-make food experiences to ensure a sustainable future and unique brand experience.
Plus, you’ll learn about the innovation concept of ‘Making a ‘Moonshot’ to catapult your business further than it’s gone before.
Learn more about Yarra Valley Gourmet Foods and connect with Jacqui:https://www.yarravalleygourmetfoods.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/YarraValleyGourmetFoodshttps://www.instagram.com/yvgourmetfoods/
Many thanks to this episode’s sponsor, the Monash Food Innovation Centre. Find out how they can help your business become more innovative: https://www.foodinnovationcentre.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.