From Inspired to Empowered, how an Expo launched Glovely Gelato
“I’m originally from Ireland and I came across an ice cream using kefir as its base product from back home. I started experimenting with different gelato recipes and the result is Glovely: a full-flavoured gelato that just happens to be good for your gut”.
Kefir is a grain and when combined with milk it ferments. The result is a creamy, high probiotic product that tastes like fizzy yoghurt. To make Glovely, Maria pairs kefir with rice malt syrup, a natural sugar source made from organic brown rice, real fruits and cacao and the delicious result is a lush, full-flavoured creamy gelato.
But how did she go from attending our 2018 Expo to within a year, having her product stocked on the Local Coles store in the Surrey Hills, Melbourne?
“I first met Jane Del Rosso and The Business of Food Team in March 2018 at the Business of Food Expo. It was a fantastic event and inspired me to get going with my idea for a food product. I was very impressed with the variety of stallholders, presentations and panel discussions and with Jane and her team’s ‘can do’ attitude, so I decided to book in for some mentoring sessions with her”.
I don’t have a background in the food industry, so Jane [and The Business of Food Team] guided me through the process of setting up a food business. This included how to identify my target market, where to get ingredients, how to approach retailers and distributors, on how to price my product and so on. “The licencing required for my dairy business is quite arduous but the Business of Food Team helped me throughout this process”.
As a newbie to small business, Maria found the 2018 Expo critical to get inspired to launch her dream food business: “the exhibitors were really important to me as that's where I found my labelling, food regulation, packaging and equipment lease experts, Rocketseeder as well as The Business of Food”.
After a very busy year of hard work, supported by her family and silent business partners, Glovely Gelato is now available in lots of retail stores, including the first Coles Local in Surrey Hills - an opportunity that arose from completing the RocketSeeder Accelerator Program and contacts she made at the pitch night.
And now after attending The Business of Food Expo on 14 August 2019, Maria is feeling empowered.
“It was fantastic! There was an amazing atmosphere of positivity, sharing similar goals and ‘can do’ attitude. I think that everyone who attended, whether they are just starting, a year in like me or a lot further along on their food journey got the encouragement they need to keep going. This year, the speakers really resonated with me as well as the panelists and Danielle was an excellent MC”.
And Maria shared a few key things that she learnt and were reinforced for her by attending the Expo. We share them with you, as a testimonial to an Expo designed to empower food business owners:
have patience, it doesn’t happen over night
it's supposed to be overwhelming!!
know your target market
no gimmicks, just tell your story honestly
choose your mentors carefully (which I have certainly done!! and been very successful!)
find people who know more than you
never stop learning / finding new ways to do/improve things
don't think about selling, just engage in a conversation
1,000 true fans: speak to them through website, social media, etc
have a one page strategy that Mum can understand and write down your beliefs
easier to make decisions once have your one page strategy as can refer to it easily
if your product is the best you can charge a higher price for it
don't compromise on your strategy (ingredients, process, etc)
choose the right way rather than the easy way
taste, twist, target
figure out what you like about your product and highlight it
have fun in selling (be interesting, not boring).
For details on where to buy Glovely Gelato click here. And if you are feeling inspired by our Expo or Mari’s story then get in touch to find out how The Business of Food can assist you turn your food dream into a reality.