The startup that started in an Uber.
During the Christmas holidays of 2016, Bree Gaudette found that the vegan cheese options on the market were few and far between, so she decided to have a go at making them herself. After months of trialling and failing, she was able to create the products that she couldn’t find on supermarket shelves.”
In 2017 she met Matthew Ronalds when he picked her up as a passenger while he was driving for Uber. Bree says: “Little did I know that I had just met the future co-founder of a business that would turn both of our lives upside down!”
Together, they realised that they made a great team. Bree would manage the social media and customer relations, and Matthew would use his skills in spreadsheets and systems to figure out how to create the back end and maintain the business.
The pair launched Hello Friend Foods in April 2018, and within two weeks they both quit their full time jobs to keep up with the demand. For the first year Bree and Matthew were making their cheese in the kitchen of a local cafe. They would fill orders from 4pm until 2am or 3am, get in a few hours of sleep, and then make deliveries and take care of the administrative duties for the business during the day.
The pair launched Hello Friend Foods in April 2018, and within two weeks they both quit their full time jobs to keep up with the demand. For the first year Bree and Matthew were making their cheese in the kitchen of a local cafe. They would fill orders from 4pm until 2am or 3am, get in a few hours of sleep, and then make deliveries and take care of the administrative duties for the business during the day.
The Hello Friend core range includes a Fresh Mozzarella, designed to be torn by hand and eaten fresh, Australia’s first plant-based Haloumi which is crispy, creamy and salty, and the best vegan Cheese Sauce you’ve ever had. Everything is handmade, free from lactose and palm oil. They don’t use any gluten or nuts, which sets their products apart from other vegan nut based cheeses.
Bree states: “With our plans to switch to fully compostable packaging in the near future, Hello Friend Foods is on track to reduce plastic build up in our oceans and landfills. Plastic free and animal free is the future of food, and we’re here to make sure that it still tastes great. We want our customers to experience the benefits of eating well, and without compromise.”
To grow their food revolution and expand into international markets, Hello Friend Foods has embarked on an equity crowdfunding campaign through Birchal. Birchal is Australia’s leading equity crowdfunding platform licensed under Australia’s crowd-sourced funding regime. Matthew adds: “As the community has always been at the heart of what we do, it’s important that everyone has the opportunity to come on board and join us as we grow this business and expand further into Australia and overseas.”
Robin Holt, Birchal, says: “’We’re thrilled to be working with Hello Friend Foods. Companies like this are on the cusp of a food revolution and with demand increasing every year, this presents an exciting opportunity for retail and wholesale investors across Australia. The dairy-free products industry is booming, and showing no signs of slowing down.
Hello Friend Foods’ products fit perfectly in this market and so we’re very excited to offer this opportunity to Australian investors.’
Find out more information or invest in Hello Friend Foods’ campaign here:
https://www.birchal.com/company/hellofriend
