Two years later after Alg Seaweed was born, I found myself on the podium of the Global Table Conference at the Melbourne Racecourse.
Like many entrepreneurs, I started Alg Seaweed without knowing what’s ahead of me. There was something I believed in so strongly and there was a calling for me to pursue it. With no experience in food production, I did the best I could and put it out a range of products to the market. The part I love the most is the interactions with my customers, telling people about our products and more broadly, the benefits of eating seaweed. I love to entice people to try the product by suggesting ways to use Alg. There are always so many ideas in my head and most of the time people go ‘awwwwwwww, that sounds yum’. Whether they buy or not, I just want to at least verbally inspire people to try new things. You see, I am a foodie and I dream about food. If you take a look at my Instagram explore feed (the little magnifying glass on the menu bar), the platform always suggests food porn because that is what I look at the most.
After taking a break from maternity leave, I was a bit lost as to where should I go from here and how do I move forward with the brand with a newborn glued to me 24/7. It took me some mental strength and letting go to start working on Alg again but I am glad for the support around me and the decision to keep pushing. Before my baby was born, I knew I wouldn’t stop at sprinkles. In my mind, there are many more products we can introduce to our customers, all with seaweed in it. Like ones that are convenient and nutritious, and the ones that will heighten your senses.
In September 2019, we had the opportunity to pitch at the Mondelez International Snacks Future Pitch Competition at Global Table. We became one of the two winners and are now the informal mentee of one of the biggest snack company in the world. This is something that I am forever proud of and grateful for.
What does it mean to us? Since winning the competition, we had a few media attention and the recognition opened some doors for us such as collaboration opportunities, connections to industry leaders and investment opportunities. We are now well on our way to create a range of healthy snack products coming your way in the near future, watch the space.
Read the press release from Food & Drink Business about our win: http://www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au/news/algae-trees-are-the-winners-for-mondelez-snackfutures#MjbEs2SAWL1z3rFK.03
