| 5 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Tauranga Business Awards: Real Rad Food “I want my customers to not only really enjoy the taste of our food but to eat something that makes them feel just amazing too.” Healthy treats prove a recipe for success T Sue Russell Hannah Mellsop: “I just want the Real Rad Food to inspire people to live their best lives.” Proudly supporting Real Rad Food with sustainable, fit for purpose packaging. For all your packaging requirements please contact Caspak Sustainable on 09 421 9019 or via our website www.caspak.co.nz Receiving the gong for ‘Best Emerging Business’ at the 2021 Tauranga Business Awards was a big surprise for Hannah Mellsop, founder of Real Rad Food. The bubbly and very positive entrepreneur says that, even though the company has been in business now four years, it feels still like it is at is infancy, with big plans ahead. “We have come so far in this time, but have massive plans ahead so to have this recognition is really awesome,” says Hannah. And where has four years of hard work taken her? Beginning to ‘dip her toes’ into supplements and extending the range of protein flavours in 2022. Real Rad Food manufactures a boutique range of plant-based healthy treats, including protein power hormonal support, rad balls and slices, which can be delivered nation-wide. “I want my customers to not only really enjoy the taste of our food but to eat something that makes them feel just amazing too. So from small beginnings guided by big dreams Hannah, who started making healthy treats as a creative outlet, soon found herself needing to think more strategically. She has one co-worker and has successfully outsourced most of the manufacturing. “I understand and value the movement towards real food and conscious consumption. This is what I have grown our brand on and the future is looking really exciting.” Over 150 cafes and grocers throughout New Zealand now stock Real Rad Food products and an online store makes access possible for everyone. “I think especially with all that has been going on these past two years with dealing with COVID, and what it has meant, people are far more conscious of what they are consuming. We’ve certainly seen a growing interest from the retail outlets we supply and our online customers.” Hannah says she’s a big believer in balance, in all aspects of life, and this includes making sure she enjoys her life outside the business. “I just want the Real Rad Food to inspire people to live their best lives.” Pioneering the e-commerce space has allowed Hannah to grow the brand and allowed the company to scale larger, which in turn enabled the range and volume of products to grow. “I guess for me, this business doesn’t feel in any way artificially created, even though there are a lot of strategies involved in its growth.” And so many benefits have flown from being in the competition! Hannah says the chance to ‘deep-dive’ into the business and really see what was going on, was invaluable. “We have massive plans and we will pursue them bit it will require more people and experts we don’t currently have. It is going to be important to find talent to allow the company to evolve in solid ways.” Good customer service is absolutely paramount to Hannah reaching her goals for the business. Asked what advice she would offer others wanting to step out and own their own business and see it flourish, Hannah says philosophically that the journey is never really going to be what was expected. “You have to be really open to opportunities, shifts and changes, that come along and see these as opportunities. “The journey may not be what you expected but the destination is so worth it.”
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