One of the more popular products we have in store are the delicious protein balls from Heidi at The Raw Treat Canteen. They’re the perfect high protein snack, and as anyone who’s tried them would agree – they’re unbelievably tasty. This month I was able to chat with Heidi about her journey from making protein balls in her kitchen, to running a successful business out of a facility on the central coast.


How would you describe yourself and what you make?
I'm a pretty normal person, but I've got a passion in the health and nutrition space. I'm a busy mum, I've got a real sweet tooth, and the business came about as I wanted to come up with a product that was good for you, but actually tasted good.


How did the Raw Treat Canteen start?
I used to work at Macquarie Bank, and after I had my third baby I didn't want to get back into that corporate space. I’d been making my own things for my family for years, and I just took a leap of faith. I made stuff for neighbourhood friends, friends of friends, and then a friend of mine who was a branding specialist said, ‘let me come up with a logo for you’. I started posting a few things on Instagram – he made me look way more professional than I was [at the time] – and from there it grew really quickly.


How has the process changed over time?
The process in the beginning was me in my kitchen with my Thermomix – which I used to be too scared to use. I broke many a Thermomix blade and then I bought an industrial food processor. I was making a fair amount of balls from home, which was pretty crazy. I’d get the kids into bed and then I'd be up until 3:00am [making balls] – we had 200 kilos of dry roasted peanuts in the house at that time, and it felt like I couldn't have playdates with the kids, because the house smelt of peanut butter.
Now it's all contract manufacturers. We have a facility up on the Central Coast in Sydney, and all our product is made, stored and dispatched from there.


What makes your protein balls taste so good?
It's no nonsense. Just simple, quality ingredients. I don't think you have to use a lot of ingredients for something to taste good – but the raw materials need to be the best of what's on offer. We also never wanted to be a packaged food provider because that product sits six to twelve months on the shelf before someone buys it. Our product is usually made the week that it’s received – in some cases, maybe a couple of weeks, but it is super fresh – and I don’t think people get the opportunity to buy stuff that's really fresh all that often.


What do people tend to use your product for?
It's a good little snack – that's where they’re used mostly. It’s not a meal replacement, nor would I ever promote it as a meal replacement, but it's something that will tie you over between meals, or when you're on the go – and they’re nutritious, so you only need to have one, and that should tie you over.


What do you get out of running your own business?
Running my own business has always been a dream. You uncover a bit about who you are when it's just you on your own. And it provides an incredible amount of flexibility, so that I can still be the kind of mum that I want to be for my daughters, but also have something that fulfils me professionally… The best part of the job is developing new products and new flavours and experimenting in the kitchen. That's my creative outlet, but it's also my relaxation time – I find it really therapeutic.


What’s the mission going forward with the Raw Treat Canteen?
To continue to supply products that people enjoy. To work with the feedback that people give me and see if I can come up with something that appeals to other people.

A few weeks back Eloise was interviewed in-store for a local news article (see the photo below). During the interview she became emotional when asked why she does what she does, and was unable to answer. I wanted to understand why that question made her so emotional, and so this week, I asked Eloise to tell us why she does what she does at The Source Bulk Foods Malvern.

Here’s what she said:

"Every single thing I do is about family, and about our values as a family. Shane and I have two boys, so whatever we do we assess how it impacts and influences them. My mum taught me before she passed away from lung cancer in 2009 that life is short, but lessons are lifelong. She was my best friend, she was my hero and biggest inspiration. My mum had such a huge passion for sustainability, and she was the kindest person you'd ever meet. She cared deeply about the environment, and about others, and how she made people feel. So, I've always had this underlying of everything I do to carry on her legacy, but also to create a new legacy for my kids. To show them, we don't do sustainability because it's cool, or because it's the flavor of the month. We do it because we care about the future of our beautiful planet and the people on it, and this is mainly because of my mum's influence.

Wrapped in all of that is, I want everyone that walks into the store to feel so welcome, with a real sense of belonging, and community. That's why I love being here in the store so much. Because I want people to be able to come into this store and feel welcome, and that there's a real sense of kindness and community.

Owning this store is about helping people understand that changing shopping habits can make a significant impact on the amount of waste that ends up in landfill. We want to help people shop in a different way and make a difference to the footprint we leave on the environment. My beautiful team and I just want to make people feel great about their experience shopping here!

Through my interest in business, my passion for the environment and my love for people, I want to have success as a family, but also to carry on that legacy of my Mum."


I think that anyone who comes into the store can attest to the fact that Eloise has carried on that legacy, and that you can feel the love as soon as you walk into the store.


Thanks for reading!