Healthy baking made easy
Julena Nola of Hunter Gatherer Gourmet has succeeded in creating gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, low-sugar baking mixes that taste like the real deal! Growing up on a fruit orchard in West Auckland, Nola is the daughter of first-generation Croatian immigrants and big family gatherings centred around the meals produced by her mother and grandmother – the two people she credits most for fuelling her passion for baking.
When her mother was diagnosed with diabetes, their shared love for baking was jeopardised. She wanted to be able to bake with her mother but was concerned about what sugar would do to her health. At the same time, Nola, a mother herself, saw mothers struggling to bridge the gap between health and taste when it came to feeding their kids. So she set herself the ambitious challenge of creating recipes that were nutritious, healthy and great tasting, with her mother at the helm of the tasting panel.
After subjecting her family to many failed attempts at healthy cakes, she struck gold – creating a mix that tasted like real cake, minus all the nasties. Hunter Gatherer Gourmet launched to market in 2015, and Nola hasn’t looked back since.
The versatility of Hunter Gatherer Gourmet’s products is their key point of difference. From one cake mix, customers can bake cookies, muffins, loaves, slices, or cakes – they are extremely customisable and can serve almost any baking purpose. Adding fruit, chocolate, nut butters, nuts, flavoured oils, or essences to any of the mixes allows customers to tailor their baking as needed and encourages them to get creative in the kitchen.
Nola’s favourite hack is to add a range of spices to her plain vanilla mix, which results in a fragrant gingerbread loaf. She also loves adding seasonal fruits to her plain mixes to create fruit crumble cakes.
Sustainability is also a core pillar of the business, which is why refill jars and refill packs are on offer.