Health food trend keeps blossoming
THE healthy lifestyle trend taking over Cairns is set to stay with more than 300 health food store owners in the city this week.
Go Vita is holding its national conference in Cairns for the first time at the Pullman Cairns International hotel.
The franchise’s Cairns Central store manager, AmandaJane Herries, said the event was estimated to bring in more than half a million dollars to the region. Ms Herries and her parents, Dick and Beryl, also own two other stores in the city.
Go Vita is Australia’s largest cooperative. There are 150 stores across Australia.
“The popularity of health is increasing all the time,” Ms Herries said.
“People are self-educating more about health and it is a trend now to be healthy. But also people are getting results, so they keep coming back and finding out new ways to improve their health.
“Coffee shops want to offer healthy products and foods too.
“The culture of reusing, upcycling and sustainability plays into that too and that is increasing all the time.
“The tropical vibes up here and the connection to nature has an influence too.”
Mr Herries said, with the boom, competition from big chains such as Coles and Woolworths was the industry’s biggest challenge.
“They are our biggest competitors now, the supermarkets and pharmacies,” he said. “That never existed five years ago. They sell kombucha now.”
Kombucha, a carbonated drink made from fermented tea, is one of Cairns’ fastest growing health products, Ms Herries said. “I was in the United State seven years ago and it was huge,” she said.
“We knew it would be huge when it came here but we just didn’t know when it would really take off.”
This week’s conference will feature guest speakers, information sessions from industry leaders and reviews of the latest technology in the retail industry.
The Herries are also in the running for the retailer of the year award.
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