Plant-based infant food a growing idea
HE SIGNED for the Gold Coast Titans in the same year he graduated with a double degree in sports science and management, then went on to run one of the city’s most popular cafes — and now Sel Berdie has set his sights on baby formula and snacks.
With design-whiz wife Jenna, Mr Berdie has launched Sprout Organic, which will produce what they believe is the world’s first organic, plant-based infant formula when it launches later this year.
Sprout, which launched with a range of healthy plantbased snacks for children, last week inked distribution deals for health shops and independent supermarkets in NSW and Western Australia.
The company was born after the couple struggled to find a plant-based formula when painful mastitis prompted Ms Berdie to stop breastfeeding their first baby, Ellis.
With a worldwide increase in childhood allergies to dairy and soy products, and a rise in the number of families following plant-based diets, the couple hopes its rice-based products will prove popular.
Sprout’s cuddly koala and echidna mascots, designed by Hype Group, are named after the Berdie children — Ellis, 4, and Kingston, 2.
Ms Berdie designed the Sprout logo, as well as those for other past and present family businesses BSKT, Cocowhip, CMBT Training Centre and Lucky Bao.
“I created the logo style to reflect the same simple and clean ingredients used in all of Sprout’s products,” she said.
“I’ve always liked simplicity in logos with an understated reference to its origins, so in the case of Sprout we wanted to incorporate a leaf to reference our plant-based ideals. The same was applied to the characters, in which we wanted to pay homage to being an Australian made and owned brand, hence it was important for us to use characters native to Australia.”
Mr Berdie said the company’s healthy snacks, initially launched to introduce the brand ahead of the formula range, had been an accidental success.
“We produced a range of kids’ snack bars as a way of introducing people to the brand — and they took off. We were going to start with the formula in May, but after the bars took off, people started asking what else we do.”
The company is now looking to release its formula range in late February, once it has secured approvals.
“Once we do that rollout, over two or three months, we’ll be chatting to pharmacies and then we’ll have discussions with the majors,” he said.
The distribution deal could see Sprout products stocked in more than 1000 retailers.
Its infant formula meets the required FSANZ standards and the company is a member of the Australian Infant Nutrition Council.
The company’s products are plant-based, organic and free from soy, dairy and gluten.
Mr Berdie, who sold his popular BSKT cafe at Mermaid Beach in February last year, but still owns Lucky Bao in the same area, said Sprout’s plans did not stop at baby nutrition.
“I definitely think we’ll double down in this category,” he said.
“We’re trying to create something that someone can take from the time they’re born, if their mother is unable to breastfeed.
“We’re looking at becoming a brand with something throughout people’s lives, until they are adolescents.”