COAST FIRMS TAKE ON WORLD
The Gold Coast economy grows more diverse every year, with new businesses opening – particularly in the technology space – and established companies rolling out new products and services to meet expanding demand. ALISTER THOMSON examines eight businesses kicking goals both here and internationally
Mavella Superfoods
LAUNCHED: 2016.
FOUNDERS: Jaime Turner and Cheryl Stewart. BASE: Ashmore.
BUSINESS: Fruit and vegetable powders for children that encourage healthy eating habits. JAIME Turner and Cheryl Stewart were already known for Koala Karma – a chill-out drink using natural ingredients with calming properties – when they launched Mavella Superfoods.
The pair were motivated to launch Mavella (the name is inspired by the women’s children Maverick and Ella) by research showing almost three children in every five did not eat enough fruit, and fewer than one child in five ate enough vegetables.
They decided to formulate vegetable and fruit powders free of artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners, preservatives, dairy and soy, to meet the gap in the market.
The business plan has worked a treat. Last year they signed a $105,000 contract with distributor Jiangsu Sincere International Trading Ltd, which saw their products sold on major eCommerce retail platform JD.com. It came after they landed FairPrice supermarkets in Singapore as a retailer. This year Coles joined the party when it decided to stock 10g single sachets of the powders in its vitamin section. The supermarket giant stocks the product in all six states, including 65 outlets in Queensland and 38 in NSW.
Ms Stewart is also the co-owner of functional foods company Morlife, another successful company based in Ashmore.
Pratley Guitars
LAUNCHED: 2004. FOUNDER: Martin Pratley. BASE: Nerang.
BUSINESS: Design and manufacture of musical instruments, including guitars, stomp boxes and cajons. MARTIN Pratley has taken decades to realise his dream of being a leading guitar maker. Along the way, he has had to contend with the collapse of music chain Allans Billy Hyde and having to rebuild the business. Ironically, Pratley Guitars did not make its name with guitars at all. The business’s first product was a stompbox, which is a percussion instrument consisting of a small wooden box placed under the foot that is tapped or stamped on rhythmically to produce a sound similar to a bass drum. The success of that product, which was later taken on by Allans Billy Hyde, prompted Mr Pratley to start making cajons, which is a box-shaped percussion instrument from Peru. After the collapse of his major customers, Mr Pratley struggled until he saw American-born Australian singer John Butler using one of his stompboxes and got back into business. Mr Pratley now exports to Canada and makes custom guitars for high-profile musicians such as Ash Grunwald. He recently bought a factory in Burleigh and has plans to ramp up production.
Zuii Organic Cosmetics (TMF Cosmetics)
LAUNCHED: 1999. FOUNDER: Rose Beesey. BASE: Nerang. STAFF: 25.
BUSINESS: Manufacture and sale of cosmetics including the organic Zuii range. ORGANIC make-up is increasingly popular with consumers seeking an alternative to petrochemicals in regular cosmetic products. Perhaps unsurprisingly TMF Cosmetics, which owns Zuii Organic Cosmetics, decided to launch its non-toxic range in Europe where the market was larger and more advanced. Ten years down the track and Europe is the biggest market for the Nerang-based company. Major department stores that stock Zuii include Sokos in Sweden. The company also exports to other markets, including Canada. Recently it launched a new line of vegan eyeshadow products and an organic packaging system , creating new fans for Zuii. Interestingly, sales manager Abbi Kerr, who is founder Rose Beesey’s daughter, said men’s makeup was growing in popularity.
Jack of the Dust
LAUNCHED: 2013. FOUNDER: Andy Firth. BASE: Burleigh Heads. STAFF: Two.
BUSINESS: Skull sculptures and artwork. JACK of the Dust is the brainchild of former boatbuilder Andy Firth. Mr Firth had the idea to start making replica skulls when a friend bought him one as a gift. He modified the skull, which featured a dragon on top, to create a matt-black skull with gold teeth. His friends were so impressed that he experimented more and started to sell his creations on bigcartel.com. Mr Firth now makes hundreds of
It is not everyday a Gold Coast company can boast that it is contributing to the world’s biggest sporting event
replica skulls from his Burleigh base, many of which are based on famous real (and fictional) figures such as Christopher Wallace, The Notorious B.I.G, television character Walter White and many more.
Mr Firth quit his boatbuilding gig at Riviera four years ago and his hobby has become a full-time gig. He makes 150 to 200 skulls a month, which sell for an average of $463, but can fetch as high as $1000. He plans to expand the business by making silicon masks and ceramic pieces.
Chief Products
LAUNCHED: 2013.
FOUNDERS: Bill and Samantha Mackin. BASE: Mudgeeraba. BUSINESS: 4WD accessories. MUDGEERABA-BASED Chief Products is one of a number of businesses that have used crowd-sourced equity funding as a way to grow. This year the company, established by US expats Bill and Samantha Mackin, raised $250,000 from 110 investors via platform Birchal. The money will go towards clearing a backlog of orders that has exceeded 1000. The company started when the pair purchased a Jeep Grand Cherokee and struggled to find accessories to go with it. They decided to engineer their own accessories, such as a sumpprotection plate and recovery point, and soon found strong demand from the Jeep community. This year the company’s focus is on accessories for the Jeep Wrangler and growing its distributor base on the east and west coasts of the US.
Yellow Goat Design
LAUNCHED: 1998. FOUNDERS: Sandra and
Jerzy Lesko.
BASE: Southport. BUSINESS: Lighting design company that offers custom, luxury lighting and modern playground equipment. IT is not everyday a Gold Coast company can boast that it is contributing to the world’s biggest sporting event. Southport-based Yellow Goat Design, founded by Sandra and Jerzy Lesko, has made a strong name through its innovative lighting products. The business recently signed a $1 million contract to supply lighting features with crystal and polished brass for the Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. That contract came about due to the business forging decadeslong relationships with companies in the Middle East. The lighting feature for the stadium involves a huge amount of material including 70,000 glass crystals, 3400 brass mesh leaves and 10,000m of hanging cable. The Al Bayt Stadium, which will have a capacity of 60,000 people, has been designed to represent the tents historically used by the nomadic people of the Qatar and Gulf regions.
Yellow Goat is now headed by Mr and Mrs Lesko’s son, Nick Lesko, and has 10 staff.
Virtual Psychologist
LAUNCHED: 2017.
FOUNDER: Dervla Loughnane. BASE: Robina.
BUSINESS: Text messaging service linking counsellors and psychologists to clients suffering from mental health issues. SOCIAL enterprises – that is businesses that trade to intentionally tackle social problems – are making their presence felt on the business scene. They include yoga studio State of Sahaja, which supports not-for-profit organisations A Sound Life, RizeUp Australia and Marine Megafauna Foundation, and non-alcoholic craft beer company Sobah. Another business is mental health service Virtual Psychology. Founded by Dervla Loughnane, the business is a texting service for people with mental health issues. Last year it was given more than $1 million by the Federal Government for a 24-hour SMS and phone counselling service for rural and remote communities. In 2017, it won a $72,000 grant from Optus after she pitched the idea through the telco’s Future Makers program. The service has grown to nine staff, based at the Gold Coast Hub in Robina, and expanded to New Zealand. Zimbabweborn Ms Loughnane aims to take the business to Africa.
Superdraft
LAUNCHED: 2013.
DIRECTOR/S: Mark Deacon and Jake Robinson.
BASE: Robina.
BUSINESS: Building services firm offering design solutions for residential or commercial projects. BUILDING design services firm Superdraft recently firmly planted its flag on the city’s business ecosystem by joining the line-up of the Gold Coast Hub. It comes as the business completes its Series A funding round to continue its expansion. Superdraft provides services to builders and developers across Australia for residential and commercial projects and employs more than 150 staff across the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and the Philippine capital of Manila. The company is at the forefront of exploiting technology to design buildings and in 2016 designed Viz360, a virtual reality system in which clients can change objects such as floors, benchtops and furniture to suit their taste.