Profits are healthy
A venture into turmeric pays off for Coast entrepreneur
KIRSTY Strowger was working as a hydrotherapist when she stumbled upon turmeric and its purported antiinflammatory properties.
Eight years after launching Gold Coast-based Turmeric Australia (TA), her business is booming thanks to a rush of people buying health supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
TA has seen a 150 per cent increase in sales in recent weeks for its products, which include organic turmeric capsules with black pepper and ginger.
“We started seeing this increase around the beginning of March. It went straight up. Most of my customers are aged between 50 and 70 and many of them suffer from inflammation, whether that is
Founded: in 2012 by Kirsty Strowger
Base: Bundall
Business: Health supplements supplier using turmeric as a principal ingredient
arthritis or general aches and pains, and that is why they take turmeric,” she said.
Research has found that an active compound within turmeric called curcumin has some antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties.
Ms Strowger said eight years ago turmeric products were not widely available in capsule form.
At the time she was running her own business, called Exhale Body Rejuvenation, delivering colonics.
Website: Tumericaustralia.com.au Sales: 50,000 units a year (approx). Manufacturer: BJP Laboratories
“One of the key things I was dealing with was inflammation of the bowels,” she said. “I started researching inflammation and this was where turmeric came into my life and I decided that I would use this.”
She said there was already wide knowledge of turmeric but “people didn’t necessarily know how to take it”.
Ms Strowger engaged Yatala-based BJP Laboratories to produce her capsules and was soon selling 10 units a day.
Like a lot of small businesses, she struggled with cashflow in the early days.
“Manufacturing is the biggest problem for small-tomedium size businesses in Australia,” she said.
“Because when you want to manufacture a product your wait can be up to 26 weeks and so you have to forecast up to six months in advance and then when you place your order it is 50 per cent upfront.
“You have to dig into your cashflow that you would normally need and hope in six months time the product you are making is still popular.”
In eight years the product range has increased to include turmeric-infused coffee pods, in addition to a host of other items.
Ms Strowger sells to between 150 and 200 retail outlets in Australia and shifts 50,000 units a year, mostly from online sales.
Her products have recently been added to the Amazon store in the US.
Ms Strowger said she did not want to be seen as advocating turmeric as a cure for disease or ailment.
“I’m not advocating it as a cure for anything,” she said.
“But (this is something) for people who want to proactively do something to make themselves better and boost their immune system.”
She said she felt fortunate her business was doing well in the current environment.
“I haven’t had to close shop, which has been good because I can keep focusing on keeping a roof over my head and also I employ one girl and I haven’t had to let her go yet, she still has a job.”