Healthy sales and the sweet taste of success
A PASSION for health and good food has led to a flourishing business for two Wellingtonians
Tom Dorman, 29, and Luke Cooper, 34, who own Wainuiomata-based business Tom & Luke, aim to make the world a healthier place, starting with food.
The pair met while Cooper worked as a chef in a cafe across the road from the gym where Dorman was a personal trainer.
They came up with the idea in early 2013 after Dorman complained about the sugar content in health bars.
It frustrated him to see people fill up on sugary, highly processed and chemically charged snacks with minimal nutritional value.
Using Cooper’s cooking expertise and knowledge of allergies (his son suffers from various intolerances) the pair experimented with recipes to ensure most people could enjoy the tasty snack.
The pair also enlisted the help of a nutritionist and dietician.
They used New Zealand whey protein concentrate or European golden pea protein isolate to create Tom & Luke bars.
The high fibre, high protein snack was made without artificial additives, flavours or preservatives. It soon became popular among their friends and colleagues, so they started to make small batches for them.
Within a few weeks orders started pouring in and they went from making 22 bars to hundreds.
Now each week they send out 4000 units of product to more than 150 ‘‘clients’’ in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. The 75g bars sell for about $5 – a similar price to other brands of 60g ‘‘health’’ bars, Dorman said.
The business which employs six staff, also sells bars online.
The big break for the business came in November 2013 when the pair received financial backing and the use of a factory through one of Dorman’s gym clients who worked in the food and beverage industry. The backing covered the capital the entrepreneurs needed for the costs associated with starting a business.
This initial injection of funds paid for marketing and ingredients to handmake three varieties of Trinity bar and a vegan protein bar.
‘‘We saw a gap in the market and a demand for this fresh product that was chilled. Other businesses were reluctant to touch this market because of the short shelflife of the product,’’ Dorman said.
Social media had been a useful marketing tool for getting consumers behind their brand.
When it came to branding and target markets for their ‘‘boutique products’’ they were still learning.
At first they thought they would only sell in gyms and cafes but now they were successfully selling in retail stores, including New World Metros.
‘‘When we just started it was a pipe dream and I said to Luke: ‘Can you imagine if we went national’. Now it has all fallen into place but I still want to keep going,’’ Dorman said.
Next month the involvement of the financial backer will finish but Cooper and Dorman are confident in their product and believe the hard yards will start reflecting in positive results.
Cooper divides his time between the business and his Petone Go Bang Cafe, while Dorman has given up his gym job to concentrate on expanding the business.
‘‘We are showing great growth potential and we are not even near our tipping point,’’ Dorman said.
He expected the business would break even within two months.