LEEANNE
The Origin Food Co
Formed 2020
Leeanne Barlow, founder of The Origin Food Co. joined the Ideas2Business program with an idea to incorporate native ingredients into everyday ready-to-eat meals that would address consumer requirements for healthy, convenient options.
Leeanne identified significant growth opportunities in a market that is currently valued at $4.5M in Australia with YoY growth projections of 26.9% and Australian consumers already demonstrating acceptance of the product category.
BARLOW
My customer discovery sessions were eye-openers to me. It's straightforward to come up with an idea; family and friends tell you it's a good idea. Then you talk to the real world and they open your eyes to what they actually want. it was a game-changer.
Her customer research also indicated a growing interest in native ingredients with consumers looking to explore these new flavours but wanting greater accessibility.
During the program Leeanne refined her business model, registered her business, increased her product development efforts and established a digital presence to validate consumer interest in her value proposition.
She has developed her go-to-market strategy which includes 8 x SKU’s and both online direct-to-consumer and retail channels (farmers markets, boutique grocers and artisan butchers).
Her growth forecasts see her reaching $200K in revenue by 2022 increasing to $1.4M with national coverage within 3 years. The Origin Food Company will begin to explore export markets in the Asia Pacific region by 2024 where the ready meals market is predicted to grow to $55B by 2023.
Leeanne plans to be a leader in the ready-to-eat meal category and is confident that her unique value proposition will see her company achieve her growth targets. She is currently seeking a business partner interested in joining her as an equity partner.