The Gourmet Edit

Grow Coastal is the Sunshine Coast’s first food accelerator and after a successful inaugural year in 2017, the next program kicks off once again on 17 April. So on that note, I’d like to introduce you to the 2018 Grow Coastal cohort – 12 local startups chosen for their product innovation, investment readiness, scalability and entrepreneurial tenacity.

Black Lemonade

Specialising in unique vegan and gluten free decadent chocolate cookies (and other tasty morsels like brownie sandwiches, naked cakes, slices and loaves), Zoe Wombwell uses only the best real-food ingredients that not only taste epic, but are friendly for vegan and gluten intolerant tummies.

Barenuts

Gourmet macadamia nut products and gluten-free treats developed from a love of using totally bare ingredients to create delicious wholefoods that everyone can enjoy. All products are handmade at the Barenuts Macadamia Nut Farm on the Fraser Coast.

Boneafide Broth Co

Focused on using premium ingredients to produce nutritionally dense organic chicken bone broth bombs and other gut healing pantry staples. They are bringing back old school cooking methods and ingredients to turn a healthy culinary tradition into a convenient, crispy delight for the modern world.

Embassy XO

Since Embassy XO’s famous duck buns made their first appearance at the Noosa Farmers Market in 2013, Megan Dean and the XO team have handmade and sold over 200,000 duck buns. Also available at Maroochydore’s Ocean Street markets, the Noosa Junction Twilight markets and Embassy XO restaurant in Sunshine Beach.

Good Harvest Organic Farm

With a passion for growing organic food, they are feeding their community each week with organic farm boxes delivered straight to your door. When you join Good Harvest, you become part of a revolution that takes care of the Earth, the farmer, and the consumer – you and your family.

 

Hive Haven

Hive Haven is building a commercial future for the Australian stingless bee with their Native Gold stingless native honey. The native honey is sometimes called Sugarbag and its sweet but tangy flavour is in high demand locally and throughout Asia. Stingless native bees boost our ecosystem and pollinate our plants – they were our first pollinators and shared this planet with the dinosaurs.

LuvaBerry

A fusion strawberry farm with a waste initiative, using the fruit to make freeze dried strawberry snacks and strawberry powder. The process enables all nutrients to be locked in and double as a convenient snack, and as nothing is added to the powder, it can be used as a natural flavour and colour in recipes.

KOKOPOD Chocolate

Using locally sourced products where possible, complemented by quality Swiss chocolate, Kokopod’s premium products are bold, fresh and handcrafted to perfection, and have been decorated with multiple gold and silver medals from renowned Australian fine food awards.

Mighty Bean

Over three decades, master tempeh makers Michael and Julie Ann Joyce, have produced the highest quality fermented food, soy tempeh, using Australian grown certified organic whole soya beans.

Sunshine Coast Cider

Following old fashioned techniques and using only the sweetest, juiciest and freshest apples from the Granite Belt, Martin Rellstab (a fifth generation cider maker from Switzerland) and his wife, Regine, only add yeast and a lot of time to turn 100 per cent apple juice into a delicious, dry cider.

 

The Whole Food Artisan

Born out of 10 years of granola alchemy, chef Nick Grivas created this trio of granolas that pack a flavour punch and are bursting with whole food nutrition.

Ugly Duck Preserves

Award-winning preserves made using surplus bumper-crops from Australian farms, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables that have been rejected by shops and supermarkets because of their non-standard size, shape or colour.