MIA Podcast - Episode 10: Cherie Lyden from Wholegreen Bakery
Cherie Lyden owns and leads Wholegreen Bakery, and is an Australian manufacturer of gluten-free and additive-free food. She is a nutritionist and was diagnosed with coeliac, a disorder that leaves the body intolerant to gluten.
Because of her love for food and her condition, she was able to develop recipes that were gluten-free but delicious and healthy. Cherie’s passion has put Wholegreen in the limelight for producing delicious and additive-free food using fresh produce.
In this episode, we will talk about:
- Ingredients in bread that you can’t pronounce are not good for you
- How she started selling her bread at a friend’s cake shop and markets
- The bread and goods she makes are 100% gluten free which does not contain gluten and are made in a gluten-free environment
- Started the business with one store only in Waverly then opened another one in CBD
- How her business survived the on-again and off-again lockdowns
- The supply chain challenges that push her to import some items for her business
- How you should be completely “on it” in your business and know everything from the suppliers, etc
- How Wholgreen can keep up with the cost of electricity and how it’s been impacting her business
- How a small manufacturing business can work with the government through the R&D Grant
- Tech Abstract has been helpful in getting approved for the grant
- A business consultant can keep you going and keep you at parallel with where you want your business to be in
- A bit of advice to businesses who are just starting their manufacturing journey at this time
- Manufacturing is a wait-and-see kind of set-up, and setting up a business at this time can be tricky
- Get a business adviser on a retainer to help you think outside of the box and give you fresh ideas.
And so much more including how she went past all the challenges when she was setting up her business, Cherie’s experience in the manufacturing industry, and of course her answer to our main topic: “Will Australian Manufacturing ever return to the glory days of the '60s?”
If you want to more about Wholegreen's products, please check out their website right here!
