Page 12 - Food&Drink Magazine Jan-Feb 2019

✷ RISING STAR
Just add innovation
As the first in a brand new category, Australia’s inaugural hemp water hit retail shelves in August to great acclaim. Samantha Schelling spoke to the founder of +hemp.
SEVEN weeks after launching her first product, Natalie Moubarak had already hit her six-month business goals – but it was far from a walk in the park. Plus Hemp, the first in the brand-new category of hemp water, was the result of 18 months of scientific, production and marketing research, plus some $100,000 in funding.
While she quickly hit her half-year goal once launched, Moubarak had faced a constant stream of rejection to even find distributors and retailers willing to take it on.
But the “mumpreneur” is used to being tenacious.
After starting her family, Moubarak wasn’t able to continue working in real estate project marketing, selling developments off-the-plan with a baby in tow.
“One day on maternity leave, I saw an old run-down site. So I leased it, did a whole concept including a DA [development application] and opened a café. I wasn’t thinking about running the café, it was more about renovating and selling. But I ended up staying there.”
The café was organic, gluten-free and dairy-free. Siting in suburban inner-west Sydney, Moubarak was told it
wouldn’t work. She went ahead anyway. The café was a hit and 24 months later she sold it for a 45 per cent profit.
IDEA SEEDING
“My daughter was starting kindy and I was working seven days a week and thought ‘I just can’t do this anymore’. After selling the café I spent the whole Christmas holidays with my family, so I had a couple of months to think about what I wanted to do. I suffer from psoriasis, so was using hemp oil for my skin, and I was always lacking in hydration but sometimes wanted something
12 | Food&Drink business | January-February 2019 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au