Go Natural’s range of healthy snacks are Australian-made and founded by Melbourne mother Kate Worth. The snacks focus on wholesome ingredients including a variety of fruit, nuts and seeds. Without any preservatives, chemicals, additives, Go Natural products are closest to their natural state which means they provide more nutrients than most packaged and processed foods.
Australian Made and family owned, Go Natural’s range features ingredients that are sourced from local Australian farmers, including pure Australian honey, Byron Bay macadamias and Almonds from Victoria and South Australia. Sandi Sieger chats to Go Natural founder, Kate Worth.
What inspired you to start Go Natural?
It started with a passion for healthy food. David and I both came from families who enjoyed good food… both our mothers are great cooks and I love to cook and entertain family and friends. So, we grew up with good food and I always had a keen interest in healthy food, always exploring the health food aisles in the supermarkets and local health food shops. We saw an opportunity and that was the beginning of the Go Natural journey. We have always believed in good food, real food, whole food. We love the taste, the texture and the sense of wellbeing.
Was it difficult building a business from the ground up?
Persistance and perseverance. We started at the beginning and have kept going…a day at a time. We have built a great team around us on the way, complementing each others skills, strengths and weaknesses. It is vital to the focus of our business to have a plan and a vision that all team members share and buy into it makes it easier to work through the challenges. We do like to celebrate our successes…often with a team lunch. Like all businesses, there are plenty of challenges. The world of ‘healthy food’ is a very dynamic one and having been in it for a long time we have seen a lot of trends that have been very interesting. With our belief in the benefit of a whole food lifestyle, we always explore these trends – some resonate with our philosophy more than others. I think my favourite has been the discussion around Super Foods as it has highlighted the natural nutritional benefits that are in many whole foods and the information is easy for people to use in their everyday life. I worry that food information can be confusing for people and it can take the pleasure out of our food experience.
What did you do before you started Go Natural?
Before we had Go Natural I had a knitwear business. I worked with a team of talented knitters and embroiderers who worked to my design. I sold the business when our eldest son was born. I had studied Business and Marketing and travelled before then.
How do you maintain a healthy lifestyle on an everyday basis?
Good food and exercise is the key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle on a daily basis. I find it very important to take pauses in the day to stay clear and energetic and calm. Good food starts with ‘we love breakfast’ in our family… sometimes a poached egg with avocado and tomatoes when in season … at the moment my ‘yes!’ breakfast is sardines on toast with hummus, dukka and a squeeze of lemon juice. I have the best intentions to stretch and do yoga every morning, I endeavour to go to yoga twice a week and gym twice just for half an hour. I love to walk and find it very beneficial. David and I walk our dog Wizard most nights after dinner – I think it helps you have a good night sleep which makes all the difference to your day.
How do you balance your time between your business and your life and family?
Time and balance! We live Go Natural and we love Go Natural. It comes on our evening walks, our weekends and on our holidays! It is often a or the topic of conversation at the dinner table. Our sons have grown up with it, have worked with us and have contributed a great deal to our family business. I guess the balance is in what we do around it – exercise we fit in before and after the office and we enjoy family time around the table in the evenings. I am interested in the discussion of ‘mindfulness’ and meditation and practice both to the best of my ability, as I think it helps you be more efficient in managing the ‘time’ balance as well as all the other wonderful benefits.
Go Natural is Australian made and owned, featuring ingredients that are sourced from local Australian farmers. Why is keeping everything local, and supporting local business, so important to you?
We are very proud to be an Australian owned family business. Where it is possible we like to source our ingredients locally for a number of reasons. Firstly, great quality and great flavour. Secondly, we understand that we need to be encouraging an ongoing sustainable food supply in Australia for both food security and food safety reasons. And, thirdly, it’s about supporting Australian farmers and Australian business. It’s important on many levels but both are fundamental to our wellbeing and the ongoing health of our economy. We have such an opportunity in Australia to grow food for export as well as securing our own future needs.
Do you have any mentors? Or any role-models that have inspired you?
My main role and focus at Go Natural is Product Development…so I am constantly immersed in food information! My love of good food is nurtured and inspired by so many wonderful Australian ‘food people’ in our amazing Australian ‘food world’. To name a few would be Maggie Beer for her love of food, her warm smile and her connection with growing food. Stephanie Alexander has created a most wonderful scheme in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation that is and will continue to impact children’s relationship with growing and cooking food, in the most profound and positive way. Matt Wilkinson, as I love his approach to food and he is an Ambassador of the Victorian Farmer’s Market. Then there is Rodney Dunn and his paddock to plate…inspiring. In a business sense, I have found Arianna Huffington’s most recent book ’Thrive’ very relevant and interesting and over the years I have enjoyed reading Malcolm Gladwell’s books, particularly ‘Outliers: The Story of Success’.
