Tell us about Lilly’s Little Lunchbox.
Lilly’s Little Lunchbox is more than just a meal delivery service. Our mission is to be the world’s largest and healthiest tuckshop, delivered that not only delivers dietitian-designed, fresh and healthy lunches made for kids, with the incorporation of the 5 core food groups in every meal but is also instilling healthy eating habits in the next generation. Families order their meal options online, using a subscription model. We provide a carefully curated menu to ensure it meets the highest nutritional standards, offering a wide variety of options, exposing families to a variety of different meal options. We deliver across the whole of the east coast of Australia (QLD, NSW, ACT and VIC), with soon to be announcing our launch into South Australia.
What inspired you to start Lilly’s Little Lunchbox?
With a background in nutrition and dietetics, coupled with being a busy working mother, I have always understood the daily struggle of having to wake up early each morning to prepare healthy and nutritious lunches for my daughter. This is why I created Lilly’s Little Lunchbox, named after my daughter, Lilly, to help parents in the same situation by removing the hassle and stress of preparing lunches daily and providing healthy, filling and nutritious meals for your children. I realised that many parents faced the same dilemma. This realisation ignited my passion for creating a solution that would make it easy for families to access healthy meals, eliminating the guilt that often accompanies fast-food choices.
Tell us about your career and background.
I’ve always had a genuine passion in health and wellness. Commencing my career as a beauty therapist when I was 18 years old propelled my desire to further my studies in nutrition and dietetics, graduating as a Dietitian. I’ve never taken the typical path one would normally take as a Dietitian with my career taking a turn into the corporate world of big pharma and multibillion dollar businesses providing medical services globally.
Within my roles, it was my responsibility to look after my own segments of these businesses within territory, developing a variety of different skills that prepared me for and built up my confidence to start my own company. It has always been my desire to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives through nutrition and highlighting the important role this plays in our everyday lives. My journey with Lilly’s Little Lunchbox has been incredibly rewarding, allowing me to blend my professional expertise with my passion for healthy living.
Describe a typical work day for you.
I always try to get a decent run in prior to starting my day. The treadmill helps to clear my mind and set the scene for the day ahead. If I don’t prioritise exercise first up, I won’t get it in for the rest of the day as other commitments tend to take over. A typical workday is a blend of creativity, strategy and hands-on involvement. It starts with ensuring my team is on track and organised for the day ahead. I like working closely and collaborating with the kitchen ops team with a focus on innovating new product offerings. I also make sure I dedicate time to engage with our wonderful customers, strategic partners and investors, I am always eager to gather feedback and insights from all stakeholders to continually enhance our services.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
Starting a business is a rewarding yet challenging journey. My advice would be to find something you are passionate about and ensure you begin with a clear vision and mission, as they will serve as your guiding lights. Surround yourself with a supportive network of team members, mentors and advisors who can offer invaluable insights and a variety of different areas of expertise and skillsets. Finding the right team is gold.
Embrace the inevitable setbacks as learning opportunities, and always stay committed to your core values. Lastly, never underestimate the importance of staying connected to your customers, listen to what they are saying —they are the heartbeat of any successful business.
What’s next for you, and Lilly’s Little Lunchbox?
We have an exciting roadmap ahead. While our roots and core focus are firmly planted in home delivering nutritious meals for kids, we are also now further expanding our horizons on to retail shelves so customers can grab and go on their way to school, work or home.
Lilly’s Little Lunchbox is also gearing up to launch new product lines tailored for the elderly and individuals with specific therapeutic dietary needs. To that end, we enjoy negotiations with strategic investors in the health care and aged care sectors nationally. We’re also focused on further strengthening our first mover advantage and market leading presence across Australia, now active in QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC and soon to be SA, collaborating with more schools, daycares & corporates while exploring innovative ways to make healthy eating even more accessible to all Australians.
