Tell us about PopBox.
Easy, it’s Australian microwave popcorn finally done right – how good it tastes, how user friendly the delivery system is, its really good popcorn to share at home.
What inspired you to start PopBox?
We were interested in microwave popcorn and aware of the lack of true innovation in the category for 30 years. So, as soon as we saw this product in Europe, we knew it could be an Australian favourite. Everything about it was just better and it suited the market. Honestly, I just loved the product from the very first time I saw it.
Tell us about your career and background.
I have been fortunate to have been involved in numerous industries. I started in Agriculture, working for the Barley Marketing Board, the Australian Wheat Board and Defiance Milling in finance, procurement management and treasury. I then moved into International Marketing for a decade, trading and marketing pasture seeds, legumes and pulses globally, a fantastic role that gave an opportunity to work in over 30 countries around the world. Later, I moved into a CEO role at Bean Growers Australia (BGA), then the board, and have now been Chairman for about 10 years. After BGA I had an opportunity to move into Construction and Development where I spent 6 years at McNab, a building company in Queensland which was one of the most challenging and rewarding roles in my career. I stayed in construction at MiiHome for another couple of years, before eventually doing some development work on my own with partners. This was mainly commercial buildings in my hometown of Toowoomba, redeveloping some century-old buildings and bring them back to life which was a really rewarding process. In my spare time I have been farming, have had a number of cattle properties (since sold) and am still breeding and training horses for polo commercially.
Describe a typical work day for you.
Normally I get my exercise done early and have some horses to train on the farm, which I get done by 7.30am. At the moment, we are running the popcorn factory Monday to Friday although the workload changes a little depending on how much the supermarkets order. We have now got a great team on the production line so over the last six months I have been able to get off the factory floor and focus on sharing the PopBox story with our customers. We’ve got a long way to go with roughly 5-10% of the Australian population having heard of PopBox or even knowing what it is! The good news is if we can get someone to try it the first time, we’ve found that they love the taste and the experience of our unique pop-up box, and are amazed by how crisp and fresh to PopBox popcorn tastes because of it. Given this is my first exposure to FMCG and especially retail, the Snacks and Nuts category has a lot of great product choices so we have to be excellent in what we do to compete. Beyond this, its all about keeping the supply chain and the incoming raw materials managed, some of the raw packing materials have long lead times so its challenging forecasting the likely forward sales and our popcorn requirements out 6 to 12 months when you are a rapidly growing. We choose to support Australian corn farmers, so that’s the work just now managing the core elements of the business so that we always can supply on time and in full. My best hope is that our marketing work and our customers sharing our story creates challenge for our supply – strangely that would make me very happy.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
I don’t think anyone can truly be successful without help. You need people around you to jump in when you need a hand, even if it’s just people that are happy to listen. Everyone will have problems at some stage, and it’s the ability to overcome these problems that make projects successful. I have been extremely lucky to have found good people that have inspired, helped, coached and supported with time, resources and advice whenever I have needed help.
What’s next for you, and PopBox?
We just launched PopBox into Coles, extending our ranging from Woolworths across Australia, so right now we’re focused on spreading the word so our customers know where they can find the good stuff! We are also thrilled to announce the launch of our latest creation, Caramel Crunch, which is now available in Woolworths stores nationwide. Irresistibly and naturally delicious, Caramel Crunch offers a sweet addition to the range. We’d also like to get our Aussie popcorn to our friends across the Tasman in New Zealand, as we know they will love it.