From popcorn to chili, tea, peanut butter and the Hemsworth family, Byron Bay on the north coast of New South Wales seems to have everything that begs the question: Why are businesses so successful in this laid-back, peaceful town and its surroundings?
"Inspiration isn't hard to come by in the Byron area," said Will Brook, CEO of Brookfarm. – with reference to the Brookfarm origin story.
"There is a wonderful expectation that everything we do will be healthy, amazing quality, and sustainable just because we are based in Byron Bay.
"We pride ourselves on being one of the companies who set this standard over two decades ago and are passionate about supporting and improving everything we do."
Here's the tea on Byron
The beverage industry thrives in Byron with inspiration from the local area and the people who live there.
Tanya McPhee, Marketing Manager at Madura Tea Estates, explains: “The vision was as crystal clear as the stream that meanders through our winery: To produce the perfect brew by mixing our tea from Australian wineries with the best handpicked teas from the area mix the world.
The owner of the Byron Bay Chilli Company, John Boland, agrees with this feeling.
"The environment is so inspiring and the response has been encouraging," says Boland. "From our point of view, it's an excellent place for food and drinks."
Tim Lannan, Head Peanut Smasher at the Byron Bay Peanut Butter Company, shares the dream beginnings of his Byron Bay story.
"We wanted a fundamental change from our previous work situations, so Byron was always a dream," he said. “If you don't work in tourism or in the hospitality industry, most people have to shape their careers in order to live here full-time. We went to the grocery store before so had this experience before and love peanut butter. "
"The community is pretty open to new things, so it's always exciting to see the new start-up food companies," he says.
A Byron label
A Byron label Mr. Brook notes that because of Byron Bay's noted success, many people use the name to further their own success.
"There is a trend where some companies are using the good name Byron to sell their product without really being part of the community or without really developing a really great product," he says.
To learn more about why some people benefit from the Byron name, or to learn more about why the food and beverage community is thriving, read the full article in the October issue of Retail World magazine.
