Mrs Bruinier recently took out the Startup Shakeup Pitchfest with her business ‘Gourmet You’ which provides a range of spice mixes and meal bases for those with food intolerances.
Having started the business last September following a festival where she was unable to purchase any food for her children who had food intolerances, Mrs Bruinier said it was like a light bulb moment.
“I went to a festival and my kids couldn’t eat one thing, I thought this is just ridiculous,” she said.
“So it was a like a brainwave.”
Coming from a nursing background, she said her interest in health had always been a focus in life and the business was the perfect way to cater for her own family as well as others who wished to lead healthy lives despite their dietary requirements.
“I started making spice mixes just for the family but whenever I talked to anyone about them they would tell me they were struggling too so the idea grew from there.”
Transforming her Kialla home into a flat-out cooking zone, Mrs Bruinier said she experimented to escape the same old bland options and began creating her own seasonings, recipes and baked treats.
Less than 12 months down the track, with the help of various business workshops and her sister who also played a part in getting the ball rolling, Gourmet You’s profits have increased 70 per cent each quarter as Mrs Bruinier’s gourmet flavour spreads its way across the country.
While business is looking good for the Kialla mum, she said taking home the grand prize from the pitchfest was a pleasant shock.
She said the $10 000 prize, which consists of $3000 cash, $3000 of in-kind services, $3000 of mentoring and $1000 of public relations services, came as a huge help.
With momentum continuing to build, Mrs Bruinier said she hoped to build a shed at her house in which she could transform into a spacious working area for her growing business.
