Enterprise: Nourishy
Social media impact: Cass and Dean have achieved growth every month since launch, despite having no paid advertising – a fact they attribute to strategic social media marketing efforts.
Despite being less than a year old, start-up Nourishy is already creating a buzz in the market as Australia’s first breast milk freeze-drying business. Nourishy transforms breast milk into a powder that can be stored for up to three years without any refrigeration required while maintaining the nutritional value of the milk.
The idea for Nourishy came about from the parenting experiences of the brand’s co-founders, Cass Wingrove and Dean Blackbeard, which made them aware of the challenges many mothers face in trying to balance breastfeeding with their busy lives at home and work, or while travelling. Cass and Dean began to look for innovative ways to help mums store their breast milk in a more reliable and efficient manner. Nourishy was the end result of this research.
Upon Nourishy’s launch in October 2023, the duo immediately set out to promote the business via social media, which they found to be highly cost-effective for them as a start-up. “Social media has been our primary marketing focus because it allows us to directly connect with our target audience – mothers, fathers, caregivers and healthcare professionals – on a personal and engaging level,” Cass explains.
They initially went with Instagram and Facebook as their go-to social media marketing platforms, as these channels are known for providing a strong visual and interactive presence that would allow them to create and share engaging educational content around the brand, including touting the safety and nutritional benefits of freeze-drying breast milk. Subsequently, they would find TikTok to be a more valuable social media channel, as they were seeing more mums joining that platform, especially the younger, more tech-savvy mums.
“TikTok is known for its authenticity when it comes to content,” Cass explains. “By sharing behind-the-scenes looks at our freeze-drying process and facility, we can provide a transparent view of how we handle and preserve breast milk.” To further promote their video content, they’ve also made use of YouTube shorts – from the content they originally posted on TikTok – enabling them to reach an even wider audience, alongside the added benefit of achieving improved SEO ranking on Google.
Cass and Dean take pride in the fact that they have not done any form of paid advertising for the entirety of Nourishy’s life to date, yet still have managed to show growth for the business on a month-on-month basis, something they attribute to their strategic social media marketing efforts. With a consistent push of their content across their platforms, more mums have come to learn and appreciate freeze-dried breast milk, which contributes to the brand’s growth.
Plans are in place for Nourishy to expand internationally. “We envision Nourishy expanding its range of services, as well as extending our services beyond Australia, reaching international markets,” Cass enthuses. Their custom-built facility in Brisbane is already capable of meeting potential international demand, and they have also developed an innovative, state-of-the-art shipping and tracking technology, equipped with insulated coolers and innovative real-time tracking systems that help give parents peace of mind when they ship their milk.
Social media also remains a vital element in the brand’s future growth. “Social media platforms will continue to be crucial for raising awareness about our services and educating parents on the benefits of freeze-dried breast milk,” Cass says, adding that the brand is eyeing collaborations with parenting influencers and breastfeeding advocates on social media as it continues to promote the benefits of freeze-dried breast milk to a broader audience.
This article first appeared in issue 45 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine
