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markets,” Mr Boland said. “The timing was good. We were able to get in on the ground floor of the chilli phenomenon.” He says Byron is a great place to begin a business. “The environment is so inspirational, and the response was encouraging,” he said. “From our point of view, it’s an excellent proving ground for food and beverages.” Byron is known for its local markets, which give start-up businesses a great foundation. Nuts for the Bay “Inspiration isn’t hard to come by in the Byron region,” Mr Brook said, referring to the Brookfarm origin story. “There’s a wonderful expectation that everything we do is going to be healthy, amazing quality, and sustainable purely because we’re based in Byron Bay. “We’re proud to be one of the businesses that set that standard over two decades ago, and passionately uphold and improve everything that we do.” Brookfarm was originally a run- down dairy farm in the Byron Bay hinterland. It was transformed when the Brook family began planting macadamias. “Soon Mum and Dad saw an opportunity to value-add to Australia’s indigenous nut, and rather than just selling the nut, they created the first Brookfarm Muesli products and sold them at the Bangalow market \\\\\\\[inland from Byron Bay\\\\\\\],” Mr Brook said. Spreads by the sea Head peanut smasher at Byron Bay Peanut Butter Company Tim Lannan tells of the dream beginnings of its Byron Bay story. “We wanted a sea change from our prior job situations, so Byron was always a dream,” he said. “Unless you work in tourism or hospitality, most people have to create their career to be able to live here full time. We were in the food business before, so already had that experience, and love peanut butter.” Mr Lannan adds that he thinks Byron is “a great place to test new things”. “The community is pretty open to trying new things, so it’s always exciting to see the new start-up food businesses,” he said. Byron Bay Peanut Butter Company’s products reflect the individuality of the Byron Bay community, offering small- batch artisan peanut butters. “Our blend of Australian and Argentinian hi-oleic peanuts and our proprietary dark roast are what we’re famous for,” Mr Lannan said. The tea on Byron The beverage industry thrives in Byron with inspiration from the surrounding environment, and the people who inhabit it. Madura’s Ms McPhee explained: “The vision was as crystal clear as the creek that carves its way through our estate: to produce the perfect brew by blending our Australian estate-grown tea with the finest hand-selected teas from around the world. “Fast forward to today and we’ve expanded into over 20 countries around the world, all reflecting the evolving tastes and trends of our customers.” Despite the success that Madura Tea Estates has achieved, Ms McPhee says the team retains “the same pioneering spirit and genuine love of tea that is the heartbeat of Madura”. TO PAGE 34 THE BEST OF BYRON BAY “There’s a wonderful expectation that everything we do is going to be healthy, amazing quality, and sustainable purely because we’re based in Byron Bay.” OCT, 2020 RETAIL WORLD 33