I am Josie Grenfell, co-founder of Food2Soil, we make biofertiliser from commercial food and coffee waste (think kombucha for plants and soil, with live beneficial microbes). We are an innovative, circular economy business that turns a waste product into a high value sustainable resource the planet needs.
I am also a dietitian and mother passionate about action on climate change and the vital role healthy soil plays in reducing our carbon footprint.
When did you start your business?
Jan 2020
What was the inspiration behind starting this business?
Seeing food waste on commercial scale and knowing there was a multi-faceted solution, that reduces food waste to landfill, improves soil health for plant health and improves Co2 recapture from the atmosphere. It’s a win, win, win. It needed to exist as a business
What are you most excited about in your business?
The exciting new growth and spring orders coming in daily. The options for investment into the business to see if grow nationally and even globally
What has been the most challenging thing about starting your business?
Processing from scratch. My co-founder Annabel and I do everything, including picking up waste, processing it and bottling it, not to mention marketing, accounting, sales etc all of which we have not done before. At our processing site its often cold, heavy, hard work and there is no roadmap to follow, as it’s never been done before.
What advice would you give to other women thinking about starting a business?
Make sure you have passion for what you do, without it, it would be very hard to plough through the difficult times. A fantastic co-founder also really helps.
Why did you enter the AusMumpreneur Awards?
My excellent financial advisor Amanda Thompson nominated me
What did you enjoy the most about being part of the awards?
Getting to chat to the other applicants while in the waiting room for the awards, being part of the fanfare around it.
What surprised you most about the awards?
The coverage
How did the awards help you in your business?
The promotional opportunities and the ability to reach like-minded businesswomen and consumers
What advice would you give to other mums thinking about entering the awards?
Go for it! Don’t think you are not ready or haven’t achieved enough, taking part is good enough.
What has been the best thing about starting your own business?
The people I have met on the journey and the feeling of satisfaction (and reduced anxiety) I have about doing something good for the planet
What’s happening next in your business?
We are engaging more wholesalers every week, have recently recruited a marketing assistant and currently in the process of inviting aligned investors into the business to assist our growth and capitalise on economies of scale.
What are your big plans for the future?
We are seeking investors to help us move to the next phase, a larger facility capable of producing greater volumes and enter the agricultural market. We aim to have Food2Soil micro factories (called The Brewhaus) all over the country (and even globally) making natural fertiliser for local soil from local waste.
What is your website and/or social media links (eg. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram)
