Meet Angela & Jacqui creators of the delicious locally-sourced and handmade The Hunter Co granola!

Tell us a little about The Hunter Co…

The Hunter Co team is made up of food loving sisters Angela and Jacqui (and The Mad Baker!), who share a passion for delicious food and good health.

The team lovingly hand make organic granola and raw protein bars in Melbourne. Each batch is 100% natural – what you see is what you get with no preservatives or hidden nasties.

Why did you start making your own granola?

In the lead up to Angela’s wedding, the ultimate wholesome and balanced granola blend was developed after a hunt for a nutritious breakfast resulted in not-so-tasty options.

We wanted to create something that ticked all of the boxes – it needed to be healthy, sustain the body after a post-morning workout (preventing any sugar cravings/bad snacking habits) but most importantly it needed to be DELICIOUS (taste is of the utmost importance!)

 

If The Hunter Co were a person how would you describe them?

To be honest, we don’t really think of The Hunter Co as a person. It’s closer to being an animal or part of nature, perhaps even Mother Nature, because of its organic and earthy roots. Every ingredient The Hunter Co uses is whole, unprocessed and as close as possible to its natural form, like Mother Nature intended.

What attracted you to the health food industry?

The belief that delicious can be healthy, it doesn’t need to be boring or bland. Knowing how good the mind and body feels when you nourish it with good food and discovering that this can be accomplished by eating foods we love and without subscribing to any particular diet. Once we realised how simple it is, we wanted to share this with others.

Has your health always been important to you both?

When thinking about the answer to this question, we first thought that perhaps health wasn’t so important to us when we were younger because back then, we only considered physical activity and exercise as ways to be healthy.   We were lucky enough to grow up with a lot of different foods and tasty flavours being of Vietnamese and Italian heritage, so we never considered food to be ‘bad’ rather something to be enjoyed without restrictions.

Now, health means so much more than exercise and while we still enjoy tasty food, we understand what foods nourish our bodies best and leave us feeling great. Our definition of health has definitely evolved and encompasses many more facets including our diet and mind. When we were younger going to a pump class at the gym would tick the healthy box. However now to be healthy, we might start the day with a lemon water, step away from the computer and go outside for some fresh air and vitamin D, sign up for a meditation course or try out a new form of exercise. We recently tried Barre and love it so much we’re completing our Barre teaching certificate!

When do you feel most balanced?

After a yoga sesh or a swim; a visit to the ocean or a dose of sunshine. Any of these followed by a nourishing meal makes us feel happy and balanced.

What does a day at The Hunter Co office look like?

While we were both juggled full-time media careers, for the first 6 months of The Hunter Co’s existence, the ‘office’ was hectic – during this time we collectively launched a personal training studio, travelled overseas and started a family (Ange is expecting in January!). During this time the ‘office’ consisted of not much more than a Disney exercise book that lived in a kraft paper bag, alongside stamps, packaging samples, mock labels, post-its, a pen and an envelope full of receipts. All this, alongside a Mac with multiple spreadsheets and a recipe list that lived in the notes section of our iPhone made up our Bible.

Now, our day is much more organised – we still operate in slight disarray but we kick off the day with a 5:45am workout, followed by breakfast (usually a bowl of granola, porridge or a smoothie). Responding to emails and orders is next on the agenda with an ingredients run, bake or packaging finishing the day. We might throw in an insta post here and there, depending on what’s happening and whether we have any news to share. We work best in organised chaos!

Do you believe there is a shift towards a more conscious way of living in Australia? What changes have you noticed?

We have certainly noticed a shift towards healthier lifestyles and have found people taking a more holistic approach to being healthy. People are exploring what works for them and are making small lifestyle changes rather than wholeheartedly jumping on board fads. It might be as simple as setting aside time on the weekend for food preparation for the week, popping a green veggie or non-dairy milk alternative into their smoothie or mixing up their exercise routine to stay motivated and to balance physical, mental and social needs.

Do you think social media is the key to getting a healthy message out there? 

Hmm, yes and no….On the one hand, social media is free, powerful and fun which helps people learn things without realising it. The shareable nature of social media enables messages to travel far and wide especially when it taps into people’s passion points. People can choose which social media accounts they want to follow. The real people and real stories can positively influence and help others develop their own ‘healthy-groove’ being so relatable.

On the other hand, social media is highly subjective and can have a negative impact, despite a healthy message intention. An abundance of curated social media accounts can lead to people placing unrealistic expectations on themselves. We think content creators need to keep in mind how easily people can be influenced and remember not to dictate that a certain way of living is best or may suit everyone.

We try to share what we love and what may help and inspire others without dictating that there is only one way to eat/exercise/live and hope our followers take what is suitable and works for them.

What advice would you give your 16-year-old selves?

In hindsight, we’d give our 16-year-old selves a lot of advice!

• Be grateful
• Appreciate and embrace things that make you different rather than hide or shy away from it
• Believe in your natural beauty, you don’t need to hide behind make-up
• Do what you love – you don’t need to know what you want to do yet.
• Don’t sweat the small stuff (like that formal dress or that party you couldn’t go to)
• Embrace family time as much as friend time
• Don’t be afraid to speak up. Your thoughts and ideas are worthy and valid, no matter how big or small
• That fast metabolism of yours doesn’t last forever so appreciate your body and mobility – it’s not awkward, it’s beautiful
• 30 is not old!
• Stay present, these is no hurry
• Be happy and enjoy being 16.

Do you prescribe to a particular way of living?

We don’t prescribe to a particular way of living, we thankfully don’t have any food intolerances though notice that we feel better when we avoid certain foods. Moderation is key, no bans/no binges. We love the 80/20 rule (80% healthy, 20% treats!)

What’s the ideal way to eat The Hunter Co granola?

Our favourite way to get our hunter fix is by the dollop, top and sprinkle philosophy…

Dollop with yoghurt

Top with fruit

Sprinkle with whatever you please (our favourites are bee pollen and hemp seeds for an extra immunity and superfood boost)

The key ingredient to a great batch of granola, is? 

The Mad Baker. She’s our secret weapon and the backbone of each of our bakes.

What are the plans for the future of The Hunter Co? 

In true hunter fashion, our operations are slightly backwards and we’re in talks with selected local cafes and distributors to spread the hunter love around Melbourne… without yet having launched our website.

In terms of other products, we’re always experimenting in the kitchen and recently added to The Hunter Co family a raw protein berry bliss bar. We’ve also got a Ginger & Date granola blend in the works to launch early this year!

Where can our readers get their hands on some delicious The Hunter Co granola?

Listen To Your Body studio – 2/38 Margaret Street, Moonee Ponds

20 Young Street – 20 Young Street, Moonee Ponds

Direct orders –

 

Head over to Taste + Wellbeing for more healthy and delicious recipes!