Australians love a beer. But when the enthusiasm for beer of some of our brethren becomes a bit excessive, beer as a brand can get a bad rap. Denita Wawn has the big job of representing the reputations and brands of our brewers, as the CEO of the Brewers Association…
Food & wine

Dani Valent describes herself a writer, eater and a cook – and she’s managed to make a marvellous mix of all three to become a pioneer in what is a very competitive market for cookbooks. As she tells me in my Enterprising Women column (AFR 21 June 2014) Dani was the…

Ever since she lived in London in the mid-1990s, Donna Burton has yearned to return, and her dream is to become a supplier to the big names in grocery stores in that great city, Fortnum & Mason of Piccadilly – even Harrods! Donna launched her Jelbonleigh Macadamias about 15 years…
The alarming fact is that fast food has eclipsed vegetables as a dietary stape for Australians, with teenagers leading the charge to fast food, according to new data from the Bureau of Statistics shows. Helen Waterworth – who I wrote about in the AFR Weekend, Enterprising Women, column – is part…

It’s a little shop of happiness tucked away on a small side street in Sydney’s Paddington – and Suzanne Francis has been selling gorgeous chocolates from there for 30 years. (Her story today – AFR Weekend – Enterprising Women 10 May 2014) Just William is the name of her “hole…
It is the product that lasts a lifetime, as the centrepiece of celebrations. Imagine a party, a wedding, a special family occasion without a cake? Everyone gathers, the photo is taken, and the image can be kept forever. That is what drives Daniella Boutros in her pursuit of making the…

It’s not about the size of her business, it’s all about the passion for baking bread that drives Robin Ellenberger. Based in Tasmania, she always baked wheat bread for her family, but a casual conversation with a health shop proprietor revealed there was no local Launceston supplier for fresh gluten-free…

Helen Waterworth has always had a passion for Australia’s regional food producers. Her brilliant career as a food consultant has been on an upward trajectory, ever since she left teaching and jumped on board the King Island Cheese bandwagon and became their chief marketer soon after launch back in the…

And the revenues are rolling in. Michele is on target to reach the $1.5million mark in the 2014 financial year – that’s a lot of fabulous pinot noir and there is no sign of a diminution in demand. It’s all about pursuing a passion for fine wine and promoting wonderful…

It is all about aiming for perfection and producing delicious provisions and Phillippa Grogan has been delivering the goods for nigh on 20 years. There is no doubt among her vast clientele that Phillippa of Phillippa’s is indeed the queen of of Melbourne’s bakery goods. Her story today, in my…