By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
THERE’S nothing like promises of ‘free and naked’ to grab the attention.
Noble Park-based Kez’s Kitchen has unleashed two liberatingly labelled health bars – choc mud and sticky date.
The Free and Naked bars meet lofty, guilt-free standards – a four-star health rating, cold-pressed, and nude of added sugar, gluten, wheat, GMO ingredients, sulfite, artificial colours, flavours and preservatives.
This vegan purity seems to be a lucrative product line, making its way onto major supermarket shelves across Australia.
Managing director Michael Carp said his company struck a winner, doubling its output when it started making gluten-free foods such as cereals in 2007.
It tapped into a hunger for healthy foods that “God meant us to eat”, he said.
“It led to tremendous growth.
“The market is inundated with food and products, but not with innovation.
“It’s obviously a tough environment dealing with major retailers but they’re happy to support companies like us that show innovation and are flexible.”
Mr Carp said his company couldn’t just copy others to keep itself ahead.
It does extensive research with domestic consumers and emerging overseas trends to find its points of difference.
“When you’re a small company, you can be attuned to new trends and move quickly.”
The kitchen, which turns around more than $10 million a year and employs 65 workers, started humbly in the late 1980s.
Back then, Mr Carp’s sister Keren and mother Helen were cooking in a domestic kitchen, supplying cafes with choc-chip cookies and cakes.
It soon took off to a commercial kitchen, then a larger bakery in Abbotsford.
Mr Carp walked away from his job as a lawyer to hop on board in 1994.
In 1999 the kitchen moved to its present purpose-built bakery at Princes Highway, Noble Park.
“I saw their passion and enthusiasm,” Mr Carp said.
“I just saw it as an incredible opportunity to work with my family.”
