Having spent a decade in South Australia’s food industry with his own food sales, marketing and distribution business, Taste Studios founder Ricky Chau had a big question: “How can we increase the amount of healthy food options available when dining out?”

In 2018 he took this challenge into the ICC’s Venture Catalyst program and, along with a partnership and funding from SA Health, explored and developed healthy, kid-friendly solutions for hospitality venues.

With the descent of COVID-19, the company needed to pivot and Brand Your Own (BYO) Foods was born, with then-intern and marketing student Charmain Ooi coming on as co-founder.

BYO Foods produce beverages like organic cold-pressed juices, which food retailers can custom-brand. The company wholesales to hundreds of retailers across Australia and supplies major brands like Victoria’s Secret, Mecca and NRMA at product launches and trade shows, and continues to scale.

Ricky says the ICC helped Taste Studios to “Learn best-in-class practices for building a business, be supported by a diverse and entrepreneurial community and have the facilities to build and develop team members.”