Having been in the hospitality industry for 16 years, Anibal and his wife, Holly, who was studying to be a herbalist, saw an opportunity to develop their own organic brand, now known as Gourmet Organic Herbs. With their keen interest in organics and good health, Anibal and Holly set about broadening their experience with, and understanding of, the food industry, jointly selecting and assessing quality raw materials for their range of products.

Gourmet Organic Herbs has been based on the Central Coast for eight years now. Steady growth in the past two years resulted in the decision to hire their first sales representative to raise local awareness of their brand, grow their client base and hopefully secure major contracts. “We recently hired our first sales representative with the intention to help fill out and push growth,” Anibal says. “I consider growth to be good at the moment. I have to consider the sales rep to be a ‘win’ because she is very effective and focuses on sales. I also have a fantastic team of staff who I can’t thank any further for their support and effort.”

Recently, Anibal and Holly participated in the trade show ‘Naturally Good Expo’ – the first of its kind. Anibal explains, “The response was great! There was a lot of interest, a lot of business and it was definitely worthwhile. This backs the thought that there is a lot of interest from the core market.”

Anibal believes with continued steady growth in the coming year the business will continue to evolve and is confident of acquiring additional, larger, contracts down the track. He is passionate about making a point of difference with their certified organic products; the aim – to increase interest in organic products generally, but specifically in Gourmet Organic Herbs’ certified organic products.

Although growth is the main goal at this stage, Anibal says the challenges facing the business right now are “growing pains!” With growth comes the potential to move to a larger premises and purchase more equipment; requiring a steady cash flow.

“One of the things I like about Troy is his energy and enthusiasm. He is always genuinely interested in the business operations and sees that it continues to move forward. He is a great springboard to work off and work through ideas,” says Anibal. Their team has been flexible and supportive as the business has evolved and Anibal feels sure they will continue to respond well as new challenges present in the future.

Over the next 12 months, Gourmet Organic Herbs will be contributing to the development of a vegetable garden at East Gosford Public School, which will give children the opportunity to experience and understand growing fruit and vegetables first hand. It will help them realise fruit and vegies don’t only come out of a packet from the supermarket.

If you would like to learn more about the success of Anibal and Holly’s business, or have an interest in their products, click here.