Two childhood friends have built a business around a simple but urgent need: giving busy parents quick access to nutritious food for their kids without sacrificing quality. Zoe Taylor, an accredited dietician with experience in public health, and Carly Nowell, a wellbeing policy professional, combined their expertise to address a gap they both faced as mothers. Most commercial baby purées rely on heat treatment for shelf stability, which destroys nutrients. Parents often end up choosing between convenience and nutrition while holding a baby.
From shared parenting struggles to a Melbourne kitchen
The solution took 18 months to develop. Taylor and Nowell created a line of ready-to-eat meals and snacks made from whole-food ingredients, designed by dieticians and snap-frozen to preserve nutrition and flavor. Their first product range included 10 recipes inspired by their own children’s favorites.
The venture launched in 2023 as a small, bootstrapped operation delivering to Melbourne homes. Within a year, the brand hit $100,000 in revenue and secured shelf space in 20 stores across the city.
They named the business Audrey & Alfie’s after Carly’s daughter Audrey and Zoe’s son Alfie, who were born three months apart. The name reflects both the personal roots of the venture and its focus on early childhood nutrition. Over the next three years, the firm expanded its offerings to include 11 finger-food variations and six ready-to-eat food bowl flavors. It also extended delivery to Sydney and partnered with Royal Foods to distribute products in 100 independent supermarkets, gourmet stores, and health-food retailers across five states.
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In 2024, Audrey & Alfie’s won the APAC Australian Enterprise Award for Healthy Children’s Food and was accepted into the SBE Evolve Cohort, an accelerator for female entrepreneurs scaling early-stage businesses. The company’s growth has been deliberate, with profits reinvested in marketing, inventory, and infrastructure rather than rapid expansion.
A standard above the industry norm
The business prioritizes free-range and organic ingredients, and its snap-freezing method avoids the nutrient loss caused by heat treatment. This approach aligns with dietary guidelines but comes at a higher cost. “The integrity of our ingredients and cooking process has always been non-negotiable,” the founders say. Even as demand grows, they refuse to compromise on quality, a stance that sets them apart in a market where convenience often trumps nutrition.
Growth without shortcuts
Taylor and Nowell acknowledge that profitability hasn’t been linear. As a bootstrapped venture, they have focused on sustainable expansion, avoiding debt or outside investment. Their advice to other entrepreneurs is straightforward: “If you’re solving a real problem, take the leap.” They emphasize the need for dedication, confidence, and risk-taking—but also note the rewards. “It can be incredibly rewarding,” Taylor says.
The brand’s latest addition, the Rainbow Purée range, targets the earliest stages of a child’s diet. Launched at Collingwood Children’s Farm, it introduces babies to a variety of flavors and nutrients from the start. The founders stress that the product isn’t meant to replace home cooking entirely. Instead, it serves as a backup for those moments when parents need a reliable, nutritious option. “We want to help keep the wheels on the nutrition ‘bus.’ They want parents to feel confident that their kids are still getting good food, whatever else is going on.”
