Meet Patrick Dale, a 13-year-old with a passion for marshmallows and a knack for business. Hailing from Lake Cathie and surrounded by his supportive family, Patrick's entrepreneurial journey began in late 2021 .
PATRICK DALE
H
i Patrick, please introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m Patrick Dale, the owner and creator of Sweet Tooth Marshmallows and I live in Lake Cathie with my family. My business started in November 2021 while I was in Lake Cathie Woolworths and I asked my Mum why we could not buy chocolate marshmallows. Mum said good question, and together we went to a variety of shops and could not find flavoured marshmallows. I then started to research how to make marshmallows. In December 2021, I gave my family and friends a range of marshmallows as christmas presents and the feedback was amazing and it gave me the confidence to launch my business in January 2022 at local markets. At age 13 you are the owner and creator of Sweet Tooth Marshmallows. Can you tell us about this business and how you came to start this little business of yours? My business started with a simple question why are there no chocolate marshmallows 100 GREATER PORT MACQUARIE focus
and why do the marshmallows available in shops, lack flavour.
I have learnt that marshmallows are scientific, temperature of ingredients, air and humidity impact on the marshmallow, but no recipe tells you this, we learnt this through trial and error.
After Mum and I tested various marshmallow recipes, we created our own. I have now created over 25 flavours, and a range of adult only flavours too. I love that marshmallows bring families together. My personal experience is that marshmallows are connected to family camp fires and family and friend gatherings. Since the start of my business, my parents have educated me on running a business, obtaining insurance, understanding food requirements, managing my cashflow and supporting me to achieve my business goals. I have now secured a range of wholesale trade accounts for my ingredients which helps in managing my costs.
I have learnt that hard work, support from mentors and my family are helping me to reach my business goals. The Teens in Business have connected me to some amazing mentors who
have been very helpful in growing as a business owner and growing my business. Tell us about some of your achievements and milestones since starting on this journey.
In the 2.5 years I have been in business, I have achieved a lot, including a number of awards for my products and entrepreneur skills including: - Starting my business when I was aged 10 years old – January 2022 - With the help of my parents initially, we purchased a food trailer to increase my production levels and have since purchased this outright - Top 5 finalist in the National Tween Entrepreneur in the Business in Teens in Business Awards, November 2022 – Aged 11 - Winner of the Sydney Royal Fine Foods Awards, September 2023: Gold medal for chocolate marshmallows Silver medal for coffee marshmallows Silver medal for vanilla bean lamington marshmallows