MAT STILLONE: AN ENTREPRENEUR WITH INTEGRITY

“INTEGRITY FOOD CO WAS ESTABLISHED TO CLOSE THE GAP BETWEEN CONTRACT MANUFACTURERS AND BRANDS IN AUSTRALIA; FROM AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE BRIDGES IN SERVICE, COMMUNICATION AND QUALITY EXPERIENCED BY MANY BRANDS IN THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET.

MAT STILLONE:

An Entrepreneur With Integrity

Meet long-term Marsh Tincknell client and nominee and finalist in the Young Entrepreneur awards for Brisbane 2020, Mathew Stillone.

Mat’s primary business is the design and production of plant and protein based products to both the public and also wholesale to supermarkets and other retailers. He also works with other businesses in the supplement space to design products.

We sit down with Mat to find out more about his entrepreneurial journey with his brands Protein Supplies Australia, Botanika Blends, Integrity Food Co. and Flexible Foods and why focusing on your customers’ needs is the key to success in 2021.

How long have you been a client of Marsh Tincknell and what made you go with them for your financial needs?

I’ve been working with Marsh Tincknell for around 7-8 years now. In the second year of my business, it really took off and I wasn’t really receiving adequate advice around my tax responsibilities. I had a huge tax bill and wanted to find someone who was proactive in tax planning and strategy as we continued to grow. Marsh Tincknell came recommended to me by a friend who used them for their own business.

Congratulations on your nomination at the Young Entrepreneur awards! Can you tell us a bit about what earned you the nom?

I actually took it out last year, in the Wholesale, Manufacturing and Distribution category and this year entered again, as I have launched a new business called Flexible Foods. Flexible Foods makes plant based meals and meat substitutes that are free from your common allergens like gluten and soy.

The products are clean label, meaning they’re completely natural and do not contain additives such as preservatives, nitrates, artificial flavour enhancers and sugar. They’re shelf stable (don’t need to be refrigerated), quick and easy to make by just adding water and can be cooked within 5-10 minutes.

That’s impressive! It’s a growing industry and you seem to be addressing so many people’s pain points there. How did the inspiration come about?

I’ve always been quite a conscious consumer, which led me to start my own business originally, as I couldn’t find options that were suitable to my lifestyle. Giving people better choices and alternatives is important to me, whether it be sugar free, free from allergens like gluten or vegan products that don’t contain egg or dairy. Growing up a vegetarian, I’ve always eaten this way and/or completely vegan meals, so being a part of the change in the food industry with so many more plant based alternatives is such an incredible feeling.

I grew up in Northern NSW (near Nimbin) on an organic farm, my Dad is a naturopath and my first job

was in a health food store. My parents eventually went on to open their own health food store, where I spent most of my teenage years working in all areas of the business. I eventually moved to Brisbane and landed in sales roles/ customer service roles in health food and pharmacy. I was really focused on my health and fitness, where I saw an opportunity to create something unique. In 2011, there wasn’t really anyone doing “natural” sports supplements and I felt like I could give people better value, quality and options. Things from there naturally evolved as my passion for the health food industry continued to empower me to build the businesses.

Can we purchase them anywhere yet?

We have a bunch of new products that we’ve just launched including our Protein Cookies (under the Botanika Blends brand). We launched them as a trial run online and they sold out within 2 hours. Getting such strong feedback from our community enabled us to create a better cookie and refine what we already thought was amazing. These are available online and will roll out nationally into our retailers in January 2021.

What are you calling in for 2021?

Although I want to remain optimistic, I think we’re going to see some pretty tough times with the economy. People are going to be really conscious of their spending and all this surplus of cash being thrown around is going to be tightened up. I can see a lot of opportunity and growth for those who are able to be agile, adapt and be proactive. I know it’s business 101, but focusing on your customers needs and your offering is going to be more important than ever this year.