OMG! DECADENT DONUTS WINS MAJOR NATIONAL AWARD

Announcement posted by OMG! Decadent Donuts 14 Apr 2024

A BEACON OF COMPASSION, INNOVATION AND INCLUSIVITY IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

On Saturday 13 April in Sydney, OMG! Decadent Donuts won the Australian Small Business Champion Awards - Best Fast Food.

Starting at a suburban farmers market stall in Brisbane and earning a humble $96 on their first day of trade, OMG! Decadent Donuts is now located in over 70 regions across Australia and has just launched internationally. The Brisbane-based business owners said they were completely honoured to receive the award in this very competitive field.

Crafted with passion and dedication, OMG! Decadent Donuts are 100% natural, vegan, and free from gluten, egg, nuts, dairy, yeast, wheat, and sulphites. The company's commitment to inclusivity in food is reflected in its certifications from esteemed bodies such as Coeliac Australia, Vegan Australia, Kosher Australia, and the Halal Certification Authority of Australia, setting a benchmark for comprehensive dietary inclusivity in the food industry.

Established by visionary restaurateur David Moore and his co-directors Andrew Clarke, Steven Morris and Diane O'Reilly, OMG! Decadent Donuts has emerged as a beacon of hope, offering delectable treats that cater to diverse dietary needs and preferences since it was incorporated in 2018. "What sets OMG! apart is not just that we make fantastic donuts, but our unwavering dedication to making a positive impact on communities across Australia. Research indicates that individuals with strict dietary requirements often face feelings of exclusion and anxiety. By offering a product that fosters inclusivity and belonging. Our aim is to not just make and sell donuts, we are spreading joy with our products and independence for our business owners" David said.

"Our journey from a humble market stall to an international enterprise has been marked by numerous milestones and accolades from winning prestigious awards such as this one, to now expanding internationally. We've made and learnt from many mistakes along the way, but our commitment to excellence and innovation has remained unwavering" he added.

100% Australian-made and owned, the donuts offer a new level of decadence, as they are dusted in a range of bespoke sugars made from real fruit, vegetables, and spices, offering something truly unique. This distinctive range of donuts not only caters to people who are Coeliac or with allergies or intolerances or for those whose beliefs dictate what they eat, but for anyone who loves a bit of scrumptiousness. With nothing artificial, they truly are the goodies with no baddies.

Research indicates that individuals, especially children, adhering to strict dietary requirements often face feelings of exclusion, bullying, anxiety, and depression. These simple donuts play a crucial role in fostering inclusivity, providing a sense of belonging to those with dietary restrictions.

Under a robust licence agreement, so far, OMG! actively supports more than 70 families across Australia who have established and nurtured their own thriving OMG! Decadent Donuts businesses. Under this licence business model, there are no royalties or levies paid meaning 100% of what those business owners earn stays within their local community.

Asked about the future, David said "Looking ahead, our vision is one of growth, innovation, and global influence. As we expand our network of licensees throughout Australia and further afield, we remain committed to our core values of compassion, inclusivity, and excellence. To us, it sometimes seems like OMG! Decadent Donuts is more than just a business, it is a movement — a movement fueled by love, compassion, and a shared passion for making the world a sweeter place, one donut at a time".

If the goal is to make the world a sweeter place, one donut at a time, OMG! Donuts is doing well. On their first day of trade, they went through 2kg of donut mix, which equates to roughly 64 donuts at that farmers' market in suburban Brisbane. In 2023 they went through 86 tonnes of donut mix, which equates to over 2.7 million donuts and in 2024 the forecast is 102 tonnes which is over 3.3 million donuts.

Ends

Images, further information and to arrange an interview please contact:

Diane O'Reilly 0417 601 473 diane@omgdecadent.com

THE BACK STORY:

The story began for the now international company when former chef and restaurateur, David Moore was looking for an outlet for his entrepreneurial and creative mind. David had been a successful restaurateur until his award-winning restaurant Drift was spectacularly and catastrophically lost in the 2011 Brisbane floods. Whilst being fully insured, David's floating riverside business was deliberately sunk to protect government-owned assets of bridges and the like. The deliberate sinking voided David's flood insurance and a long and sad story followed including him suffering from PTSD. Many people helped David along his professional and personal path pre and post-flood. Expressing gratitude in the form of 'paying it forward' is firmly entrenched in his DNA.

The catastrophic loss of his business and livelihood didn't stop David's creativity and one day whilst enjoying a cinnamon donut, he started wondering what it would taste like with a different flavoured sugar. So, he started playing with dehydrating whole fruits, vegetables, spices, mixing them in unique combinations and blending them with sugars. They tasted amazing.

Realising there was a lack of offerings to the vegan and gluten-free communities he established a simple market stall business at the suburban Milton farmers markets, gross takings on that first day was a conservative $96. But the feedback on the taste and texture of the donuts from customers was more than encouraging. Customers couldn't believe that these donuts with the uniquely flavoured sugars were so fantastic. Instinctively David knew he was on to something.

The name OMG! came about when customers would bite into one of the uniquely sugared donuts and exclaim with a mouth full of donut "OMG, this is SO good!". Those with or without dietary requirements were universally shocked at how good they tasted. "Better than a 'normal' donut" is a phrase many customers use to describe them, even to this day.

David and his partner Andrew began operating OMG! Decadent Donuts more earnestly as a 'side hustle' to their regular jobs of business coach (David) and financial planner (Andrew), trading in farmers markets throughout South East Queensland. They built up a solid customer following and were soon earning terrific extra coin at markets, festivals, and events. They knew they were on to something, and loved the freedom this business gave them.

Enter Di O'Reilly and her husband Steve Morris. Di has a long history in marketing and public relations and Steve is a respected commercial lawyer. Di and David had been friends and colleagues for many years having worked together in various incarnations and had formed a great mutual respect. Di tried a donut when she ran into David at a farmers' market - blown away with the taste and texture, she invited David and Andrew to come to dinner and to also have a free pick of her marketing brain. Turns out the pair picked Steve's brains too as he entered the conversation and gave them friendly advice on what he felt would be the best ways to structure a business to allow it to grow, if they so wanted.

Whilst David and Andrew knew they had created a great small business, they realised with the knowledge Di and Steve brought to the table they had the opportunity to take the business beyond what they ever thought imaginable. The foursome joined up.

Like types attract and it turned out that all four had similar core values about kindness, being helpful and supportive of others and at the end of the day, it is people who matter most.

After brainstorming what their collective goals for the business might be and having already mastered the production of an inclusive product able to be eaten by just about anyone, all four were adamant that they wanted a business model that could be equally inclusive.

They wanted a 'kind' business, one that was based on family values. A business model that would help and support people and allow them to better balance both work and life. They felt that affordability for people to be able to get into the business was key to ensure that everyday families and individuals could be involved without needing to massively add to their mortgage, sell a kidney or dip into their super. They settled on a licensed business model.

This all happened in the time before Covid, but with extraordinary serendipity, they also wanted a business that could be flexible, and could operate without the need for a 5-year lease and expensive shop fit-out, that could be flexible enough that if 'life' should happen, the individual business owner could expand or contract their business without being a slave to rent and wages.

With a cost of under $50,000 per licence for a turn-key business, including all equipment, stock and training they formed an affordable business opportunity. For most licensees, that initial investment has been well and truly returned within months.

Each licensee is allocated a geographical region large enough for plenty of options for ways to trade and earn; be they farmers markets, community events, school fetes, sporting carnivals, festivals, catering, deliveries, pop-ups or short to long-term leases. To be able to expand, if they wish, to have multiple set-ups at multiple locations simultaneously.

The foursome also agreed they wanted a business model that would allow a licensee to start small as a side hustle and grow their own business over time, one that was sustainable without having to take those huge risks of long leases, bank guarantees and fit-outs. They envisaged an owner-operator model that was flexible enough to be able to stop and start through life's journey. They especially didn't want to be controlling of their licensees, instead, they wanted their licensees to be able to set their own KPIs and realise their own definitions of success.

David said "The business from our licensees' perspective is about making and selling these wonderful hot fresh donuts that people in their community can enjoy them. But from our perspective as the directors of the parent group, it's all about the licensees, helping and supporting them. I guess we are more of a business development model in that regard. Our licensees are in business for themselves but not by themselves, we give them a great deal of help and support".

The licence model means that no royalties, marketing, or other fees are funnelled back to the head office. The licensee keeps 100% of what they earn and that stays within their local communities. So how does the OMG! head office earn an income? Essentially it also acts as a wholesaler to the licensee for the donut mix and sugars. David said "We wanted a model whereby our financial success would be entirely dependent on our licensees' success. If they order donut mix, we get a clip of that. Whatever they earn, they keep. We are therefore very motivated to help them do well".

The business is a juggernaut, "In our first year, to get the best price on the donut mix for our licensees, all four directors had to sign a personal guarantee we would order a minimum of 4 tonnes per annum. We all remember that day and our racing hearts, shaking hands and sweaty palms when we signed the contract. Last calendar year we went through 86 tonnes of donut mix and this year we are on track to increase that to 102 tonne, which is over 3.2 million donuts", David said.

The OMG! Directors also created their own definitions of success "Of course we want to be financially successful, who doesn't, but the definition of success is actually achieving what you set out to achieve. We set out to help as many people start their own successful business and these donuts are our catalyst. What really floats our boat is when our licensees achieve what they set out to achieve".

What's next? The goal is to not only make OMG! the #1 Australian vegan and gluten-free donut company in the country, and to get a further 50 licensees throughout Australia. A master licensee has been appointed in New Zealand, and are gearing up to make OMG! the #1 national donut company there as well. After that - bring on the world.

OTHER

The name 'OMG!' is a direct result of people's delighted reaction when they try these donuts for the first time, exclaiming "OMG" when taking their first mouthful. Bakery items that are both gluten-free and vegan are commonly associated with tasting like cardboard. People literally can't believe how good they taste.

In creating the product, the quartet of Directors imagined a kids' birthday party or office morning tea where every guest could eat the same food regardless of dietary restrictions or requirements, the aim was to make the donuts 'inclusive', so not only are they vegan and free from most allergens and are endorsed and accredited by Coeliac Australia and Vegan Australia, they also respect others faiths and beliefs so are accredited and certified by Kosher Australia and Halal Certification Authority of Australia.

The sugars dusting the OMG! Decadent Donuts are made from real fruit, vegetables, and spices - there are 12 different combinations, including Beet-a-licious (beetroot, cinnamon, ginger), Berry Sinful (raspberries, cacao, salt, chilli), Dusty Queen (cinnamon, oranges), and Spicy Ranga (ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cloves), to name just a few. Fruits and veggies are locally sourced, freeze-dried and ground.

Being a vegan product, OMG! Decadent Donuts aims to have the tiniest environmental footprint possible.

Current research about dietary trends nationally and worldwide:

Almost half of all Australian children will experience some form of food allergy.
According to the CSIRO one in three Australians avoid gluten, dairy or meat.
Plant-based food is the fastest growing trend worldwide.
Mainstream health organisations are recommending a plant-based diet.
Coeliac disease impacts on average approximately 1 in 70 Australians.
Worldwide there's been a 600% increase in people identifying as vegans in the U.S in the last three years.
Australia is the third-fastest-growing vegan market in the world.

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