A holistic approach has paid off in a robust market for Evon Khangura and Eddy Jurie founders of Velicious.

The company offers vegan hot chocolate powders in butterscotch, mint, orange and classic, along with green tea latte blends of matcha and genmaicha. They have also expanded to include matcha accessories of a whisk and whisk holder and a tofu scramble seasoning mix – Scrambled No Eggs. 

The pair set about developing the business in accordance with four core business pillars. Namely that the products be good tasting, environmentally conscious, natural and high quality. The Sydney-based company is now growing in leaps and bounds with their Matcha Latte Powder and Butterscotch Hot Chocolate Powder currently their best sellers. 

“This will be our first year at Naturally Good, and we are mainly looking to gain experience, knowledge and network with other like-minded businesses,” says Evon. “We also aim to gain wholesale customers for our products and raise our profile to broaden our B2B platform. With this, we hope to further expand our product range, with a better understanding and knowledge of market trends. This will help support our ultimate goal of opening our very own eatery and to further developing our manufacturing capacity.” 

Evon adds that in the next 12 months, the company also aims to increase their wholesale customers, either as suppliers and or stockists. “In 2024, we would like to be in a position to open the eatery, showcasing our own products and allowing customers to access delicious plant-based food and drinks.” 

Velicious was founded in January 2021 not long after Evon and Eddy both chose to live a plant-based lifestyle. They then began to notice gaps in the market for quality hot chocolate powders and egg-replacement products. From there, they began experimenting with different recipes and mixes, with the result being the existing range.  

“In terms of taste, we wanted to create a harmonious blend of flavours and character whilst also using natural ingredients,” says Evon. “Our hot chocolate powders contain not only cocoa and sugar; we have added specific ingredients to increase the complexity of the taste and aroma to ensure we stand out and differentiate from our competitors. 

We also wanted the products to be visually appealing in kitchens, cafes or as gifts. Careful consideration has been made to the design of our tins and graphics whilst also being functional to ensure freshness, durability and ease of use. 

Importantly we also looked at ways to implement environmental supporting aspects from the actual products themselves down to our shipping materials. All our packaging is recyclable, compostable and/or reusable. As well, to further reduce our environmental footprint, all our ingredients are plant-based. We have also partnered with i=Change to donate $1 from every online sale to three charities that address environmental issues.” 

At Velicious’ regular market stores, they also now offer mocha drinks blended with their hot chocolate range and vegan baked goods of muffins and cookie which been received positively from customers, who regularly return for products. 

In addition to their social media platforms, the business has also participated in a cooking demonstrations, has offered free tastings and samples at markets, has a user-friendly website with recipes and also collaborates with other foodie websites. 

“All these activities have really helped grow the business and we hope that our debut at Naturally Good will help our journey even further along.” 

 

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