Startup Successes: Golden Grind

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Modibodi had the pleasure of chatting to Tahli Watts, one of the founders of Golden Grind who makes the widely successful Turmeric Blends! Golden Grind was founded by the unstoppable trio of Tahli, Renwick and Sage. Turmeric is becoming increasingly popular due to its widely known heath benefits and unique flavours, and Golden Grind is all about spreading its magic and making it accessible and easy to use. The blends now have three different flavours (Chilli, Coconut & Cacao and of course the Hero flavour - Original). The blends make it easy to make your own turmeric lattes at home and get used to seeing them more often in Cafes as their popularity continues!

Read on to hear what Tahli has to say about the ideas behind Golden Grind and the journey of taking the leap and starting your own business.

Could you tell us a bit about yourself (interest, passions etc)

We are all very into holistic health, fitness and wellbeing. From very young we have all played sport, eaten well and cared about food, lived as holistic as possible and nurtured our bodies. We all lead balanced lifestyles that includes giving a lot to our jobs and professions. Having a side hustle was always a choice for us that made sense and stimulated our free time.

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At the time, tumeric lattes were virtually unheard of and its still an extremely unique idea, so where exactly did the inspiration come from?

We had been serving turmeric lattes in our family owned and run cafe for a few years. Initially they were slow to start with but as the regulars became more familiar with them, they became increasingly popular. People would drive miles (our cafe was about one hour from Melbourne) to come and have turmeric latte. It was only out of sheer need for a ready made and easy pre mix, that we realised we were doing something very unique as no where on google listed turmeric lattes, or golden lattes, as a thing. Hence, we put to work our business brains. Developing a health product that people were enjoying, made absolute sense to us….

Did you find it difficult initially for people to be accepting of the idea? Were there many doubters?

Yes, there probably still is. Whenever we do a public event or market, we are still asked “Is this coffee?” But that’s part of the fun, the continuing education and providing of information to the general public as to why turmeric!

The story behind the brand has such an amazing sense of teamwork and collaboration. Did having people who were passionate and knowledgeable of all different areas really help in bringing the idea to life?

Absolutely. It also meant easy task delegation. In the beginning we all had full time jobs so it was easy to split who was doing what. It also meant that really crucial team member support for when things got tough and we needed someone to lean on or take the load. We couldn’t have done it without all of us. It’s probably saved us a fair bit of cash too, having to outsource less and less.

What’s your favourite thing about running your own business?

Heaps! But the one that stands out is the ability to genuinely give people a health product that we know can make a difference. It’s also super rewarding and allows for learning and growing in ways we just wouldn’t have without Golden Grind.

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Golden Grind and Modibodi were both born in the startup business - did you find starting your own company really challenging/daunting/rewarding? What are your biggest learnings from it?

All of the above. It challenging beyond belief, it was always daunting and still in and we have really just now started to find it rewarding - but we’re sure there’s more reward to come. But our advice is - don’t over think it. Don’t allow yourself to be fearful or daunted by a side hustle (or throwing yourself in the deep end) and starting your own thing because at the end of the day, you have nothing to lose and you can always go at your own pace. Take the pressure off yourself and these things can dissipate. We went so hard and fast in the beginning that even with three of us we almost burnt out, so we have had to learn that going slow is sometimes okay. Although in saying that, be prepared for nothing but hard work. Start ups are not successful by luck….

Who has inspired you either personally or professionally?

So many people inspire us plus an abundance of books, stories, TEDs and so on. The story behind Thankyou is inspiring, as are many unique Aussie brands like; Bounce Foods, Frank, WINK, Foundr…. And we could literally list 1000 brands here. But we also find each other inspiring, our families, Mothers, Volunteers, people that overcome hardship and people that choose to make the world a better place.

We’re just a bit obsessed with the Golden Grind Instagram theme with the pop of colour, what’s the inspiration behind this - apart from looking awesome!

Haha - we hear this a lot, which is funny because to us it seemed such a silly idea. It was really just a last minute idea to try and stand out in such a crowded space. Although it’s so time consuming and limiting at time we probably should have picked something easier. That’s small business right there though….

Image Source (Golden Grind Instagram)

What are the benefits of turmeric that make it such a great spice?

There are literally hundred of potential health benefits of turmeric. Thousands of current studies are underway to prove these in more factual context but for now we are confident to say it’s an; anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial.

What meal do you think goes perfectly with a turmeric latte?

On it’s own is ideal, helps the guts lining and will aid digestion of the curcumin (power molecule inside turmeric). With hot milk (coconut is the best!!!) and stir in ½ a teaspoon.

What’s your favourite golden grind blend and how do you make it?

We love them all (including our new chocolate) but probably our hero gets the most use across lattes, smoothies, tonics, roast veges and scrambled eggs.

What does your ideal day look like? And what do you love doing when you have a moment to yourself?

We always start our days by walking our dogs (our everything's!!!) and then meet at 6.30am twice a week for team meetings. We’re off to our day jobs by 8.30am, exercising after work (footy training, gym or yoga), cooking dinner and then working for a few hours each night before a Golden Grind and sleep time.

And of course we have to ask… How are you loving your Modibodis and when do you wear them?

LOOOOVING THEM!!! Sorry Ren can’t enjoy :) Such a great idea and we already have our mum and sister buying them.

Any final words or advice?

Always have a side hustle, for they keep us real, and always understand your WHY.