Our story

How did the idea for Eden Health Foods first come about?

Originally, we did not want to start a health food company. We were passionate about mental, physical and spiritual health. We wanted to start a health retreat, then a clinic, then run programs in people’s homes. After trying all these things and developing specialised products and programs along the way, most of the people that caught our vision and saw the value in what we were doing already ran health retreats, health food stores and clinics. They wanted to stock our products and get trained up in using them.

Can you tell us a bit about Eden Health Foods and the products you make?

What we do at Eden Healthfoods is very different to the industry standard. We try to bring out the highest quality health products possible. This goes beyond organics and involves identifying herbs and superfoods that are wild crafted, grown in the right environment, picked at the right time, dried at the right temperature, treated in the least invasive ways so that the end user will get maximum effectiveness and create powerful health as a result.

What were the early days like in getting it all up and running?

In the 90s, after studying natural healing and herbs, we came to realise that most of the health products on the market didn’t work, didn’t get you well and could not be trusted because just like most businesses, they were made on the premise of profits first rather than purity and potency. We started to develop our own products just for ourselves. As friends found out what we were doing and saw the difference in our products versus what was on the Australian market, they asked to purchase from us. We decided to take the leap and invest in some packaging to take our products to the different markets in Sydney. Our products were so well received we even decided to try out health expos around Australia. We slowly began to grow from exhibiting at different expos and markets. The early days were definitely tough as we did not have any venture capital to begin with but we believed in what we were doing and Karen gave up a career in Medical Imaging. Steven also gave up a career in the Health industry.

You’re based in King Creek and have been based locally for over ten years, but your products are now stocked all over the country. What has it been like managing a growing business from a regional area like this?

It may make more sense to run a business like ours from a capital city like Sydney, but we chose the lifestyle that the Mid North Coast has to offer over the convenience of city life. We came here with a newborn baby with the vision to give him a better standard of life. We now have 4 children and find Port Macquarie and surrounds to be the best place that a child can grow up in, having the best of both wild bush and pristine beaches. Our business has been able to thrive in this region due to the support of local health food stores. We now supply about 1000 health food stores Australia Wide so the regional location has not been a challenge except for the additional cost in transportation. We are still handy to some capital cities when we need to travel there to train up naturopaths or speak at different events.

How have things changed in the time you’ve been running?

There is no use in being the world’s best kept secret. In the beginning, we thought that if we just brought out the best possible products, everyone would just find out about them. It doesn’t work that way. We have learned you can have the best product in the world, but if you have no marketing, your product will only go so far. It is 99% marketing and perception. If people perceive your product is good, it doesn’t even matter if your product is good, it will sell. The good thing is our products not only look attractive, they are the best thing for you. Being trustworthy and having ethics has been important to us from the beginning, but these days, a nice website and having a strong social media presence has become paramount.

What response do you often get about your products? What do you think has contributed to them becoming so popular?

A common response we get goes something like this, “I have tried every (insert product name here) on the market and yours is the only one that has ever worked.” When you take an Eden Healthfoods product, it is like eating a home cooked meal that your mother has been preparing all day long. Our products are made with love, care and attention to detail. There is a noticeable difference when you purchase one of our products, open the lid and take a look inside, smell and then taste the difference. It’s an experience. Like all good chefs will say, a good meal always starts with good quality ingredients.

What do you enjoy about what you do? We enjoy being able to blend our work and lifestyle?

Being able to be home with the kids as much as possible and really enjoy the natural beauty that this amazing region has to offer. We also enjoy being able to say exactly what goes into the products we make, not having to be governed by price or other limiting factors. Instead of following a pattern or a road that is well travelled, we choose to blaze a new path for ourselves and create products that are truly unique.

Where would you like to see Eden Healthfoods heading into the future? We are truly humbled and thank God for every sale we make?

We have a large demand for our products from many other countries around the world. There is no reason why Eden Healthfoods should stop growing. We don’t know what the future holds, but one thing we do know is we will continue to focus on our company ethos to create the best quality health products possible and to help create powerful health in all our customers.