Mama Mac’s Macarons reveal new range of ethical and vegan treats

Ipswich dessert queen Nicole McPhee has opened up about the success of her first store and the delicious treats she has planned for the New Year.

Mama Mac’s Macarons founder Nicole McPhee and her team are selling out thousands of macarons each week from the new Yamanto Central store.

Ipswich dessert queen Nicole McPhee has opened up about the success of owning her own store, after years of heading to local markets to sell her famous macarons.

Hard work and dedication has paid off for the Mama Mac’s Macarons founder who was able to open her first shopfront at Yamanto Central.

Ms McPhee started her dream with market stalls and custom orders while still working as the commercial manager of the Ipswich Jets.

Her decadent desserts took off and became well known around the region, and Ms McPhee was able to open a store at the new shopping hub in October.

Now, she has high tech ovens baking almost 24 hours a day and a team of staff are helping her sell thousands of macarons and other desserts each week.

Nicole McPhee and her team are selling out thousands of macarons each week from the new Yamanto Central store.

After only a few months of being open Ms McPhee said the community’s support of her small family business had been “overwhelming.”

Since opening, Ms McPhee has grown her sales week on week and has had an extraordinary demand for her products.

Currently, Mama Mac’s Macarons is pushing out over 5,000 hand-piped macarons per week, not to mention their other indulgent treats including fudge, cupcakes, brownies, cheesecakes, ice cream and more.

“We have been overwhelmed with support from the local community with people coming from as far away as the Gold Coast to purchase our macarons,” Ms McPhee said.

“We are part of such a wonderful community here at the centre.

Ipswich’s dessert queen Nicole McPhee is expanding the Mama Mac's Macarons range to include gluten-free, dairy-free and plant based products.

“Whether you are coming in to do your grocery shopping or indulging in a bit of retail therapy at one of the great retail outlets, we offer the perfect location to stop in for a break to enjoy a cup of coffee and one of our famous macarons.”

Now, Ms McPhee is already planning to expand further and stock ethical and healthy treats with a new range of vegan, gluten free and dairy free options based on customer feedback.

“A number of people have asked for gluten free, dairy free and vegan products and we haven’t been able to offer them a lot of options, so I decided to focus on building a range of ethical and healthy treats to ensure we are able to meet the sweet needs of those who are gluten intolerant or want to indulge in plant based products.

“The new range will be rolled out in the near future and will include a wonderful selection of gluten free, dairy free and plant based treats that everyone will love.”

Mama Mac's Macarons range already includes 30 flavours of macarons as well as brownies, cheesecake, fudge and other treats.

The new range is expected to be available from early 2022 and will include an initial range of ethical and healthy treats which will be expanded over time.

Ms McPhee’s current range of famous macarons includes 30 flavours and daily “surprise” flavours.

JMK Retail, which owns Yamanto Central, opened the centre in April, and it is fast becoming one of the region’s most popular shopping hubs.

“It was such a pleasure working with Nicole to realise her dream of opening the first Mama Mac’s store,” JMK Retail general manager Vicky Leavy said.

“Mama Mac’s is a fine example of how easy we can make establishing a new business from scratch.

“The decision to start a new business from the ground up can be very daunting for many people.”