Noosa Sourdough Co flourishes from lockdown ahead of global export plans

A Noosa mum has turned a lockdown pastime into a thriving family business with plans to take her recipe for success interstate and overseas. See how she did it:

What started as a lockdown pastime has become a thriving family business as a Noosa mum plans to take her recipe for success international.

Noosa Sourdough Co founder Elizabeth Halley took up baking sourdough for her neighbourhood during the lockdowns in early 2020 after she was made redundant from her former job in car rentals due to the pandemic.

After receiving numerous requests for her recipe she began creating sourdough starter sachets which quickly turned into a side hustle.

She now co-owns a full-time sourdough business alongside her husband Michael Halley and their 18 year old son William.

“I always wanted to do something involving food but I just didn’t know what or when and it's not until you get forced out of your comfort zone that you let those creative ideas come to life,” Mrs Halley said.

Noosa Sourdough Co founder Elizabeth Halley came up with the business after making bread for her neighbourhood during the lockdown in 2020. Pictured with husband, Mike and son Will. Patrick Woods.

“I think Covid has been a bit of a positive for me to do this and enable my husband and I to work together which is something we always wanted to do.”

Mrs Halley makes the 15g sourdough starter kits from her revamped home kitchen which she sells to more than 140 stores throughout Queensland and recently launched them at stores in Victoria.

Noosa Sourdough Co produces roughly 3.5-4kg of starter mix a day and has sold more than 7500 sachets in Australia.

Mrs Halley is also baking about 35 dehydrated sourdough loaves daily for a handful of eateries in Noosa, a substantial increase from the three she was making during lockdown.

They are in talks with a multinational bulk foods company with plans to begin distributing sourdough starters across stores in New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK later this year.

Noosa Sourdough Co’s starter kits are sold at more than 140 stores throughout Queensland. Picture: Patrick Woods.

In the coming weeks Mrs Halley will roadtrip with her family in their company car “Harold the high-top” across Victoria and New South Wales to lock in more stockists for the product.

She also has a ready-to-eat item in the works which she expects to release in the next few months.

Mrs Halley said her long term goal is to maintain “organic growth” to keep her business profitable and manageable from home with her family.

“A lot of people have said to me why don’t you buy a bakery but with sourdough it needs a lot of love, it needs to be made by hand,” Mrs Halley said.

“If I expand more I’ll have to buy machinery and I don’t want to do that, I think it has to be handmade, I believe that’s when it tastes the best.

“My vision is I would love every household to have a starter kit and for it to become the household brand.”