Struggling health issues behind couple’s huge Coles deal

A couple struggling with “strange health concerns” had a light bulb idea that led them to score a huge deal with supermarket giant Coles.

A Melbourne-based couple were both struggling with health problems when they had a light bulb idea that would eventually lead to landing a massive Coles deal.

Husband and wife duo Ivy Ong and Adrian Soon both quit their corporate jobs to pursue their dream of owning their own health and wellbeing business — the now very successful The Good Seed Kefir.

After five years of hard work and dedication, the pair went from fermenting their first drink on the kitchen bench of someone’s cafe to this year forging a $1 million deal off the back of their latest prebiotic beverage, Sorted., with Coles.

Adrian Soon and Ivy Ong have landed a $1 million Coles deal for their prebiotic fizzy drink, Sorted. Picture: Supplied

“We are over the moon — just so excited,” Ivy, a former veterinary technician, told news.com.au.

“We started off in a rented kitchen bench, so it’s crazy to be here now.

“It’s such a momentous occasion for us as it gives a lot of hope and especially in times like this, so it’s nice to be able to serve the community.”

It all started when Adrian, a tennis coach and former business consultant, began experiencing pain in his toe from a recurring ganglion — a benign growth filled with fluid.

“I went to see a doctor and he punctured it with a syringe — but it kept coming back,” the 41-year-old said.

It comes in two flavours - Blood Orange and Blackcurrant which will be available at Coles from February 21. Picture: Supplied

The couple both faced health issues which lead to the birth of their now successful business The Good Seed. Picture: Supplied

Meanwhile, Ivy was also battling her own health issues. She had a skin disease called psoriasis that caused her to have red, itchy, scaly patches on her body.

“Despite an active lifestyle, we were both struggling with strange health concerns,” Adrian said.

When looking for solutions, the couple learned about kefir and after seeing promising results, it drove them to create The Good Seed Kefir.

“(The gut) is one of the largest organs and when inflamed it starts showing up in various different ways,” Ivy said, adding that 70 per cent of health problems start in the gut.

Kefir is an old drink and is traditionally made by fermenting milk.

The couple said it’s known to have 10 times more good bacteria than yoghurt and was used for “gut reset” in old times.

They started on the kitchen bench of a rented cafe in Melbourne before buying a purpose-built factory to keep up with demand. Picture: Supplied

But because Adrian is lactose intolerant, they ended up making water kefir, consuming a shot a day.

After four months of having it, Ivy said her psoriasis became manageable and Adrian was no longer troubled by the ganglion cyst and hemorrhoids, something he has also battled most his life.

The couple realised that if the fermented drink worked for them, it could potentially help others and so focused all their energy into growing their small business.

The first fermented drink they created was sparking water kefir which helped aid Adrian’s ganglion cyst and manage Ivy’s psoriasis. Picture: Supplied

After gaining the attention of independent stores with their beverage sold at IGAs, as well as becoming a huge hit at Melbourne’s Farmers Markets, the duo outgrew the hired cafe space and ended up buying a purpose-built factory to keep up with demand.

They went from hand-tightening hundreds of bottle caps, giving away drinks for free, to upgrading their equipment and selling the drink at cafes, restaurants and small supermarkets.

And to their shock and excitement, Ivy and Adrian went on to land their biggest deal yet — having their latest prebiotic drink Sorted. sold at Coles from Monday, February 21.

The couple are ‘over the moon’ to have their health and wellbeing drink hit Coles shelves. Cheers to that! Picture: Supplied

“We’re excited to introduce our shoppers to a fizzy prebiotic beverage that was made by two Aussies who are passionate about improving the gut health of their community,” Coles’ drinks manager Simon Day said.

“Coles and The Good Seed have a shared passion to help Aussies live healthier and happier lives and we anticipate that Sorted. will be a huge hit with our customers.”

Sorted’s launch at Coles attests to the growing demand and popularity of better-for-you beverages, with prebiotic beverages predicted to achieve a massive $77 billion in worldwide sales by 2025.
Sorted. will be available across 400 Coles locations across Australia and online for $3 each, from February 21.