Since OMG! Decadent Donuts first started in Brisbane, Queensland about 5 years ago the four directors, David Moore, Andrew Clarke, Steven Morris and Diane O’Reilly had 2 simple goals.
- To create a genuinely inclusive product in the form of a hot fresh donut that was soft and light and tasted amazing, dusted in bespoke sugars made from real fruit, vegetables and spices which could be enjoyed by anyone who loves a bit of scrumptiousness and including those who have dietary requirements due to food allergies, intolerances, beliefs, culture or religion. A treat that was 100% natural and free from gluten, dairy, egg, wheat, yeast, nuts and sulphites, vegan and with nothing artificial. A treat that can be shared in an inclusive way without making anyone feel left out or like they are ‘different’. We wanted our brand to be synonymous with inclusivity and to have a reputation for excellence and to become known as “the goodies with no baddies”.
And
- To provide a simple, low-cost way for others to have their own OMG! Donut business in their own local community. We wanted to do business in a way that would change the face of small business. Our disruptor in the business arena was, is and will always be “kindness”. Our goal has been to do business in a way that is based on core values and humility. A business that understands life happens and family come first. So, we set ourselves only one KPI and that was to help people. Our goal from day dot has been to create a positive impact on families and individuals who want to own their own business, and to always ensure those people would be in business for themselves, but not by themselves.
So far, so good, with close to 70 independent OMG! Decadent Donut business owners now throughout Australia, and about to launch the first OMG! business owner in New Zealand; the foursome are starting to wonder if maybe we could be on to something here and perhaps they could, you know, go global.
The four directors do have a wealth of knowledge and experience in areas of management, law, marketing and customer relations, but none had ever expanded a business globally, so they cast about to find some expertise in the future of food and global expansion. That led to them making an application to the Brisbane Economic Development Agency aka BEDA in the hope of being included in their exclusive Future Food Global Accelerator Program. This world-class program offers only a handful of chosen entrepreneurs, like OMG! Decadent Donuts, the opportunity to accelerate growth, enter international markets, and attract investment. The directors were thrilled to bits when invited to participate
The first phase of the program has only just finished and the level of excellence in the initiative has proven to be second to none. Delivering a series of intensive programs, workshops, and market interface opportunities designed in collaboration with the industry’s key agencies and experts to build capability, improve readiness, and create connection pathways to new markets, customers, and investors – both locally and globally. The level of expertise has been next level and completely exceeded all expectations.
The directors of OMG! have been so humbled to have been included in the 2024 cohort including Future Feed, Gourmet Taste Creations, Hilton Foods, Lilly’s Little Lunchbox, Little White Goat Cheese, New Farm Confectionery, Reclaim Foods, Ugly Duck Fine Foods and Yaala Sparkling. All of these businesses are doing such inspiring things – from reducing methane emissions (Future Feed) to making life simpler and healthier for busy parents (Lilly’s Little Lunchbox), to reducing waste by creating beautiful condiments from fruit and vege that may be ugly on the outside but beautiful on the inside (Ugly Duck Fine Foods). Class favourite of course was New Farm Confectionary with their delicious chocolates! So many others with truly delicious morsels and unique offerings worthy of a global audience.
The lineup of speakers and mentors in the BEDA Global accelerator program has been second to none. People like Mark Johnson and Jamie Pride, what an extraordinary opportunity to mentored by them and to to have the opportunity to pick their brains and learn from the wealth of their experience. Not to mention Brisbane boy done good Mark Livings whose huge successes on a global scale started from a base of nothing except hard work, being true to himself and incredible tenacity leading him on a journey of success after success including the worldwide phenomenon of Lyers Non Alcoholic Beverages.
To also be included in a small group with the opportunity to interact with and hear the success stories of the aforementioned and other big-name businesses that have walked the walk to pave the path of successful global expansion. One such was the founder of “Thank You.”, Justine Flynn, who was both awe-inspiring and humbling. Everyone should hear this beautiful human speak. How one simple idea can literally change the lives of millions. Since Justine and Daniel Flynn founded “Thank you.” they’ve donated an eye-watering $17.8 million to help fight poverty – primarily from water and soap. How do you get to be only 28 years old and be such a visionary and have achieved so much!?
The BEDA curriculum program curator is Ian Mason who brings such an extraordinary wealth of first-hand international experience. Based at QUT Advisory, an economist who has held multiple economic development roles across the public and private sector and a published author, Ian has worked with start-ups and SMEs across the world, most notably as the founder of Humble, and his role in the founding team of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin StartUp and as Entrepreneur-in-Residence for countless accelerators and incubators globally. And of course in charge of the whole show is BEDA’s impressive Lisa Cavallaro – what a powerhouse of excellence is this lovely human.
How lucky are all the past and present participants of BEDA’s Future Food Global Accelerator to have such a resource in Brisbane, Australia?
There have already been a number of media articles about this extraordinary program run by BEDA and the amazing companies that are included in the 2024 cohort, including little ol’ OMG! Decadent Donuts:
Can little OMG! Decadent Donuts go global? Stay tuned. In the meantime, all at OMG! are so grateful to the Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
