Kate Weiss, founder of 'Table of Plenty' speaks out about her $10 million success with Smart Company.
'Table of Plenty' was created 15 years ago after she gave birth to her daughter with a case of genetic disorder.
Weiss said, "I was 28 when my daughter Amy was born and I wasn't expecting to have a child with a disability. But that's what life threw my way. It stopped me in my tracks and I had to do some soul-searching about how I was going to organise my life."
After some thinking, the winner of the 2014 Telstra Business Owner of the Year award realized to follow her passion.
"It put everything in perspective and made me think about what is most important. What I found was I wanted to do something I was passionate about."
'Table of Plenty' healthy snacks can be found in shelves in Woolworths and Coles and it all started with a "motivation."
"Have a motivation that is bigger than yourself and keeps you going. For me, it was giving back to the community through our support of people with disabilities and, on a more personal level, I thought the business could be a vehicle to support Amy in the long-term."
What brought Kate to the food business is her passion for cooking, she used to hang out in their kitchen while she was cooking. Looking back to her childhood, she realized that food is a necessity.
"Everyone needs to eat and in Australia people love their food. It just felt like the right thing to do."
In 2006, Weiss started something that totally changed her life.
"We started talking to the supermarkets in 2006 and with Woolworths that was a huge breakthrough. That was amazing; it definitely opened doors for us. Then we launched our mueslis."
As for the successful entrepreneur that has been in the food business for a long time healthy food is trending.
"I think healthier food is a trend that is definitely gaining momentum. You can see it with sugar and fat and, in fact, if you look at the whole nutrition pyramid, people are rethinking everything at a scientific level."
