Table of Plenty was born from necessity, ambition – and dukkah. The health food manufacturer – recognised across Australian supermarkets for its pistachio dukkah mix, muesli, porridge and rice cakes – has grown from Kate Weiss’s Melbourne kitchen to a thriving wellbeing business with a turnover of more than A$10 million.
“It was my deep need for creativity and expression that caused me to begin Table of Plenty,” Kate shares. “I always say that entrepreneurs are the creatives of the business world.”
Kate and her husband, Tal, founded Table of Plenty in 2006 to create a space in the marketplace for nutritious food.
“My vision was to create food products that would suit other busy mothers and families who want to put healthy, good-quality food on the table.” – Kate Weiss
The business also provided Kate, a former marketing and sales professional, with the opportunity to create while caring for her daughter Amy, who was diagnosed with a rare genetic syndrome.
“I wanted to channel my energy into something more than inside the home, and I thought building a business might be a stimulating outlet for my creativity, along with the flexibility I needed,” Kate tells The CEO Magazine.
It only took a few years for the business to gain the attention of big players such as Woolworths, Coles and Qantas.
“The doors just opened to us and gave us a chance to put our first product range – dukkah – on the shelf,” Kate says. Fourteen years later, the product endures.
“We turned heaven and earth to make sure that we could bring the product to market on time,” Kate shares.
“This involved finding and sourcing suppliers, testing and creating the branding, packaging and fine-tuning the blends and working with our disability partner to pack the products.”
“I always say that entrepreneurs are the creatives of the business world.”
Kate attributes much of the success of the small business to staying agile. “Our creativity played a great part as we had never worked in the food industry before and had to work it out as we went along,” she shares. “Our passion and vision kept us going.”
The socially conscious food entrepreneur has also been awarded several accolades for her products including top honours at the Telstra Business Women’s Awards and in the business category of the InStyle and Audi Women of Style Awards.
“My vision was to create food products that would suit other busy mothers and families who want to put healthy, good-quality food on the table,” Kate explains.
“Transforming people through healthy food and a plentiful mindset has been the motivation from the start.”
Table of Plenty is also an active champion of the disabled community through its donations.
For more than 10 years, the business has worked closely with Scope and Endeavour to create work for people with a disability.
“We wanted to provide a platform that could sustain Amy financially throughout her life and help us support organisations that assist people long-term with disabilities,” Kate shares.
“It’s a major motivation and part of that is making sure people with a disability in Australia have better options available to them.”
Today, Kate’s mission is to maintain the vision of Table of Plenty and grow the community contribution, while continuing to expand the range beyond Australia.
“When I started Table of Plenty, I wanted to make sure that whatever I was doing with my life would align with my natural inclination,” she says.
“It needed to be something I loved and where I could be creative.” Hence, a business that not only helps people achieve a healthy lifestyle but also creates opportunity for those who truly need it was born.
