WOMAN+ spoke with Jemma and Corinne, the amazing women behind Mylk Made – a game-changing product launched in 2020. Mylk Made offers shelf-stable mylk bases that can be easily blended with water to create as much or as little mylk as you need, when you need it. The best part? Their products are a sustainable and healthy alternative to other mylks on the market, without any harmful additives. By using Mylk Made, you’re not only doing your body and wallet a favour but also contributing to a better planet.
Since their launch in 2020, Mylk Made has already replaced over 110,000 cartons with their glass-packaged mylk bases, and they recently added a delicious new flavour to their collection – Walnutty mylk. We at WOMAN+ caught up with these inspiring mother-daughter duo to learn more about what it’s like to work with your mum and their advice for women looking to start their own business ventures.
How did Mylk Made begin? What sparked the idea?
Jemma: The idea for Mylk Made was sparked on a trip I took to Indonesia, where a local cafe I visited would make their own plant mylks from scratch every day, simply using the whole nut and seed (skin included) and then adding it to water. Coming back to New Zealand, my Mum and I began developing a way to capture the simplicity of these nut mylks, that was shelf stable and better for the planet.
What is Mylk Made philosophy?
Corinne: Mylk Made is on a mission to create a waste-free alternative to plant-based milk that is better for you, and the planet, whilst still tasting delicious. Liquid paper-board cartons are a huge waste contributor in New Zealand, and are incredibly difficult to recycle. By offering a mylk concentrate, we can create less waste and package in glass jars which can be reused, recycled, or returned to Mylk Made. Since launching in 2020, we are incredibly proud to have replaced over 110,000 cartons which otherwise may have ended up in landfill.
What is the best thing about working with your Mum/ daughter?
Jemma: Being from two different generations we both have different skill sets and life experiences we bring to the table, and are able to learn a lot from each other, whether it be more traditional book-keeping tasks, or the latest trends to keep on top of.
Corinne: Running a business together can have its challenges, but I am incredibly grateful for the journey Jemma and I are on together. It is incredibly rewarding as a parent to see my daughter follow her passions to make a real tangible difference in the world.
Is there a specific part of the business that each of you work on?
Jemma: We generally do a lot of the work together, which helps keep us open and honest to each other’s perspectives and ideas. In the beginning we would do everything together, roping in family and friends to help us keep up on big production days as demand began to grow.
Corinne: Now that we’ve grown our team we tend to lean into our strengths a bit more with Jemma doing more of the content development and marketing, and I focus more on the production of the bases and keeping our factory running smoothly.
Advice for women wanting to start their own business?
Jemma: Follow your own passions and utilise the advice and expertise of the amazing female business women who came before us. My mum’s previous business experience has been a key part to Mylk Made’s growth and success as well as aligning with our own passions.
Corinne: Take the leap and trust your intuition. It can be scary building something from scratch. But the personal satisfaction and sense of achievement in what you can create is huge. Two years ago I could never have imagined the range of products that Mylk Made has today, and we’re only just beginning.
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