Pantry Files: Springhill Farm General Manager, Fiona Whatley

Springhill Farm is my parent’s farm in regional Victoria. However, the brand really started about 40 years ago. School children would visit the farm for a day and would spend time with the cows and goats, collecting eggs and on the now famous haybale rides (not that they would be allowed these days). At the end of the day, they would be treated to a muesli slice as a very early paddock-to-plate model. Word sort of got around and Mum started getting orders for the slice, it all took off from there and became a full-fledged business.

How did you get involved? Did you always aspire to and were you always destined to take over the family business?

As with any family business I was involved from the get-go, however, my husband James and I officially took over from Mum and Dad (Jojo and Ray to everyone) in 2010. Maybe it was always destined to be, but I am not sure I realised it to start. I am actually a qualified Physio Therapist and practiced for a number of years and James has a background in Ag Science and Commerce. When Mum and Dad started discussing the plans for the business when they retired, James and I had a few chats and it all just felt right. We have loved it ever since.

Image: Fiona and James Whately, Springhill Farm General Managers

What has been the most challenging part (so far) of being at the helm of Springhill Farm? What has been the most rewarding?

COVID.

We pretty much thought we had seen it all and then in the blink of an eye everything changed. I was in Sydney at the time, meeting with Qantas as they have been a big support of the business for a number of years and I started receiving all these messages from my family. I managed to make it back quickly but for the next couple years it was hard. We (like so many other businesses) had to pivot our focus. We were very aware that we employed approximately 50 people at that point, and if we couldn’t keep our factory open it would have disastrous flow-on effects for our employee’s families and the wider regional community.  

In terms of the most rewarding part…it sounds formulaic but there are two things that I love about running Springhill Farm. The first is that it is still exciting to see our product being used ‘in the wild’. Recently we were on a Qantas flight and received a slice for morning tea.  I thought it was fantastic, however the kids were a little disappointed!

The second is the fact that we are able to employ and support local Ballarat people. We take this responsibility really seriously and strive to create a great workplace for people to come to everyday.

What was the inspiration for boodles and where did the name come from? Can you tell us about your newest product, boosted boodles? 

boodles were born out of our realisation that there is a gap in the market for a delicious chocolate confectionary product that was ‘better for you’. We wanted to make a mouthwatering chocolate snack that people wouldn’t feel guilty about eating. Our Product Development team went through so many iterations of this product until we found our signature combination of grains that delivered the right nutritional profile and crunch (got to have the crunch!). People have compared our boodles to the chocolate crackles they remember eating as a child... but better for them.

The word ‘boodles’ means a collection of things – given our boodles are a collection of wholegrains smothered in chocolate it seemed only fitting. We also just really liked the sound of the word and the way we could use it on pack.

We are very excited about the NEW boodles boosted; we think they are our best yet and initial feedback from the public has only reenforced this. We have two delicious flavours, each boosted with extra protein – Chocolate Speckle which takes our classic chocolate boodle, throws in some chocolate chips and finishes with a smattering of sprinkles over the top; and our Peanut & Pretzel boodle which is just that, it is such a great sweet and salty flavour people and people are really going nuts for it (pun definitely intended). 

Image: boodles

You generously support quite a few important causes in your community. Can you tell us about your approach to giving back and what organisations you choose to support?

We are really proud of our story, and we recognise that our success is dependent on the collective.  We support many charities with a focus on regional/rural, families and female charities. As you could imagine, we are inundated with requests for support all the time, so we are currently reviewing our community engagement strategy, with input from our staff on what is important to them, to allow us to be more targeted in our support. However, our support will always be committed to engaging with the local community as well as a large national approach.

What gets you out of bed in the morning and motivates you to do what you do every day?

What gets me up in the morning….literally, my kids. My kids are what wake me up in the morning - we have four children so there is always a lot of noise in the mornings. On a higher level, I love what I do, it sounds crazy and I know I am lucky but I enjoy going into the factory every day. We are in the privileged position that we make all our own products ourselves. People don’t realise that a lot of mainstream and smaller brands have their products contract manufactured for them. I love that we employ over 70 people in a regional area, and we get to see the flow-on effects on their families and the wider community every day.

Do you have a food philosophy and what is it (personally or professionally)?

My professional and personal food philosophies are pretty similar – we wouldn’t make anything that we didn’t believe in and we stand by all of our products. One aspect is the use of natural ingredients. You won’t find anything artificial or any E numbers (i.e. food additives) on our packs. We also believe in clear labelling and not ‘hiding’ ingredients, which you see a lot at the moment with sugar and sugar alcohols; lots of brands use these long, hard-to-pronounce ingredients to add sweetness to their products while allowing them not to be included in the percent of sugar on pack. We would rather include sugar in a recipe and have it labelled. There’s nothing wrong with moderation and letting consumers make an informed choice over what they eat.

Image: James and Fiona Whately, their four children and Springhill Farm founders, Ray and JoJo

What are some of your favourite, go-to staples from the Wholesome pantry?

I love Mount Zero. Their olive oil is so smooth and delicious. It’s a staple at our house and they are from just around the corner in regional Victoria. They also started as a family business which I love supporting for obvious reasons and they have a clear sustainability commitment which is also important to me.

Can you describe your pantry using three adjectives or phrases?

Green – while technically not my pantry, my fridge is always full of leafy green vegetables. In fact, I am known in the office for my ‘Green Soup’ which is about as complex as it sounds. When some of the green vegetables are close to their expiration date, I will add everything and anything that is green in my fridge to a pot, with some curry powder and potatoes, and make soup. It is actually very good and even the kids love it! It’s the perfect way to use up the odds and ends at the end of the week.

Versatile – I always have a stock of basics in the fridge and pantry, so that I can make lots of different dishes. Things like canned beans, tomatoes, sauces, and coconut milk are super versatile and as long as you have fresh veggies and some protein, you can always whip something up quickly.

Empty – with four kids (including three almost-teenage boys) it feels like our pantry is always empty! Sometimes I feel like I fill it, turn around and it is empty again. We are always looking for nutritious snacks that will fill them up and keep them full but that aren’t full of ‘fillers’ that bulk them out without and nutritional substance.

 

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