Imagine getting your kids off to school, unpacking all the cooking equipment you need to make your next product batch, cooking all day, then packing it all away before the kids get home. It’s an exhausting cycle that can limit the ability for a normal home life, and prevent you from putting more money in your pocket due to not being able to scale.
Natalie Harris, the co-founder of Danny Balboa’s Sauce Co, an award-winning hot sauce and spice rub brand, was experiencing this daily. Natalie and her partner Dan knew they had to scale and move the ‘work’ away from their home, but they couldn’t find a suitable cooking facility, had limited resources and knew they couldn’t risk their financial stability to do so.
So they built their own – drawing on their own savviness and their community to help bootstrap it.
They’ve taken their home-based business to a commercial space that works for them, enabling them to increase production, lower their production costs AND have a normal home life that is separate from their business.
And did I mention they are both neurodivergent and are helping others with neurodiversity find sustainable, flexible employment that works for them?
In this episode, you'll hear Natalie and Dan’s incredible journey, filled with hurdles, triumphs, and a whole lot of heart. Her story reminds us that limited resources don’t need to put a halt on your business growth, and that differences are not barriers but unique strengths.
We cover:
🫙 Their commitment to preserving their financial, mental, physical, and emotional health while growing their business.
🫙 Insights into how they bootstrapped from a home-based business to a commercial cooking facility.
🫙 Key considerations for anyone aspiring to create their own commercial cooking space.
🫙 How they harnessed the support of their community to reduce the construction costs.
🫙 Exploring the necessity of physically separating personal and business spaces for success.
🫙 Their role in a movement dedicated to providing sustainable, flexible work opportunities for individuals with neurodiversity.
🫙 Unveiling an 'old-school' marketing tactic that facilitated profound customer research.
🫙 How relocating to a larger space became a pivotal factor in reducing their cost of goods sold.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
Season 17 with NFTC
Season 17, out now, is brought to you by NFTC – The Natural Foods Trading Company.
If you're a growing food brand navigating that tricky middle phase—scaling up, maybe landing your first major retailer, figuring out how to buy smarter—NFTC is worth knowing about.
They're a mid-tier ingredient supplier specialising in natural wholefoods: nuts, dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, and more. Small enough to offer lower minimums and genuine flexibility, but backed by serious sourcing capability and a team that actually knows its range inside out.
Think of them as the ingredient partner that grows with you—not one you'll outgrow.
Check them out at nftc.com.au
