When her young son tested positive for the coeliac gene and struggled with ongoing tummy aches, Christchurch mum Hannah Airey set out to create treats he could enjoy without feeling left out. What began as a search for delicious gluten-free baking has grown into Badass Brownies, a thriving New Zealand business specialising in indulgent brownies, blondies and baking mixes that cater to a wide range of dietary needs. Built on the belief that everyone deserves something delicious to share, Hannah’s family-inspired brand is bringing joy to homes, cafés and communities across New Zealand. Here she talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind Badass Brownies, the challenges she has overcome, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The Passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
My son, Levi, inspired me to start my business. When Levi was two years old, he tested positive for the coeliac gene. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition where eating gluten causes real harm to the body. While Levi carried the gene rather than a full diagnosis, his frequent tummy aches were reason enough for me to remove gluten from his diet. This was 2006, and gluten-free food at the time was not exactly inspiring.
Then a friend baked him some gluten-free brownies, and just like that, everything changed. They were rich, fudgy and delicious. Every child at every playdate and birthday party reached for them. Levi finally had something he could enjoy alongside everyone else.
The Launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
When the pandemic arrived in 2020 and took my income from my wellbeing business with it, I turned to the kitchen. I used the original recipe as a base and created all sorts of flavours, and I set up a stall at the Christchurch Farmers Market.
Naming the business with my kids was a highlight. Registering it, however, required permission from the Girl Guiding Association – just to be sure no one would confuse us with their Brownies – along with a promise that we’d keep our ingredients legal. It was during the time that the cannabis referendum was being voted on, so we promised vegan was going to be as risky as we’d get!
The Innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough?
The moment everything clicked was when I realised that these brownies could be enjoyed by everyone.
First came requests for Blondies, for those who can’t tolerate cocoa. These are a white chocolate brownie, without cocoa basically – my favourite, although I don’t particularly like white chocolate, I LOVE caramel! Then came families managing egg and dairy allergies. Then came parents of children with inflammatory conditions or diabetes who needed a sugar-free option. Of course these are not just for children, but adults as well. I’ve noticed that more and more adults are getting diagnosed with food intolerances and allergies at a later age.
We now offer many flavours – from classic Sensationally Plain to Orange Then Chilli. Our blondies are all incredibly popular with the original Blondie and then using that as a base to create all our other Blondie flavours – Biscoff, which shares the same spice blend as Speculaas, is another hit. Overall, our Raspberry and Dark Choc (vegan) is our bestseller!
We have baking mixes in three base flavours, so families can recreate the magic together at home. Our recipes are all on our website and the mixes make things other than brownies too. Everything is gluten free and we don’t use nut products. And here’s something that still makes me smile: around 70% of our customers have no dietary requirements at all. They simply buy them because the brownies are genuinely delicious.
We’re now stocked in cafes, restaurants, a few supermarkets and gift shops, and we work with a boutique chain of hotels who gift a mini chocolate brownie to everyone who checks in!
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Some days are easier than others! To be honest, this business is family and every decision I make is filtered through the question: “Will this make life easier for families like mine?”. I have been a single Mum since my son was 18 months old too, so I had to make things easier when I had so much on my plate (so to speak!).
