For nurse and mum of four, Gabrielle Draper, the journey behind That Leaf began with a desire to create a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle for her family. Inspired by her passion for gut health, her experience in nursing and the loss of her mother, she set out to make nutritious, accessible choices easier for others. What began in the family laundry with a homemade microgreens growing system and a plastic-free sprouting kit has grown into a thriving business offering microgreens, sprouting kits and practical support to help people grow their own nutrient-rich food at home. Now stepping away from her hospital career to focus on That Leaf full-time, Gabrielle is also preparing to take her message further through The Prevention Project, using her nursing knowledge and an evidence-based approach to inspire healthier, more informed communities.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
As a nurse, I am passionate about leadership and health, particularly gut health, since the passing of my mother to bowel cancer when I was just 22 years old.
Starting a business growing microgreens and creating a plastic-free sprouting kit came from a desire to build a healthy lifestyle that would decrease our risk of disease for our family, but also be sustainable. I also have a passion to contribute to the wider community and share my knowledge around health.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
It all began in our laundry. We built a growing rack system with lights, fans and heaters to grow microgreens. I sourced glass jars and stainless steel mesh lids to create our first sprouting kit, along with non-GMO, chemical-free seeds.
From there, we headed to our first local farmers’ market in Lancefield, Victoria. It didn’t take long for our laundry to stop being a laundry at all and become a dedicated growing room!
We launched our website earlier this year and I have recently resigned from my day job to manage the business full time, fulfilling my dream from the start.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Our grow consults, taking the guess work out of growing sprouts for our customers at home, once someone purchases a sprouting kit from us, it triggers an email for them to provide us with their phone number so we can take any anxiety out of growing sprouts at home as we walk everyone through the very simple growing process. This has empowered our community to grow at home with ease.
One of our biggest breakthroughs has been our grow consults. We wanted to take the guesswork and anxiety out of growing sprouts at home, so when someone purchases a sprouting kit from us, they receive an email asking them to provide their phone number. We can then personally walk them through the very simple growing process and answer any questions they might have.
It has empowered our community to feel confident growing their own sprouts at home.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
It has been tough, that’s for sure! We have four children, and we have been working very hard so that I can just work on the business and no longer need to work at the hospital as my day job.
That dream has just come true and in September, I will have my last regular shift and move to casual nursing. This will allow me to be available for school drop-offs and pick-ups, and fulfil online orders during the week and work markets on the weekends.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
I’ve had to overcome burnout, learn from going down the wrong path with the business at the wrong time and to find a better balance.
One of the biggest lessons has been understanding what my customers really needed. I realised they wanted easy, practical ways to grow sprouts or microgreens at home, without the guesswork. They also wanted more knowledge on creating a lifestyle that could improve their overall health.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The pros are that I can work for myself, work from home and be with my kids.
The con is that that business is hard work! There is way more work involved than meets the eye and that can occupy a lot of your time.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I hope that my online business grows to the point where I can contribute to paying off our mortgage and provide the life we want for us and our children.
I also want to get my voice out there via YouTube (The Prevention Project is coming soon!), using my nursing knowledge to provide current research as an evidence-based approach to improving healthspan in the community.
Visit thatleaf.com.au to find out more, and connect with them on Instagram and Facebook.
