As a first-time mum navigating her way through early motherhood, Kellie Field found herself sleep deprived and in need of a good laugh. She set out to create a tasty product that would nourish and nurture mums, whilst giving them a good giggle at the same time, with their cheeky, tongue-in-cheek messages. She launched The Milk Mumma Co to support breastfeeding and postpartum mums, so that they, in turn, can nurture and nourish their precious babies. Their Boobtastic Bickie and Boobtastic Bickie Mixes are not only delicious, but also contain some fabulous ingredients, including galactagogues, that will work wonders for breastfeeding and postpartum mums.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I’m Kellie, the tired old brain behind The Milk Mumma Co and mumma to Harry who is 13 months old! Before Harry arrived, life was of course very different. I was a jetsetter, a go-getter, a lover of adventures, an explorer of the great outdoors and devourer of delicious food. These are all still my favourite of things except my priorities have changed. This had me dreaming into the night wondering how I could extend my leave to savour all of Harry’s precious developmental milestones.
The Milk Mumma Co was dreamt up during a sleep deprived late-night soul-searching session! As a first-time mum getting into the swing of this motherhood gig, at times in the wee hours of the night I was in desperate need of a good laugh or cry or both. I knew I wasn’t the only mumma out there feeling like this.
I wanted to create a fun and cheeky product just for mummas that would give us a good giggle. A tongue-in-cheek treat for the mummas who didn’t mind a few profanities. A product that would nurture and nourish us mummas and in turn enable us to nurture and nourish our bubs through the breastfeeding and postpartum period.
With all of this in mind, the Boobtastic Bickie and Boobtastic Bickie Mixes transpired and so began the journey of The Milk Mumma Co.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Hmmm, let’s just say that in the beginning there were many days and late nights of research occurring between Harry’s cluster feeding and minimal sleep sessions. It was during these sleep sessions that YouTube was certainly getting a run for its money, as was my oven. I would research random subjects on YouTube, from “How to run a successful cookie business” to “What is the best email marketing system?” and diligently take notes, all the while watching my 8-week-old sleeping baby out of the corner of my eye.
As I was a first time mum myself, I also attended quite a few groups such as baby sensory classes and new mum meetups. This is where I would test my products on my unsuspecting new mum friends – the perfect way to get real and honest feedback from the exact target market my products were aimed at. From there, I ventured into the weekend market space, and I created an online store to be able to ship Australia-wide. Organic marketing and word-of-mouth are how my business thrives at present.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Seeing everything come to fruition really was an empowering experience. To go through a journey of dreaming to reality and then having a tangible product was so extremely exciting. The first of many exciting moments was when my logo arrived in my inbox.
After 8 weeks of collaborating with a graphic designer and many tweaks, when my logo arrived in my inbox, I knew that it was to be the one – I absolutely loved it. It is bright, bold, fun, and vibrant. Everything I had asked for – all the while ensuring that myself and Harry were portrayed in there too.
The next breakthrough was holding a bag of bickies with my label on it that I had designed and realising that it was now a reality. What an elating moment! To then go along to the markets and talk to the amazing mummas in my community and receive genuine positive feedback and my first sale, I knew I had to keep going, no matter how hard the road is at times. It is just so rewarding too.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Hahah, this I am still learning to do. These last 5.5 months since launching have been such a wild ride. I have held on tight to my dreams and this is what has inspired me to keep going. My partner works away 2 weeks at a time so during his weeks away I do try and get the bulk of the behind-the-scenes duties ticked off so that when he is home, we do have the opportunity for quality family time. However, as life is, it does not always work that way.
We do love to head out bush to camp in our trailer, to the city to hit up the art galleries and museums or head to the coast to visit our family. In saying that, my 13-month-old son Harry comes everywhere with me. We collect stock, print labels, and sell my products at the markets together. That is the beauty of running my own business and I am truly blessed in that sense. That, and lots of patience for yourself and from those around you of course.
