Mike Kellett is the Gold Coast entrepreneur behind Macro Mike, one of Australia’s fastest growing health food companies. Kellett, an ex-fitness model and bodybuilder started the business because he is gluten and dairy intolerant and found a gap in the market for people with food sensitivities. We chatted to Mike about his growing business, the surprising number of Gold Coasters that can be found in active wear drinking coffee at all hours and why he loves this part of the world.

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I’ve been a Gold Coast local for 9 years now. I’m originally from Leeds in the United Kingdom. I spent a year living in Las Vegas before meeting a bunch of wild Aussies heading home to sell pub crawls for this event they told me was called ‘Schoolies’ on the Gold Coast. I came over to see what all the fuss was about and never left.

What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
For me, after spending 3-4 years as a Personal Trainer in Leeds training corporates in the 9-5 hustle and bustle I was ready for a chilled-out lifestyle.

I like the fact that it doesn’t feel like a rat race 24/7. Our traffic is minimal compared to other major cities and especially the UK. I like how no matter what time or day it is thousands of people seem to be unemployed and are in their active wear grabbing a coffee or having breakfast at 10am without a care in the world.

But most of all the weather. The cold dark winters of the UK are depressing and here it’s literally warm year round. I LOVE IT! Take the jet ski out to Tipplers, catch some waves, enjoy some pool time and then enjoy all the local Uber Eats.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m Mike, 32 years old from the UK. I’ve got 1 brother who lives in Newcastle, NSW, with his wife and my nephew Jude, who’s 5. My Mum raised me and my brother as a single mum working 7 days a week to put food on the table and make sure we had enough. She was the biggest hustler and instilled the hard work and drive I have today.

I run Macro Mike. We’re a self-funded health food business based in Burleigh Heads with 35+ staff. We make products for ourselves and some of the biggest brands in Australia along with shipping out anywhere from 5000-10,000 online orders a month.

For those that don’t know, what is Macro Mike?
Macro Mike is a plant based, gluten free, dairy free and natural supplement brand. We pride ourselves on our unique blend of natural ingredients and have brought plant based / dairy free proteins into 2023 using game-changing ingredients and challenging the status quo. We have customers all over the world and a range of over 100 products.

Our business is heavily online but you can also find us in Coles, heaps of health food, supplement stores and gyms around Australia.

How did Macro Mike come to be?
I’m both gluten and dairy intolerant and an ex-competitive fitness model and bodybuilder and after prepping for various shows I found there wasn’t anything on the market for people like me with food allergies and intolerances in the dessert space.

I started off making the products for myself and then gave them to friends/ family and started posting on social media and the rest was history. 7 years of blood sweat and tears and we’re here with over 1 million customers worldwide.

What have been some of your highlights and learning experiences along the way?
Running a business is like a bamboo tree. The bamboo tree takes 5 years of watering and fertilising the ground. After the 5th year within 12 weeks, it sprouts from the ground it grows to be the tallest tree in the rainforest. Same with business.

It can take years and years of hustling and pioneering behind the scenes before there’s even the slightest bit of growth for people on the outside to see and if for 1 week or 1 month you stop working on your business or watering your bamboo tree it’ll never reach it’s true potential.

What is the best piece of business advice that you have ever been given?
Don’t fund long-term assets with short-term cash flow. Eg if you’re buying a piece of equipment that you’ll have for many years, don’t use cash in the bank. Put it over 5-6 years and pay it off over time. Save your cash for when you need it most. Work hard and stay humble. There’s always a bigger fish than you and there’s always someone worth sending the elevator down to or giving a helping hand to who’s striving to get to where you are.

What makes running a business on the Gold Coast so great?
I mean the weather, the lifestyle, the people, the location. We’re in Burleigh Heads. Does it get much better? Food, coffee, good vibes. Plus, who would want to live in Brisbane? (No offense Brisbane readers lols).

With such a variety of products, from protein bars to baking mixes, what’s the most popular product and do you have a personal favourite?
Our most popular product is our Vanilla Buttercream Almond Protein. It’s made on our signature Almond and Faba bean base and literally tastes like a Vanilla Milkshake. Completely plant based, dairy free and easy to digest. My personal fav is our Protein Caramel indulgence bars. These are like if a protein bar and chocolate bar had a baby. Again dairy free, gluten free all natural and taste like a chocolate bar YUMMM! Brb having another!

What are your Gold Coast Favourites:
Café: Blendlove in Southport for the pancakes.
Restaurant: Changmai Thai, Broadbeach.
Bar: I don’t drink so maybe a chocolate bar.
Beach: I like North Burleigh / Miami lookout. I’ve done a lot of thinking up there. Great place to clear your head and appreciate your surroundings.

How do you choose to spend your days off?
What’s a day off? Just kidding. I spend time with my little 4 month old Jack and partner Laura. I collect/buy & sell Pokemon cards, have a 1978 classic Mini Cooper and I like spending time with friends playing boardgames or eating out at nice restaurants.

Rachael Stamp is the brilliant brain behind Oat Cup – the brand that’s flipping the script on on-the-go breakfasts and snacks with its irresistible overnight oat creations. With drool-worthy flavors like Coconut Almond Berry, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Vanilla Strawberry Peanut, and Chocolate Almond Berry, Oat Cup it’s hard to believe something so indulgent could actually be healthy!

If you’re a regular at Gold Coast cafes, you’ve likely spotted her dreamy pastel-colored Oat Cups taking center stage among the cabinet delights. With these beauties conveniently stocked at all your favorite spots, Oat Cup has quickly become the grab-and-go treat you didn’t know you were missing.

Rachael is a powerhouse who juggles her vibrant, active lifestyle with running a thriving business – all while staying passionate about health and entrepreneurship. Get the full scoop on how she is is creating a buzz with Oat Cup, one t-oat-ally delicious bite at a time.

How long have you been a Gold Coast local? 
31 years!

What do you love most about Gold Coast?
The weather, the hinterland, the beaches, the rising food scene and overall lifestyle. It always makes me smile when I go outside around 5am, in the pitch dark, and I see a bunch of people up and about doing their daily fitness or simply catching the sun as it rises. Grateful to call this place home.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My parents emigrated here from England to start a family. I was born in Melbourne, however we moved to the Gold Coast shortly after that, and we have been here ever since!

I love to keep myself fit and healthy, socialise and go on the occasional trip. I am obsessed with all things food related and since I was little I have always dreamt of being my own boss. I am really proud of where I am today, combining these two key factors, living my life with passion and on my terms.

Tell us about Oat Cup.
Oat Cup was born around March of 2022. They are delicious handmade cups of overnight oats, free from refined sugars and dairy, available in 5 flavours at present. Whilst healthier, more sustainable food choices are on the rise, it is not always easy to find something that tastes amazing and doesn’t have a bunch of hidden added ingredients. We hope to make better choices easier for those who are on the go, and to continue creating many little moments of happiness daily.

What is your favourite Oat Cup and why?
If I am wanting something rich and chocolatey, then Choc Peanut. Otherwise, Strawberry Vanilla Peanut as it is a lot lighter!

What makes running a business on the Gold Coast so great?
An abundance of friendly, supportive people, always wanting to help each other grow!

Can you give us a hot tip for making a tasty Oat Cup at home?
A small amount of chia seeds to help the texture, a touch of salt to bring out the flavour and the more layers and textures, the better.

What can we expect from Oat Cup in the coming year?
You can expect to see Oat Cups EVERYWHERE! In all seriousness, we hope to expand a little further out to Brisbane and Byron Bay in terms of our cafe stockists and home delivery customers. Plus some potential new packaging has been in discussion.

What are your Gold Coast Favourites:
Favourite café: Pasture & Co, Currumbin Valley
Favourite restaurant: Bar Leo & Jimmy Wahs
Favourite bar: Paloma, Burleigh Heads
Favourite beach: Tugun

How do you choose to spend your days off?
I always like to start the day off with some kind of exercise. Then I love visiting the farmers markets, going for a drive out in the hinterlands, long lunches with close friends and chill family time spent at home.

Revie Jane is a well-known entrepreneur and content creator on the Gold Coast scene. She has just launched athleisure label, Alitah State. We sat down with her to chat about life, what drew her to fitness and the ins and outs of starting her own label.

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
Originally from Brisbane, I made the move to the beautiful Gold Coast in 2010. I moved for love – cliche? Yes, but I’m not mad about it. Married for 11 years this year, so the move was a wise decision. I knew I liked the guy I met but, I didn’t know how much I would love the lifestyle on the Gold Coast. The amazing cafes, the coastal breeze, the sunrises, and the people- what wasn’t to love? So, I fell head over heels for the guy and the town and never looked back. Now, with a little family of my own, I couldn’t think of a better place to call home.

What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
I have been privileged enough to travel to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, Maui Hawaii, Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, Miami Beach in California USA, but whenever I’ve returned from these extraordinary places, it reinforces to me that the Gold Coast has the world’s best beaches. The water, the sun, the friendly families you meet along the coast, whose kids start playing with your own; nothing can beat it. Followed closely by the incredible array of restaurants and cafes. We have endless options of cuisines and talented chefs; we are spoilt for choice when date night rolls by.

A huge aspect I love about the Gold Coast is how active you can be while living here, the weather and the sunshine encourages you to get up early, so you don’t miss a beautiful sunrise. I love nothing more than waking up early to hit the pavement and see so many other walkers and runners going up and down Burleigh paths. It’s just such a beautiful atmosphere.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
From an early age, I knew that fitness and exercise was not just something that made me physically stronger, it also gave me clarity and improved my mental and emotional wellness. Once I had established this connection, I was passionate about helping others come to that realisation too. So, I started studying fitness, I became a group fitness instructor and started helping women specifically, feel empowered through moving their bodies.

Before I knew it, I had a community of women, who were showing up to group sessions each day and I truly felt like I had found my purpose. It was in 2013 that I opened my own Fitness Studio, CrossFit Babes Miami.

Instagram had just started around this time, and I was an early adopter. I started sharing the highs and lows of owning a business and started amassing thousands of followers. I’ve shown up online and shared parts of my life for the past 10 years. Although some weeks are challenging and I’ve definitely experienced some of the uglier parts of having an online presence, I can say wholeheartedly that being a content creator and having the community I do, has been very fulfilling.

You’ve just launched Alitah State, tell us a bit about this brand.
Alitah State is an athleisure label that is made from sustainable fabrics that is working it’s toosh off to also be size inclusive. We are currently offering sizes 8-18 and hope the by the end of 2023 to broaden.

All Alitah State products are made (with love!) in beautiful Bali, intentionally small batches, from sustainable, high-quality fabrics.

In our first capsule, we are offering four thoroughly thought-out designs in the colour ways latte and rose. Each piece has been tested through high performance workouts, long walks and even hot Pilates. It’s built to withstand it all and ensure you look good while doing it.

Alitah is a name with Old German origins, meaning ‘Strong Woman’, while ‘State’ offers two meanings, to have a specific mindset and to be a part of a community of people who are united by their beliefs and territory.

Alitah State is athleisure with brains and heart.

How did Alitah State come about?
Having fitness as a life pillar, has ensured I’ve tried and tested a massive amount of activewear and it’s become a huge part of my wardrobe. But there have been countless times, I’ve walked into a store or visited a website and exited empty handed because they didn’t have what I was after.

We shouldn’t have to sacrifice practicality for flattering designs. Struggling to find a brand that was ticking all the boxes, I started to get frustrated. Why couldn’t these multimillion dollar corporations care more about their practises? Why weren’t they being more size inclusive? Why are they still packaging their parcels with a bunch of marketing pieces that will go to waste? I got so frustrated I decided to do something about it.

In 2019 I started getting samples from manufacturers in China, and in 2020 I found the manufacturer we are with today located in Bali, Indonesia. Four years of perfecting designs, fabrics and colour ways, Alitah State was born.

What has been the biggest opportunity and/or challenge so far for you in launching Alitah State?
The biggest challenge we have found was finding a manufacturer who provides eco-conscious practises and fabrics while accommodating across broad size ranges. It felt like it was almost one or the other, being size inclusive or eco-conscious. The minimum order of quantities they had were unrealistic for a start-up and so we had to find someone willing to negotiate their starting point or exclude and piss off a large group of people. Luckily, we found the amazing manufacturers we have today, they’re willing to grow with us as we establish ourselves. While we aren’t where we want to be in our size range, I have confidence that we will be able to reach this soon as a matter of top priority.

What is the best piece of business advice that you have ever been given? 
In business you’re going to want to give up a lot of times. Whether it’s unhappy customers, finance problems, manufacturing issues, staff conflicts, there is a plethora of problems. The only thing that is going to stop you from giving up as a connection to purpose and something that brings you joy.

A question I asked myself before I studied fitness, was ‘if money wasn’t an issue, what would I spend my time doing?’ Now, I did double-check and sadly, sipping cocktails with a book in hand poolside isn’t a job, *sigh* but, helping people find the bridge between self-respect and fitness was. So, I pursued that. And in some way, I don’t feel like I’ve strayed too far from the desire to share the message that each person is capable of more than they think.

As a busy woman and mother, how do you manage your time to really strike that work/life balance?
I’ve started to accept that balance is a bit of a myth. In my life at least, there are the tiniest blips where there is actual balance. Most of the time though, when my focus and presence is with my kids, my work is behind and if I’m killing it at work, then I’m absent at home. The myth that women can do it all is starting to retire and I am here for that. I can do a LOT but it’s okay to need help, it’s okay to delegate, it’s okay to say, ‘no, I am at capacity.’ We tend to do the things that are the highest priority, and accept that other parts may fall behind a bit. And making peace with that has been revolutionary.

How are you planning on spending this Mother’s Day?
Nothing beats morning cuddles in your pyjamas, while your little one cautiously carries you over a cup of coffee and the other little one hands you a present bought from the school Mothers’ Day stall. I am very lucky to have a wonderful husband who makes sure I get something a little more sturdy than some of those gifts and who also gives the gift every mum wants on Mother’s Day. Some me-time.

An hour on the sun bed, reading a fluffy romance is my idea of bliss.

What are your Gold Coast favourites…
Café/coffee spot: Palm Springs and Rafiki
Restaurant: Mr Hizola’s
Bar or place for a drink: Rick Shores
Beach: Miami Beach

How do you choose to spend your days off? 
Where else but the beach? Catching some waves with the kids, finding shells to make sand cakes, reading a book under an umbrella, it’s honestly the best. Our problems seem to melt away when we’re in the ocean, and we find ourselves leaning into gratitude every time our feet hit the sand. There’s no place we’d rather be, than the Gold Coast.