Melinda's Gluten Free Goodies

{ Goodie, goodie, gluten free for me! }

A diagnosed coeliac of 23 years, mum of three in three and a half years and multiple business owner amongst it all, Melinda made it her mission to bring us delicious and health-focused gluten free goodies. And they are YUM!!!

Melinda’s Gluten Free Goodies began in October 2004 after Melinda decided she couldn’t stomach another stock standard gluten free orange and almond cake. After a request by a cafe owner, she delivered one of her gluten free chocolate mud cakes (a family recipe converted to gluten free and was the dessert for her wedding). The cafe sold all 16 pieces overnight and said, “Keep ‘em coming!” This grew into what she called “the cafe cake business” and within four years was supplying 150 cafes and gourmet delis in Southeast Queensland.

In early 2006, she recognised the need for better tasting and higher quality cakes in the supermarket health food aisle. She presented to Woolworths and delivered her first three slice premixes in mid 2008. This range grew to 10 products and within a year, she expanded into Coles, independent supermarkets and specialty, health and online stores. She was running both businesses concurrently with 13 staff in the cafe cake business and two in the premix business and had two young girls under two years old!

Over Christmas in 2008, while preparing for her third child, she fell in a heap and decided she couldn’t run both the cafe cake business and premix business. She sold the cafe cake business to her mother-in-law who renamed the business OMG, It’s Gluten Free and after 10 years sold to a new owner in April 2019.

Melinda was diagnosed Coeliac at the age of 19 and was an avid country cook so this started a lifelong journey of creating and altering recipes to suit her needs. Since then she’s developed a FODMAP tummy and also choose to be low carb. These days she likes to create products that cover multiple allergies in addition to being gluten free. All of the product batches are laboratory tested for gluten and the bakery range is laboratory tested for gluten, dairy and egg to validate the multiple allergy and vegan claims.

Melinda is very proud of the clean ingredient panels and move towards lower carb, higher protein and sugar free products. She are also proud to have a high percentage of Australian ingredients in her products, averaging 71% compared to supermarket and other brands at 0-9% Australian. She uses Endeavour Foundation for some of their packing and has calculated that when you buy a Melinda’s product you positively impact over 100 Australian families.

The product line includes eight retail baking premixes, water crackers, flour blend, six food service bulk premixes and 35 baked and frozen products for the foodservice industry.

Melinda’s self-raising flour blend was created 15 years ago and is the base of her baking mixes. The new low carb range uses Australian almond meal and whole meal lupin flour grown in Western Australia. All products are free from chemicals, preservatives and bakery thickeners and Melinda’s pride themselves on a clean ingredient panel using only a raising agent.

Melinda inspires to make a difference in other families’ lives by providing multiple allergy healthy yet quick and easy meal and snack options. In the foodservice side of the business she aims to help grow food options to cater for multiple allergies so everyone can eat out enjoyably and safely!

Melinda’s final wish for us is to check the ingredient panels and country of origin on all of the packaged food we consume. Everything we put into our bodies matters and if we aim for ingredients as clean and local as possible we will be healthier, physically and mentally.

If you want to get your hands on Melinda’s Gluten Free Goodies, check the postcode finder on the website to locate your nearest stockist. If they don’t have the product you’re seeking, ask the grocery manager to order in as customer demand will increase their range. You will also find a list of amazing online stores who will deliver straight to your kitchen.

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Melinda's Chocolate Brownies

{ Ingredients }

1 packet of Melinda’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie Premix

2 x eggs

125g milk

125g butter

Egg Alternative:

2 mashed medium bananas.

Milk Alternative:

soy, almond, rice or coconut milk.

Butter Alternative:

oil, coconut oil or melted soy margarine.

Preheat oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan- forced. Grease and line a non-stick 20cm square tin. Heat butter and milk until steaming hot. Add Chocolate Fudge Brownie Premix andwhisk/stir until the choc pieces have melted. Add lightly beaten eggs and stir to combine. Pour into prepared tin. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes (for a fudgy centre, bake 5 minutes less, the middle will sink slightly).

Tip: Ensure butter and milk are steaming hot to melt the choc pieces.

+ Serves 4-6 +