Naomi Lazzaro from Pureharvest gives us the low-down on her family’s pioneering organic health-food company

Pureharvest played a huge role in bringing non-dairy ‘milks’ to the Australian market in the 70’s. Give us the low-down on your beginnings and where you are now.

Pureharvest started in the 70’s from a strong passion to share good quality natural health food with people. At the very beginning we were a small independent health food store in Prahran, Melbourne. The vision was to create a community where people could learn about the value in consuming organic, natural and nutritious food products. This small store soon grew into a much bigger dream and over the years Pureharvest has evolved into one of Australia’s leading manufacturers and distributors of natural and organic health food products.

What makes Pureharvest stand apart from other similar products?

We pride ourselves on making products that contain absolutely NO NASTIES. We keep our ingredients as simple as possible while never compromising on taste and quality. We source the best quality whole, organic and natural ingredients to create our products. The ‘health food’ industry can be confusing with many products labelled as ‘healthy’ but the ingredients lists can be a zillion pages long. We do not add any preservatives, thickeners or stabilisers and we keep our ingredients lists simple.

Is remaining ‘family-owned’ challenging as the business continues to grow, or is that the company’s strength?

Of course, with every business there are many challenges that arise along the way. Growth comes from working through those challenges. We are so proud of our independence as it allows us to ensure we do not compromise our standards and our beliefs.

Why do you think interest in your products has grown so dramatically in recent years?

To put it simply, people are making more effort to educate themselves on the importance of looking after themselves. This pertains to both physical health and mental health. More and more we hear about the importance of eating healthy wholefoods and we provide just that.

What is your most well-known or most loved product?

Oh that’s a hard one. Can we name a top three? If we were to choose three it would have to be our Activated Almond Milks, Coco Quench and of course our Rice Malt Syrup.

Apart from your new turmeric drink Golden Quench (we love it!), is there anything new on the horizon?

There are always so many ideas and thoughts about new products being thrown around the office. We always want to grow and expand and with that will always come new innovations. We definitely have a few things install for 2018 but we can’t divulge them just yet. However, with the recent legalisation of hemp in Australia all we can say is… watch this space!

What is ethos that drives the company and its growth?

The true passion and belief in healthy wholefood without any nasties. The strong vision to bring good quality products to as many people as possible and to make those products readily available to the everyday consumer. Our customers are our biggest inspiration and this inspires us to improve in everything that we do.

How would you like people to remember Pureharvest?

A company that is very committed to and works tirelessly to help people create happier and healthier lives through clean organic and natural food products.

Have a look at the Pureharvest website + recipes here or their Instagram here.