Exhibitor Spotlight: Morlife

Queensland food company Morlife has taken an evidence-based approach to wellness since it began almost 20 years ago. Its products include cereals, herbal teas and superfood powders, backed by research and developed by nutritionists, giving consumers more choice when it comes to gluten-free foods, antioxidant-rich snacks and more. Along the way, Morlife has won 45 awards for its work. Next month, the company will be in the Trade Zone at Global Table.

Tell us how and when your business started.

Morlife began in 2000, on the sunny Gold Coast in Queensland, and we are still proudly Australian-owned and operated.

We stand apart from other health food manufacturers because all of our products are backed by research and are developed by a team of in-house nutritionists. We saw that the food market was so confusing, with many misleading claims about health benefits, that there was an opportunity for the correct relationships between food and health to be established. This became the business mission for Morlife to use research to establish the correct links between nutrient intakes and enhanced function and wellness.

What product are you most proud of and why?

Our range of collagen products, which we call the Collagen Pantry. Collagen allows us to age gracefully, plumping up old and tired skin, improving hydration and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The biggest issue with making sure we get enough collagen in our diet is that we need to consume it every day. But drinking the same product day after day can become monotonous. Even more importantly, not all consumers like the same things. The Collagen Pantry is designed to appeal to many people across an array of diets and lifestyles.

What is your favourite fact about the agriculture or food industry?

Perhaps that one-third of food produced in the world goes to waste.

What do you think makes a great trade show or business event?

Market research prior to selecting which business events you attend is crucial to ensure you don’t waste your time and money. The events that Trade and Investment Queensland, Austrade, and Food Innovation Australia (FIAL) organise are all brilliant. Most importantly, pick the best event to suit your company and your products – that’s where you will win the most.

What are you looking forward to learning more about at Global Table?

A lot of our learning is from real people who have been there themselves, so we are mostly looking forward to the speaker’ presentations to give us insights into future marketing and innovation trends. We are also looking forward to the Trade Zone workshops and meeting with dedicated international buyers.

Where do you want your business to be in three years?

We want to be the leaders in evidence-based functional foods that deliver greater nutrition and improved quality of life to consumers across the globe.

In your opinion, what has been the most exciting change in food over the last five years?

There’s been a big shift from blindly accepting marketing buzz words, for example “low fat” as shorthand for “healthy”, to consumers becoming informed and making ethical choices relating to food. Marketing hype is not as effective as it used to be, with more consumers beginning to value education and “realness” in advertising. Consumers are forcing food companies to change for the benefit of not only people, but the planet.

What else would you like to see change in the food and agriculture industry?

I would like to see a change in the perception of the quality of foods coming from particular countries, as the quality of the final product is not always necessarily determined by the country of origin. Quality management should take precedence over this.

See Morlife in the Trade Zone at Global Table, 3-5 September 2019, Melbourne Showgrounds. If you’d like to join the Trade Zone as an exhibitor, apply now.