Avocados have been in the news lately, particularly smashed avocados. Noted demographic Bernard Salt wrote an article about hipster cafes and linking the price of smashed avocados with housing affordability.
Avocados are really the Marmite of fruit (yes it’s a fruit as it has a seed) – you either love them or hate them. Well, one Lane Cove local loves his avos and in particular, avos turned into Guacamole. Mark Cashion has developed a product called Souly Guacamole. We asked Mark to tell us about how and why he developed the product.
What is Souly Guacamole and why is it different?
Souly Guacamole is guacamole as it’s meant to be: authentic, 100% all natural, incredibly flavourful, and healthy. We use an authentic recipe and add nothing that shouldn’t be in a fresh guacamole. We use no filler ingredients, no preservatives, no additives and no artificial colours. 100% of our fresh produce is sourced from within Australia. Souly Guacamole is handmade and has healthy chunks of avocado, tomatoes, spring onions and coriander. Compared to other ready to eat dips it has not undergone ultra-processing to extend its shelf life and can still remain fresh for 5 days.
Our first product – Guacamole Clasico – is designed to be something that the whole family can enjoy with a mild spiciness that provides a nice heat, without being too overwhelming for those not into spice. We have a second variant ready to launch soon – Guacamole Caliente – for those of you who like more kick in your guacamole!
Souly Guacamole’s healthy chunks deliver a delicious taste and texture that is always ready to complement your next meal or devour with chips and veggies.
Why did you decide to start making Souly Guacamole?
Having been raised in the US and spending many years in Texas and Southern California, fresh, healthy guacamole was a staple of everyone’s diet and a constant at every party. We decided to launch Souly Guacamole after far too many years living in Sydney and becoming increasingly frustrated with the current products on the market. The existing products are over-processed, loaded with filler ingredients (sour cream, cream cheese, yoghurt), contain artificial preservatives, colours and additives, and as a result don’t have that refreshing, homemade taste and texture we crave.
It’s not hard to make your own Guacamole, but sometimes you just don’t have the time or the energy. We created Souly Guacamole so when you crave a fresh guacamole, all you have to do is pick it up, bring it, share it, and enjoy it with your family and friends. We give you your afternoon back.
What is your background in the food industry?
Besides having a healthy appetite and two growing sons, half of our founding team spent 6 years working with Unilever North America and the other half of our team is an Aussie Nutritionist with 15 years experience in the food industry ranging from innovation and product development to nutrition communications and marketing.
How long did it take you to develop the product?
We’ve been experimenting with the recipe for Souly Guacamole for years, but seriously put our minds to refining a replicable, scalable formulation midway through 2016. All of our friends have been test subjects (thanks and there will be no back pay) and we locked down the recipe for a great product and are doing our best to get it into the market now.
What Consumer Feedback Have You Received?
We have been overjoyed with the feedback from everyone who has tasted Souly Guacamole. People love the fresh and authentic taste and the texture of healthy chunks of produce. A great test for us has been with other North Americans, or people who have lived there, who experienced easy access to fresh, ready to eat guacamole. Some direct feedback from this group is that Souly Guacamole “takes me back to North America” and that the product is “nothing that can be sourced in Australia”. We look forward to getting a lot more feedback and ideas on how we can keep improving.
How do you stop the Guacamole from going brown?
Ours never last long enough to turn brown, so the simple answer is to eat faster and have more friends around to help.
If that doesn’t happen and somehow you have extra, then try:
- Squeezing fresh lime juice onto the surface of the guacamole (not essential if you don’t have any on hand); or
- Sealing the guacamole in (and oxygen out) by pressing a plastic wrap directly into the top of the guacamole and do your best to ensure there are no gaps or air pockets; and
- Storing the guacamole in the fridge when you have finished eating (if there is any left over).
This method should provide you with a couple days more to enjoy your guacamole.
How Long Have You Lived in Lane Cove?
We moved to Lane Cove in January 2013 after spending 5 years overseas and have been overwhelmed with how we have been welcomed into the community. We considered many different areas of Sydney, having lived in Sydney previously, and couldn’t be happier with our choice.
We decided to move to Lane Cove as we felt it provided a fantastic community and environment for us to raise our young family and finally establish some roots. It’s pretty famous as a favourite destination to move to amongst ex-pat families. Our family has had plenty of experience with moving both within Sydney and abroad (some exotic locations and others not so much). Since the birth of our oldest son in 2006, we have lived in the Eastern suburbs, Botswana, the Shire, Abu Dhabi, Chicago, and now Lane Cove, where we have committed to staying, so you better like our guac, because it’s here to stay!
Where Can We Buy Souly in Lane Cove?
Having just launched in the last few weeks, we are working hard to make Souly Guacamole available.
We are selling on Friday nights at the Lane Cove Junior Rugby Union Viva 7s at Blackman Park from 6-9PM.
We have scheduled a tasting day at Figtree Green Grocers in Lane Cove West for Saturday 3rd December from 10AM to 2PM and look forward to seeing many of the ITC followers there.
We have a stand at Frenchs Forest Organic Markets on Sundays from 7AM-1PM.
We look forward to growing our presence throughout Sydney soon.
Do you have a local issue you would like help with? ITC is here to help just email us at [email protected]
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