Monkey Business Catering was created from opportunity. The reach, impact & brand recognition we have in Toowoomba humbles me.
To sum up our 10 years, I am going to tell a story of prayer, opportunity & community.
Prayer is the beginning. Have you ever prayed to be part of something greater? Something that would make a difference?
10 years ago, I had studied, travelled & worked my way across the globe and it wasn’t enough. I prayed for all those things & just one more thing…. I wanted to grow roots deep into a community.
Be careful what you pray for.
God will answer you BUT in unexpected ways which may require an incredible amount of sacrifice.
Back in 2014, my parents, Kristina & Malcolm, resilient & courageous, owned a franchise. Being resilient & courageous, they asked their 24 year old daughter to return home to run it & look for opportunities for change & growth.
Requests came for catering. The franchise declared clearly NO CATERING!
What was to be done?
In February 2015, Monkey Business Catering was launched with just $10,000, a commercial kitchen in a converted garage & a handful of 2nd-hand equipment. I declared if we made $30,000, I would be happy.
In those first two years, I worked full time as the manager at Monkey Business Catering and part time as a business trainer for an RTO. It was a crazy, intense period; baking in the early mornings, tutoring classes in the afternoon & evenings and returning phone enquiries in the breaks.
60% of business fail in their first 3 years. The mental pressure is excruciating with the uncertainty of success looming. Every startup entrepreneur is a warrior no matter the outcome of their businesses. For your support of our small business - thank you, thank you, thank you. You changed my life & countless others through me.
By 2018, the business was doubling every 12months. We entered the Business Excellence Awards and were awarded The Business of the Year in 2018. At that stage we had only 4 staff, including myself.
Then March 2020… COVID.
The shutdowns resulted in complete cancellation of bookings.
It was one of worst months of my life.
BUT no sales, no distractions & paid staff with time on their hands (thank you Job keeper) ... I call that opportunity.
Our lean start-up systems were upgraded into ones that would support the future.
Recipes were digitalised (hello iPads in the kitchen), ordering systems streamlined, banks & accounting software changed, marketing plans written, menus upgraded, skills learned.
Risk of further shutdowns lingered, and diversification was needed. In May 2021, we purchased iCooked. Complementing the catering side of the business and giving us a product that we could produce & sell during quiet periods. Our reach extended into people’s homes with our ready to eat meals supplied to families, shift workers & busy professionals.
Our Head Chef (the wonderful Terri) came on board to push me out of managing the kitchen, Kristina joined us to manage the administration & we moved from our converted garage kitchen into a 260 square metre warehouse.
In this space we can easily cater for up to 600 people. And we do.
Catering isn’t food. Catering is logistics.
How many people? What dietary requirements? What facilities are onsite? How will the food be eaten? Is it hot or cold? Is it delivery or collect? How will be delivered? Is everything food safe?
Our mission is to make your events ‘Deliciously Easy’.
These logistic skills & the warehouse facilities opened up even greater opportunity.
Contract harvesters approached unable to get site cooks, looking for other ways to feed their crews. We started to make complete individual iCooked meals. Up to 1,200 meals have gone out to one contractor. Imagine driving your harvester along, with your meal heating in your 12-volt camping oven next to you & eating dinner at 1am in a paddock outside Goondiwindi.
These individual meals were so successful I started to dream of dining room tables. Tables too long to see the end of, in all types of rooms, filled with food, people & enjoyment.
Did you know that your life expectancy from when you enter a Retirement Home is 18months? Imagine how much longer, healthier & joyfully people can live supplied with meals at home. In 2023 we entered the Aged Care market. We are currently supporting 401 people with Home Care meals.
In the last 18 months iCooked has doubled in size.
In the last 12 months, combined Monkey Business Catering & iCooked just under 50,000 meals left our warehouse.
Within the next 12 months we will make over 80,000 meals.
Opportunity is not ‘how many people have eaten our food?’ but ‘who can we make exceptional, wholesome, quality food for?’
All our past & our future, would be impossible without the community.
We are a team of 11 – when these wonderful people serving you tonight, come together miracles happen.
From Terri, the first chef I ever worked for at 14 heading up our kitchen team, our other chefs Susan & Ethan who adore good food, Katelyn & Nette who cook, clean & deliver their hearts out, to Emma who has been with us for 8 years developing into a delivery legend, our chef’s apprentices Manni & Mia who are carrying platters around tonight, Stephen who is leading the charge with our business development. Malcolm & Kristina the best business partners I could ask for, even if they leave the blog writing to me.
Our suppliers some of whom are here tonight are exceptional. PFD, Queensland Choice Meats, Westridge Fruit & many other I commend you highly. Our success if yours.
My favourite supplier is Bluevale Homestead. If you are after some incredible beef to eat at home chat to Matt & Michelle. They farm out at Goombungee & it would be your very own Paddock to Plate experience. Life changing!
Our clients are a huge part of our community. We aim for relationships spanning years; Toowoomba Regional Council, government departments, banks, schools, non-profits & private family functions from births, deaths & marriages. There has been a delightfully mad trend recently for our over 80s to order our wake funeral package for their birthdays & wedding anniversaries.
My final cheeky request is for a birthday present
Please review us. There is a scannable code on the giftbag table.
We know The Monkey rules, but … the internet takes some convincing.
Thank you for helping us celebrate.
May you pray for something that scares you, may you seize opportunity, may you find community & may you flourish. Here’s to the next decade.
*** This Blog was adapted from a speech I (Amy) made at the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce, Business @ Dusk on the 19th of March 2025. ***