Anna Hopkins, Co-Founder of The Protein Bread Co – Her Start Up Story

The concept behind Protein Bread started out as an idea I played around with in my apartment back in the days when I was running my healthy food cafe, Whole Meal Cafe in Darlinghurst in 2010. I did some research into the health benefits of low carb for myself, and I wanted to cut out bread and other carbs. I didn’t find it too hard to cut down on most things – except for bread! But at the time it was impossible to find a good low carb bread option, so I decided to have a play and create one myself!

It took a lot of trial and error and the first attempts were a bit of a disaster! But with determination and persistence I got there and created a loaf that was just like bread and tasted great, and it was a hit with customers at the cafe. I was selling them as cling-wrapped loaves at the cafe, and they were flying out the door, even though they were $20 a loaf because of the top quality ingredients I was using.

I could see the huge demand to expand on this idea, and started thinking about the impact that this could have on people’s lives. This took a shift in my dream of building up my cafe further and took me into a different direction, which is an important lesson in having a flexible approach in business. The Low Carb Living Group is now achieving the same outcome of helping millions of people globally to feel their best, it’s just the path that changed.

I teamed up with my brother Luke and we founded The Protein Bread Co. together. There was a lot of learning along the way, especially because we were so new to manufacturing and e-commerce. But within a couple of years we got Aaron on board as CEO and we launched a second brand, Anna’s Low Carb Kitchen, and it’s continued to grow ever since.

I’m super proud of how far we have come and what we have in the pipeline. We have a lot going on and I’m really excited to see where we’re going. It all started out as a concept and a dream, but we’ve managed to turn it into a reality. I love seeing how much our customers love our products and how much we’re helping people in their low carb journey, whether it’s helping them manage a health condition, helping them in their weight loss journey, or general health and fitness.

It has had its challenges for sure, but the positives for me far outweigh the negatives. At the start, when all my friends were progressing their careers in large companies with huge salaries and perks, and I was barely earning a minimum wage (many weeks and months forfeiting my salary to pay the bills), that was hard. But, what price do you put on having the flexibility to work when and where you want, knowing you are creating huge value for the future?

The positives that came out of this are that it taught me to love and appreciate the small things. I stripped back all the extras from my life such as beauty treatments and shopping, which brought me more peace and appreciation for all the beautiful little things and moments. Buying a coffee out because it’s such a huge treat and special moment as opposed to something I just took for granted.

My work is my life and my passion and I live and breathe it, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Never do I stop thinking about ideas for the future, new products, more ways to add value to our consumers’ lives, and ways to make our operations more efficient. Everyone has the ability to do what they love, if they have the courage to pursue their dreams. I had a baby just over a month ago, so that’s been a big adjustment! But I have been able to keep working and I don’t stop thinking about achieving our goals and looking ahead to where we’re heading.

My passion is helping others feel their best, which means I also strive to feel my best. This includes taking time out for my yoga, following a diet packed full of protein, green veggies, nuts and seeds (and some low carb baked goodies of course), going for walks, spending time in nature. I listen to my thoughts and reframe negatives ones so I’m not bogged down. If I’m ever stuck or down, I brainstorm a list of why I love what I do, or what I’m excited about for the future.

Nothing is more important to me than feeling my best, because when I do I have so much more to offer those around me, and so much more mental capacity to focus on the business! I really believe that many people just don’t know how great they could feel, and I feel like my mission is to help them realise their full potential in this way.

The business just grew from strength to strength and this is where we find ourselves now. Being observant and looking for gaps is how we continued to grow and offer what people were looking for. We have a really exciting and busy year ahead, with the launch of new products and a national partnership that is going to take the business to the next level. We are always innovating and trying new things, so it’s an exciting time with lots in the pipeline!

About The Protein Bread Co.

PBCo. leverages the power of premium natural ingredients to create nutritionally enhanced products, helping professional as well as everyday athletes to be fitter, healthier and happier.

Founded in 2010 by brother and sister duo, Luke and Anna Hopkins, we create and produce an ever-growing range of performance foods in our custom built facility in Marrickville, Sydney, using the highest quality ingredients.

With products to enjoy as a quick convenient snack or a satisfying meal, the clean ingredients and enhanced nutrition in these products provide a delicious, healthy and natural alternative to processed and artificial high protein foods.

All products are available online with shipping throughout Australia, New Zealand and the US, as well as in leading health food stores nationally in Australia.

Find out more about Anna:

https://www.instagram.com/proteinbreadco/

https://www.instagram.com/annaslowcarbkitchen/

https://www.facebook.com/Annaslowcarbkitchen

https://www.facebook.com/theproteinbreadco/