Small business accelerator, Seedlab Australia, is championing female-led innovation in the FMCG sector, as International Women’s Day approaches this weekend (8 March). Food and beverage manufacturing is still strongly male-dominated, with the largest gaps in STEM roles, but organisations like Seedlab are pushing for change.
Founded by Dr. Hazel MacTavish-West, Seedlab has helped hundreds of early-stage businesses by providing the tools, knowledge, and connections needed to refine their businesses, brands and value propositions, secure major retail partnerships, and navigate the complexities of growth within the competitive FMCG market.
The program has been strongly supported by investors including Woolworths, which has contributed more than $12 million in total to Seedlab.
“Balancing business leadership with personal commitments remains a significant challenge for women in all industries,” said MacTavish-West.
“We are focused on helping female founders overcome these hurdles by providing not just education and mentorship, but also a trusted community where they can connect, share experiences, and gain access to invaluable industry insights.
“While systemic change requires industry-wide collaboration, the leadership demonstrated by Woolworths in supporting Seedlab Australia serves as a strong example of how major players can contribute to meaningful progress,” she said.
Seedlab’s journey began with Seedlab Tasmania in 2020, a pilot initiative that supported startup founders in regional and rural areas to become export-ready. Over 65 per cent of the businesses in this program were women-led, spanning industries from agritourism to gin distilleries, dairy products, and pet food.
The success of Seedlab Tasmania led to the launch of Seedlab Sisters in 2022, a program supporting over 150 regional and rural female entrepreneurs in Tasmania’s Cradle Coast.
Seedlab Australia’s impact can be seen in the success of businesses including;
- RaiCin – founded by Queensland-based Katrina, who sought to bring the flavour of raisin toast to any bread. Despite having a well-developed product and branding, she faced challenges around costings and confidence in pitching her product to supermarkets. Through the help of Hazel, Kenna and the Seedlab Australia team, she refined her approach, and has now gone through a range review process with Woolworths, with the potential to be stocked in-store.
- Sobhna's – New Zealand-based mother-daughter duo Nimeesha and Sobhna Odedra turned to Seedlab Australia for guidance on contract manufacturing and structuring their authentic curry sauce business.
- Thai Larder – With no prior experience in food science, packaging, or procurement, Ann Atkinson worked closely with Seedlab to develop an authentic Thai product range, which has since been accepted into Woolworths and continues to evolve.
While women in FMCG face many of the same challenges as men – cash flow management, scaling costs, and navigating business systems – many also grapple with confidence, particularly those transitioning from family life or unrelated careers.
Looking ahead, Seedlab stated it envisions a future where women play a greater role across the entire FMCG supply chain, from packaging solutions to logistics, investment, and intellectual property law.
Seedlab Australia’s COO, Kenna MacTavish, said women feel empowered when they see examples of leadership they can relate to.
"Women-led businesses are excelling in a diverse range of FMCG categories, from laundry care, and breakfast solutions to sustainable period care – they are often developing innovative solutions to a problem they have faced themselves. For instance, New Zealand’s CoralCone developed an ocean-friendly patented menstrual cup with a detachable pullstring,” said MacTavish.
“Our team has a strong female presence and has naturally attracted and supported a high number of women founders that we not only continue to support to this day but go on to mentor other female founders within the Seedlab community.”
