One of New Zealand’s fastest-growing baby and kids food brands, Odi, is launching in Australia with ambitions to challenge established conventions in the local children’s nutrition category.
Founded by clinical nutritionist and mother of four, Gina Urlich, Odi is taking aim at a category it says has too often prioritised sweetness and convenience over the nutritional needs of growing children – identifying an opportunity to raise expectations of what baby and kids’ food can deliver.
The brand enters Australia with a differentiated proposition centred on wholefood nutrient density, organic ingredients, and convenient formats for modern families – positioning itself against a long-standing category reliance on fruit-heavy formulations and synthetic fortification.
Odi instead formulates products around nutrient-dense wholefood ingredients including organic vegetables, organ blends, bone broth and algal DHA omega-3.
Several Odi products provide approximately 30-50 per cent of a child’s recommended daily iron intake from wholefood ingredients, alongside naturally occurring co-factors that support absorption.
Urlich said Odi’s Australian expansion comes as parents increasingly scrutinise not only what is absent from children’s food, but what nutritional value it actually provides.
“We’re seeing a meaningful shift in what parents expect from this category,” she said.
“For a long time, the conversation around children’s food has focused heavily on what products don’t contain. We believe the next evolution is about what they actually deliver nutritionally.
“Our approach has always been to start with the nutritional needs of the child and formulate backwards from there. We see a significant opportunity to bring that philosophy to Australian families and, ultimately, help lift expectations of the category.”
The launch comes amid broader scrutiny of commercial foods marketed to babies and young children in Australia.
Australian Government research has found commercial infant foods may be a major contributor of sugar to children’s diets, while national infant-feeding guidelines recommend first foods be iron-rich.
For Odi, the category challenge presents a commercial opportunity – combining the convenience parents increasingly rely on with a stronger focus on nutritional density.
“Convenience isn’t going anywhere – nor should it,” Urlich said. “Parents are busy and they need products that work in real life. The opportunity for brands and retailers is to make sure convenience and strong nutrition aren’t mutually exclusive.
“We believe there is room in the Australian market for a brand that can offer both, and that’s the space Odi intends to occupy.”
Originally developed to support babies beginning solids, the business has expanded its portfolio to cater for children through to their early teenage years – creating a broader proposition across baby food, family nutrition and children’s snacking.
The Australian range includes baby purée pouches in varieties including Organic Chicken & Vegetable, Organic Berry & Coconut, Organic Chickpea & Vegetable and Organic Vanilla & Coconut alongside powders, bars, bites and other snack formats.
Across the portfolio, Odi is focused on nutrient-dense wholefood ingredients and meaningful levels of nutrients including iron, protein, omega-3 and iodine, while developing products in familiar, convenient formats.
The Australian launch follows Odi’s growth in its home market of NZ, where the brand has expanded its retail footprint and established itself across the baby and children’s nutrition category.
Australia will now form a key market in Odi’s next phase, with the company looking to build its local retail presence and introduce more Australian families to the brand.
According to Urlich, the expansion represents both a significant growth opportunity for the business and a chance to challenge established conventions within the category.
“Australia was the natural next step for Odi,” she said. “It’s a sophisticated retail market and Australian parents are increasingly informed about food and nutrition. We believe that creates a strong environment for a brand with a clear point of difference.
“We’re entering Australia with significant ambition. We want to build a meaningful presence here and work with retailers to make genuinely nutrient-dense children’s food more accessible to families.”
Odi’s long-term mission is to reduce diet-related disease in the next generation by raising the nutritional standard of everyday baby and children’s food.
The Odi range is available in Australia via odinutrition.com and will be stocked in a large range of Australian retailers soon.
