Reasons To Invest

• Breaking huge milestones with $18,000 in sales in the first week of launching our online store.

• Partnering with Bunnings for NAIDOC week.

• Achieving over $200,000 in revenue in just 5 months of active trading.

• Nominated Indigenous Business of the Year by NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce.

• Founded by Tezzi - a Wiradjuri woman and backed by First Australia Capital for being an Integral Indigenous female-led business.

• We give forward to our community, donating over 320kg of products to charity groups.

• Inclusive and impact-led business (vegan, allergy friendly, Kosher & Halal)

The Opportunity

Australia is the allergy capital of the world! 

Yaama! (Hello)
I’m Tezzi, a proud Wiradjuri woman and founder of Cooee Cookies.
We’re on a mission to introduce our inclusive ‘free-from’ snacks to every home in Australia and beyond! 

We bring traditional native tastes to your modern plate, providing 100% plant-based, cookies that combine allergen-friendly ingredients and indigenous culture.

Cooee Cookies was launched as a trial in July of 2023 as I found an ever-increasing difficulty feeding my own family, who have a range of food allergies and intolerances. 

This was no surprise, as Australia has quickly risen to have the highest percentage of food allergies and intolerances in the world (1), a trend that is rapidly growing year-on-year, and a global challenge now worth an estimated USD $40 Billion in 2022. (2)

Officially opening our doors for orders in early 2024, we’ve received incredible demand for our cookies, generating over $200,000 in sales in the first 5 months of active trading.

Cooee Cookies celebrates our culture, history & diversity bringing ancient flavours to a modern plate. Each cookie is infused with a unique Australian native ingredient like our Fingerlime grown on Bundjalung Country in Northern NSW and Wattle Seed, grown on Yorta Yorta Country in North Eastern Victoria.

Business Model

Cooee Cookies operates within the B2B2C space, selling retail and wholesale through our online e-commerce store.

Despite launching less than 12 months ago, we’ve already received incredible demand for our cultural and allergen-friendly treats, scaling up to produce 50,000 cookies per month, with a 95% Try to Buy ratio!

Ingredients from our cookies are sourced from sustainable indigenous supply chains and are produced in a peanut-free facility in Melbourne before distribution. 

In our short time of operation, we’ve already accomplished some sweet partnerships including Bunnings for NAIDOC Week, and have huge potential to scale in the aviation, government and corporate sectors.

With global demand for plant-based, allergy-friendly foods on the rise, and growing recognition of indigenous flavours, we aim to become the leading ‘free-from’ snack brand in Australia.

The Industry

We intersect a number of growing markets including the $1.1B biscuit manufacturing industry in Australia alone (1), and Global Markets including the $40B USD Global Food Allergy Market (2), and the $91B USD Global ‘Free-From’ Food market (3). 

There is also rising demand for Australian Organisations to incorporate Reconciliation Action Plan’s (RAP) into their procurement processes, which encourage and identify Indigenous supply chains. 

While major competitors have scale, there is limited direct competition at the intersection of our unique and delicious offering.

Kindness is our Kinda Thing

At Cooee Cookies, rather than give back, we “give forward” to the community, donating over 320kg of products to charity groups and causes that resonate deeply with us, contributing 20kg to Indi Kindy in Tennant Creek NT, 30kg to Ronald Mcdonald House in South East QLD, and 30kg to Kempsy for the Aboriginal Affairs food pop-up.

The meaning of the word ‘Cooee’:

The word Cooee has been used by Aboriginal people for thousands of years, as a call for help or to let others know where you were. Cooee is entrenched deep in Australian history, particularly in our Defence force. In 1915 the Cooee March left my great-grandmother’s hometown of Gilgandra - a recruitment drive for the First World War!

Cooee has become a call that signifies safety and belonging - something we embody in every cookie.  We truly believe that every bite is a step towards making a difference. With each cookie, we're not just sharing a piece of our story; we're inviting you to be a part of something bigger.

Product Range

At Cooee Cookies we pride ourselves on celebrating native ingredients for generations to come. Our cookies are kind to tummies and kind to animals, coming in a range of flavours:

• Choc Chip and Wattle Seed.
  When we say chocolate chips, we mean lots and lots of them!
  Every bite of this shortbread, melt-in-your-mouth cookie is bursting with the finest plant-based dark chocolate chips. It seemed only fitting that we teamed this cookie with the equally famous Wattle Seed, grown on Yorta Yorta Country (VIC).

• Triple Choc & Muntries.
  Our delicious Triple Choc cookie is for diehard chocoholics. This cookie is like a crunchy explosion of serious chocolatey yumminess, combined with the Indigenous version of Blueberry - Muntries, grown on Kaurna Country (SA).
  Muntries are a powerhouse of nutritional benefits, valued for their natural waxes and high levels of antioxidants and an excellent wound healer. Muntries boast high levels of Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, sodium and fibre; their antioxidant capacity is four times higher than a blueberry.

• White Choc & Strawberry Gum.
  One smell of our delicious Strawberry Gum will have you thinking instantly of lollies and bubble gum with the yummy fruity undertones of this native treat. This cookie will have your taste buds saying "OMG!".
  Grown on Yuin Country (NSW), strawberry gum is an excellent source of antioxidants that provide comprehensive protection from oxidative stress and autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases.

• Chai & Kakadu Plum.
  Our Sticky Chai cookie is decadent, to say the very least, so we decided Kakadu Plum would be the perfect match for this cookie. Grown on Nyal Nyal Country (NT), Kakadu Plum is considered a gift from the Dreamtime, Australia’s native star superfood.
  Kakadu Plum has exceptional nutritional and antiseptic properties and has been an important food and medicine in Northern Australia for Aboriginal people for millennia. Kakadu plum has the highest recorded levels of Vitamin C of any fruit in the world, measuring up to 100 times the Vitamin C content found in an orange.

• Jude’s Vanilla Cream with Finger Lime.
  Our vanilla-flavoured shortbread cookies are sandwiched with a scrumptious citrus cream enriched with the mother of all citrus fruits - the Native Finger Lime. Grown on Bundjalung Country (NSW), Fingerlime is known for its sensational flavour and also contains a range of antioxidants and vitamins, including Vitamin E & C.

• Nan’s Jam Drop with Davidson Plum.
  These yummy shortbread cookies with rich sticky jam bursting through will conjure up childhood memories for many, and I hope to make some new memories for you by sharing them with your mob. The Davison Plum in the jam gives the family fave the cultural infusion it deserves.
  Davison Plum was a dietary staple of Aboriginal people for thousands of years, known as an excellent source of potassium, Vitamin E, lutein, zinc, folate, calcium and magnesium.

Competitive Advantage

Cooee Cookies stands out with a unique value proposition that combines ‘free-from’’ culinary delight, cultural richness, and a commitment to social impact.

• Allergen-friendly Indigenous ingredients.
  We are not just a plant-based, allergy-friendly brand. Our cookies are a celebration of diverse Australian native flavours.

• Female-led Indigenous-owned business.
  2,400 (and counting) major Australian organisations have a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) that includes procurement targets impacting over 3 million Australians daily.

Government organisations, in particular, are prioritising this initiative, like the 1,800 schools participating in the Narragunnawali program. Brands with impact, such as Cooee Cookies, with our distinct ownership and commitment to giving, have also significantly outpaced the growth of traditional multinational brands in the past five years.

Use of funds

Regarding the allocation of funds, our primary focus will be on strategic initiatives aimed at fueling our growth trajectory. Key areas of investment include:

1. Team Expansion: Expanding our team to focus on business development, market research and distribution to accelerate product innovation and penetration in the 'free-from' market.

2. Product Development: Expanding our portfolio with a new line of allergen-friendly and sugar-free protein-based snacks.

3. Sustainable Packaging: Investing in sustainable packaging solutions to minimise our environmental footprint and underscore our commitment to responsible business practices.

4. Market Leadership: Establishing ourselves as the leading allergen-friendly brand in Australia through targeted marketing campaigns, strategic partnerships, and broadened distribution channels.

Join us as we share inclusivity, diversity and the rich heritage of Indigenous culture with every yummy bite.

Investor Rewards

By investing through Equity Crowdfunding, you will own shares in Cooee Cookies and be part of our journey by becoming a shareholder. That means that you have a stake in the long-term success of the business should a liquidity event take place. To find out more about becoming a shareholder and what this means review our Investor Page.

In addition to becoming a shareholder of Cooee Cookies, a range of perks and benefits are available as a thank you to the investors.

Key Risks

• Startup Risk:
  As an early-stage business, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early-stage companies, including uncertainty around the volume and origin of revenue streams, size and existence of repeat customers, and risks associated with evolving technology. In particular, the Company is not currently profitable and is yet to generate revenue through certain anticipated revenue streams. The commercial success of the business will depend on many factors including the Company’s ability to attract and retain quality staff and loyal customers.

• Cashflow Risk:
  The Company’s operating activities involve a series of cash inflows and outflows. Although the Company seeks to manage its cash flow efficiently, there is a risk that the Company may not have sufficient cash or working capital, at times, to fund both its operations and its expansion plans. This could affect the Company’s profitability, future prospects, and its ability to meet its business objectives.

• Returns are not Guaranteed:
  There is no guarantee of any income distribution or capital return on the shares in the Company nor is there a guarantee of repayment of capital amounts. Shareholders will not be entitled to any guaranteed distributions of profits or capital. There is no guarantee that distributions will be at a certain level or that there will be distributions at all.

Acknowledgement

Cooee Cookies acknowledges the Traditional People of the Lands we visit and recognize their continuing connection to Land and water, to the Dreaming and to all things living. We pay our respects to our Ancestors and Elders past, present and future, whose strength and guidance continue to nurture us. We pay tribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership within our communities.

About Swarmer

Swarmer is an Australian equity crowdfunding platform connecting businesses and investors. Designed to support start-ups, growth companies and scale-ups we allow everyday investors to own a share in businesses that are the future. We hold Australian Financial Services License (AFS License #507867). 

Find out more about becoming a shareholder via Equity Crowdfunding through Swarmer.