Interview with Ally Mellor, CEO & Founder of Locako

Both trusted and responsible for developing low carb and keto friendly products in an array of formats. The extensive Locako range is made with clean, quality ingredients and cleverly designed to be incorporated into your daily routine. The team at Locako focus on nourishing and trending ingredients, to enhance the mind, body and beauty of its many loyal consumers. What stays consistent across the Locako range is celebrating the role nutrition plays in the body and the impact on your overall health. Ally Mellor founded Locako in 2017 after recognising some distinct gaps in the Australian market for keto and low carb diets. Since bringing life to her vision, Locako has pioneered an ever expanding, innovative range that is beloved by the industry.

1.    What was your biggest motivation in the creation of Locako?

I think my biggest motivation is creating innovation in the industry, being the first to do something and creating an offering absolutely no one is doing. Keto and Low Carb comes with so many amazing benefits and knowing we can potentially make a difference in someone’s life is extremely rewarding.

2. Why did you choose to focus on keto and low-carb based products?

For me personally, this way of eating is something I’ve practiced for many years, and I have a strong understanding of these dietary principles. After travelling to the US in 2017, I discovered hundreds of low carb and keto products, and recognised a huge gap in the Australian market which inspired me to create the strong offering that you see today.

3. What the most challenging part of building a brand?

I would have to say that your customer is the most important thing and so understanding them is key. Creating a brand, design and story around our consumer has contributed to our success. This is something that took me a while to recognise and getting it right was challenging. At a time, we tried expanding to vegan and organic mushroom filled coffee creamers that were unsuccessful with our audience – it was something our customers weren’t in the market for.

4. You have a busy and innovative line of product development. What is your process and how do you stay trending?

Lots and lots of research. I tend to look to the US market for ideas and inspiration. Getting the timing right for trends can be risky, we are sometimes too early for the Australian market and the trend is not yet understood by consumers. When working on product innovative we come up with a concept, we identify what problem we are solving and then workshop a way we can stamp it with a cool Locako twist that relates back to our audience. Australian natives are really popular at the moment, especially when considering so many beautiful flavours and health benefits, this is a perfect trend for our business right now.

5. What has been your biggest hurdle as a business owner, and how did you overcome it?

There have been many hurdles over the years, and I am always working on overcoming something. Anything from cash flow, staff, facing competitors in the market to entering a new country, they all come with their own set of challenges but overcoming them only makes us stronger.

6. What is your favourite Locako product and how do you use it?

That’s a little like asking which is my favourite child haha! If I had to choose, I would have to say the coffee creamers range. I use Keto Adapt as my preferred and add some Glowing Marine Collagen for a beauty boost. The Beauty Brownie Bites are definitely my favourite snack!

7. How do you balance being a business owner and busy mum?

Well, I certainly don’t work a regular 9 to 5 business week. I would say I work across 6 split shifts 7 days a week and that suits me well at the moment. I think my boys add that extra drive of motivation which makes it a lot easier knowing I am creating a future for them.

8. What is next in store for Locako?

For our team, growth has always come from being different and adding value to our consumers. Over the last 6 months we’ve been working on some TGA listed keto supplements, a big step for us and something we’re really excited to launch to market next year, hopefully.

9. What has your experience been like with Global By Nature?

We have been working with Global By Nature since the very early days of our business and when we only have 4 products. We are very grateful they believed in us from the beginning and now range over 30 Locako products. The partnership with GBN has helped us reach more customers and retailers so we can spend time focusing on marketing and NPD.

At Global By Nature, we distribute 250 brands and over 2,500 health and wellness products to trade. Our knowledgeable team are passionate about connecting you with the best quality health brands that support the growth of your business.