The Franjo’s Kitchen Story
From a chance meeting to a
thriving business...
Sometimes the stars align and you
meet the perfect person at exactly the
right time. No, you haven’t accidentally
clicked on a dating site. We’re talking
about the meeting of Fran and Jo, two
mums on a mission to help families live
healthier and happier lives.
In 2014, Jo was out for a walk with
her first baby, Matilda. She noticed
another mum pushing a pram and
decided to introduce herself. It was
Fran, out for a walk with her first
baby, Phoebe. As they waited at the
traffic lights, Fran and Jo struck up a
conversation and by the time the little
green man appeared, a wonderful
friendship had begun.
Jo was running her own naturopathy
business and had also developed a
range of healthy biscuits called Kooka’s
Natural Cookies (a homage to her dad’s
popular Kooka’s Country Cookies). Fran
was (and still is) a practising lawyer.
Despite their very different careers, they
soon discovered a shared passion for
baked goods. Fran would pop over to
Jo’s place in Kingsville with a container
of homemade biscuits and they’d chat
about food, motherhood and everything
in between.
At the time, Fran was worried that
her baby Phoebe wasn’t gaining enough
weight and had asked Dr Google, “How
do I produce more milk?” She found a
recipe for lactation biscuits and after
baking a few batches, they were
working a treat. Fran had more milk and
Phoebe was gaining weight!
22 Complete Health
It was then that Fran had her
‘lightbulb’ moment. She thought – why
can’t Jo use her naturopath knowledge
to make a healthier version of my
lactation biscuits? She called Jo and
said, “I’ve got a business idea.”
From small beginnings – trialling
biscuit recipes in Jo’s home kitchen
and testing them on local mums –
Franjo’s Kitchen is now an international
brand with a factory in Tullamarine.
What started with two flavours of
breastfeeding biscuits has expanded to
a delicious and functional product range
that supports every stage of life – from
pregnancy and breastfeeding through to
toddlerhood and beyond.
Fran is now mum to Phoebe and
Matilda while Jo is mum to Matilda and
twins, Charles and Florence. While
their kids will always be their greatest
achievement, Fran and Jo are incredibly
proud of the thriving business they’ve
created. They are proof that if women
work together to support other women,
sensational things can happen.
Our food beliefs and inspiration…
For us, it not just about producing
healthy and functional food. It’s about
helping mums navigate the beautiful yet
bumpy road of motherhood.
With five kids between us, we have
experienced the highest of highs and the
lowest of lows – from exhilarating joy to
feeling completely overwhelmed. And
we want you to know that you’re not
alone. You have two mums cheering you
on and sending you love, always.
When you eat our biscuits, crackers
and muesli, we want it to feel like
we’re giving you a warm and delicious
hug. Whether you’re struggling to keep
anything down while pregnant or
worried about your milk supply, we hope
our functional food makes mum life that
little bit easier for you.
Our pregnancy range has been
designed to support your health and
wellbeing as you grow a beautiful new
life in your belly.
Our breastfeeding range is
specifically formulated to support a
healthy milk supply so both you and your
baby can thrive.
Our kinder range helps you nourish
your growing babes with natural
ingredients and none of the nasties.
And our family range means the
whole family can enjoy a sweet biscuit
that’s actually good for you.
We believe that food should taste
great and be full of natural ingredients
that work with your body, not against
it. That’s why you’ll never see any
additives, preservatives or refined sugar
in our products. Only the best quality
ingredients to help you live your best life.