Deliciou - Kjetil Hansen
03

Deliciou

REVENUE: $12.6 million
GROWTH: 757.1%
FOUNDER: Kjetil Hansen (31)
HEAD OFFICE: Melbourne
YEAR FOUNDED: 2015
EMPLOYEES: 20
INDUSTRY: Retail and consumer products

How it started

Kjetil Hansen started Deliciou from his kitchen table in 2015 because he wanted to make a bacon-flavoured seasoning that he could add to his meals.

He went on to pitch his seasoning on Shark Tank and popularity for the product exploded, with the business now selling a range of products in major Australian supermarkets, the US, UK, China and Europe.

Growth

Hansen says the global pandemic had the potential to wipe out the majority of his revenue because 80% of his customers are based outside Australia.

“Overnight our delivery times went from seven days to 60 days. In order to deal with that we had to set up a total of five warehouses around the world,” he says.

The strategy paid off, with the local storage facilities helping to reduce shipping times, accelerate Deliciou’s global expansion and increase revenue to $12.6 million last financial year.

Where to next?

Hanson’s future plans include continuing to grow in the international markets his brand already has a presence in.

“Our focus is to get to a point where everyone can enjoy plant-based foods. That’s why we are focused on growing rapidly in international markets and growing our business here in Australia,” Hansen says.