By CASEY NEILL
CHRISTINA de Sousa sees a lot of similarities between selling potato cakes and practising psychology.
“I was very good at being a psychologist because it was about developing relationships and trust,” she said.
But five years ago, she left that career behind to join the family business – potato farm Mountain Harvest Foods in Gembrook.
“In business, it’s about establishing a trusting relationship with your customers, with your staff, with the market,“ she said.
“It’s about developing that relationship with people and then asking them to change.
“As a psychologist, I would provide them with skills, and here I provide them with products.”
The 34-year-old mother of two was a Young Manufacturer of the Year finalist at last month’s Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
“It was a real honour to be recognised,” Ms de Sousa said.
She grew up on the potato farm her family has owned since 1946, and joined the business in 2010 when it expanded into potato cake manufacturing.
“I never thought in my wildest dreams growing up as a child that I would be an influential and central part of the business,” she said.
“When they approached me, I was six months pregnant with my second child and then I was basically off on maternity leave, so it wasn’t ever intended to be a big thing in my life,” she said.
“It was maybe something I’d do while the kids were sleeping.
“I didn’t step into it thinking that my heart was going to be taken away with the business, but it was.”
They bought businesses in Geelong and Laverton and relocated them to Gembrook, and Ms de Sousa took on the business, sales and marketing director role.
“We built this purpose-built facility on the farm,” she said.
“A lot of our competitors had been in the market for 20 years or more.
“We were the new people on the block with no real experience in food manufacturing.
“Providing a good service, developing strong relationships and marketing the fact we’re farm to plate has really made the difference.”
Farm turnover has grown from $1.5 million in 2010 to $10 million today, and the food processing side is turning over $8.5 million a year, up from $1.6 million in 2010.
Mountain Harvest sends out 8000 cartons of 120 potato cakes each month, up from 1500 when it started.
“Our sales stretch as far as Perth, regional News South Wales, to Cairns,” Ms de Sousa said.
They supply sweet potato and zucchini chips for national burger chain Grill’d and a skin-on chip to Lord of the Fries’ nine stores.
“That chip has been presented to some celebrity chefs like Guy Grossi and George Calombaris. They use them in their restaurants,” she said.
