Chief Nutrition was launched in 2015, entering a category dominated by sweet bars and confectionery styled snacks dressed up as health food. Its aim was to carve out niche health food and a regenerative supply chain model. Dae Hong writes.
When a category loses its focus, its product loses its value.
Take the healthy snacks sector as an example. Swayed by food trends and rival confectionery, snack businesses run the risk of favouring the incorporation of multi textural experiences and flavours over nutrition.
Dressing up the snack and marketing it under the guise of health food does not make the product healthy. According to co-founder and chief executive officer of Chief Nutrition, Brock Hatton, it just ends up as confectionery.
“If it looks like a candy bar, tastes like a candy bar, and costs the same as a candy bar, you’ve just bought a candy bar,” he said. “We call this the ‘candification’ of the health food aisle.”
With a background in industrial design, Hatton moved into the natural health food sector, where he has worked for more than 20 years across startups and distribution. That background shaped the product concept behind Chief.
At the time, Hatton and his team saw a gap in the market for convenient formats that delivered macronutrient and micronutrient profiles from clean sources. Beef became a starting point.
Local grass-fed beef offered a wholefood protein base that aligned with the nutritional brief. While jerky and biltong were already established formats, the team explored whether meat could be translated into a bar format typically associated with sweet snacks.
After extensive formulation work, Chief launched with two variants: beef, cranberry and chilli, and lamb, rosemary and currants. Hatton said that the concept was polarising.
“I’ve noticed that many bars that we’ve grown up on have been sweet,” he said.
Introducing a savoury protein bar, particularly one built around beef that was not sweet, was a divisive format.
“We understood that the product is not going to be for everyone,” added Hatton. “We were very clear on delivering our key message of high protein, clean source and low sugar. We wanted to challenge traditional formats.”
Part of this shift required educating consumers and building confidence around the product. Those who embraced the format became strong advocates, validating the decision to pursue a defined niche rather than broad appeal. Today, Chief has built a loyal following. Specialising in collagen-based products, protein bars and beef jerky from organic ingredients, the Australian based company aims to produce healthy, minimally processed and sustainable food products.
More than the product
As the brand gained traction, scrutiny from consumers intensified, particularly around sourcing. In its early stages, Chief purchased beef through wholesalers, specifying grass fed and grass finished product but without deep traceability. The business faced a new challenge around transparency.
“Consumers were asking for more information,” said Hatton.
That pressure prompted a reassessment of supply chain partnerships, becoming a turning point that reshaped the company’s priorities.
“It became a passion of our whole team,” he added. “We started to think of how we can make better supply chain choices that impact not just the end product but the environment we live in.”
This passion has become a driving force behind the business, especially in new product development where organic certification is crucial. While not perfect, the framework provides rigorous standards around soil testing and the absence of pesticide and herbicide residues.
Chief now works with a family-run farming operation with sufficient scale to support growth while maintaining certified organic credentials and documented environmental practices. By partnering with peak industry bodies like Meat & Livestock Australia and commercialisation specialists, the company has developed products that transform underused materials into high value nutritional offerings.
For example, the company has focused on better utilisation of lower value inputs such as offal, pluck or organ meats. Encapsulated freeze-dried organ meats and collagen-based formats sit alongside its original meat bars and biltong.
“This challenge has been a catalyst for us to understand our supply chain better and make deliberate improvements and intentional partnerships with those who can better our environment,” said Hatton.
Shifting the manufacturing model
Manufacturing has always been outsourced within Australia. From inception, Chief adopted a contract manufacturing model, a deliberate decision driven by product diversity. Rather than investing heavily in a single vertically integrated facility, the business works with multiple specialised manufacturers.
Different product lines require different technologies. Drying, bar forming and packaging beef products differ markedly from cold pressing collagen bars, freeze drying organ meats or blending protein powders. By partnering with facilities equipped for each process, Chief has expanded its portfolio without the burden of underutilised assets.
“The decision has enabled us to grow without manufacturing constraints,” said Hatton.
Additionally, it has widened the company’s capacity to explore innovative product solutions and formats, building a Managing Product Development process. This model has also supported growth in consumer sales, mostly through online channels.
Retail expansion has followed. Supermarkets like Woolworths and other convenience channels have broadened their range of health food products and have purchased more Chief products to stock in stores.
Leading the narrative
When asked about the challenges in the sector, Hatton points to structural shifts in retail channels, with independent health stores no longer holding the same dominance as in previous years. Supermarkets, pharmacies and online platforms now play a central role in distributing functional food products.
Protein as a macronutrient has gained mainstream attention, yet its presence alone does not guarantee overall nutritional value. With the “candification” of health food products, the current surge in protein fortified products blurs the line between functional nutrition and indulgence.
“Consumers can lack necessary nutritional knowledge,” said Hatton.
Education is central to addressing this confusion. Chief works with nutritionists, naturopaths, dietitians and integrative doctors to communicate broader health principles and contextualise product choices. Rather than relying solely on packaging claims, the company seeks to align with practitioners who can provide informed guidance to consumers.
“We partner with the right advocates and give them the mouthpiece they need to amplify messages in health,” he added. “We hope that hits home to educate consumers around real health.”
Looking ahead, international expansion is a priority. Chief currently services a dozen countries, but 2026 marks a concerted push into the US. A warehouse and small operational footprint are already in place, with plans to scale distribution.
Hatton believes Australian provenance offers a compelling narrative. He sees opportunity in promoting the environmental standards and quality controls embedded in local supply chains. Even where products are manufactured offshore, Australian raw materials remain central to the value proposition.
“Part of our role at Chief is to promote Australia and how well we create products with raw materials,” said Hatton.
For the wider food and beverage sector, his message is one of confidence. Australian brands and suppliers, he said, are well positioned globally, not only because of production standards but also due to strong marketing capability and a reputation for clean, green sourcing.
What began as a niche savoury bar concept has expanded into a diversified portfolio underpinned by contract manufacturing, practitioner engagement and international ambition. As the health category continues to grow, the company is betting that transparency, ingredient integrity, a defined consumer base and Australia’s manufacturing capabilities will remain enduring differentiators.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” he added. “We’re really in a unique position and Australia has an amazing offering that can take on the world.”