Big Business on the Central Coast

Big Coast Businesses You Probably Didn’t Know Were Local

You know that proud feeling you get when you discover something brilliant is actually local? Here at Coasties, we know it all too well. In fact, it’s one of the best things about what we do. And boy, do we love sharing our pride with the Coast and singing our region’s praises, loudly and often. We take this part of the Coasties gig very seriously!

So, strap in Coasties, because there is some seriously big business on the Central Coast. And we reckon that most people have absolutely no idea these businesses are Coast-based, taking up residence right here in our backyard.

From global art brands to a dessert icon that’s been quietly baking away in Lisarow since before most of us were born! This is a hit list (ok, we lie it’s a brag sheet) of Coast success stories worth knowing about (and worth showing off at your next dinner party).

Big Business on the Central Coast

Olive et Oriel, West Gosford

If you’ve ever styled a room, an office or a home for sale, or if you’ve completed a renovation, it is likely you’ve needed a bit of wall art to add the final flair to the project. And if you’ve shopped for that wall art or wallpaper online in Australia, chances are you’ve landed on Olive et Oriel without having any idea they’re based right here in West Gosford.

Founded in 2015 by Teigan Geercke, who started the whole thing from her in-laws’ kitchen bench while caring for their toddler (because what better time to start a business than in the depths of hard parenting!). In the last 11 years, the business has evolved into one of Australia’s fastest-growing online art brands, with over 350,000 happy customers globally and wallpaper shipping to more than 40 countries. Not to mention an audience of close to half a million across social media.

After seeing a gap in the market, Olive Et Oriel decided not only to plug that gap but also to create and be the market. They’ve always had a huge passion for photography and artwork that’s genuinely different, and coupling that with a strong desire to have that artwork be affordable and accessible Olive Et Oriel has become a full-scale operation with state-of-the-art equipment that prints, frames and ships orders within 24 hours. Their work has found its way into the homes of celebrities, including Celeste Barber and Mick Fanning, and it all happens right here on the Coast.

Shop Olive et Oriel right here.

Personalised Favours, West Gosford

Say hello to Personalised Favours, and like many global eCommerce tales… started as a small eBay store in 2009… Since then, at a warehouse space over in West Gosford, they’ve been quietly growing, and, over the past 17 years, they have become one of Australia’s largest personalised gift retailers.

Founder Melissa Wilkinson has built Personalised Favours from grassroots to a proper powerhouse!/ There are more than 110,000 customers that trust them every year for birthdays, weddings, corporate events and all of life’s big moments.

Mel has been recognised in Inside Retail’s Top 50 People in eCommerce, and if that wasn’t enough, she recently hit the dancefloor for Dancing with the Stars on the Central Coast, raising more than $20,000 for Cancer Council NSW. Absolute legend.

With over 2,000 products and 36,000+ five-star reviews, the business ships personalised gifts all around the world. But the best part, every single order is designed, personalised and dispatched from their 1,800sqm production facility right here on the Coast, by a team of almost 40 locals using laser engraving, embroidery and UV printing.

Proudly family-owned, proudly Coast-made. So make sure next time you’re looking for the perfect gift, you Shop Personalised Favours. Oh, and did we mention, you can also pick up from their West Gosford warehouse. So for those (like us) who’re always organising gifts at the eleventh hour…this is an excellent offering.

Sara Lee, Lisarow

We reckon every Coastie (maybe even every Australian) household has had a Sara Lee cheesecake or dessert in the freezer at some point! But did you know, for more than 50 years, those desserts have been made right here in Lisarow on the Central Coast? Yep, all those delicious treats, centrepiece birthday cakes, even the most recently added lunchbox faves like Sandwich Croissants are all Sara Lee!  They’ve been part of everyday Aussie life since 1971, and their products are now shared across households in New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East too.

Under new and 100% Australian ownership (after a major comeback for the brand in 2024), Sara Lee has entered an exciting new chapter. With new and fresh injections of energy that have prompted their new launches like the Sandwich Croissants, their Minis Range and a casual little Disney partnership. All of which has pushed Sara Lee into new occasions and formats, but not without staying true to the nostalgic favourites that we all grew up with.

The brand is most proud of how deeply rooted their iconic brand is in our own backyard here on the Coast. Not only do they employ more than 200 local team members (with almost half having clocked up 10+ years with the company! Talk about loyalty, and obviously a great workplace), but they find that the Coast continues to show up for them too, with local supermarkets consistently among their strongest performers nationally. How cool is that? It’s the kind of full-circle support that makes you proud to be a Coastie.

Find the sweetest treats over at Sara Lee on Instagram

Big Central Coast Business

polytec, Somersby

polytec has no doubt come into your peripheral recently after they took over the naming rights of the stadium in Gosford. You, however, will almost definitely have seen polytec’s products in kitchens, bathrooms and commercial spaces (think restaurant or shopping centre loo cubicles) but we bet you probably had no idea the brand is headquartered right on our Hinterland doorstep at Somersby.

polytec is part of the Borg Group, which was founded by brothers Michael and John Borg in their parents’ garage back in 1989, polytec has grown into one of Australia’s leading decorative surface brands, employing close to 3,000 people nationally.

Sanitarium, Berkeley Vale (HQ) and Cooranbong

There are some brands that are very likely to be found in all pantries across the land, because… Aussie kids are Weet-Bix kids! Aside from Weet-Bix there’s Up & Go. So Good. Vegie Delights and more. All of these Sanitarium products. And Sanitarium’s Australian headquarters are located here on the Coast in Berkeley Vale.

And legend has it that their Cooranbong factory (just over in our neighbouring Lake Macquarie region), which first opened in 1899, was one of the most iconic food production sites in the country’s history at the time! Now, one of the largest Australian-owned food companies around, Sanitarium exports products to nearly 40 countries.

Bohemian Traders, Erina

Emily Berlach started Bohemian Traders from her kitchen table in 2014, as she put it she was covered in Weet-Bix crumbs with three kids underfoot. It’s grown into one of Australia’s most-loved fashion labels. Based in Erina, the brand is known for its size-inclusive, boho-meets-Mediterranean style.  

If you haven’t yet makwe sure you check out their boutique over in Erina Heights because BT basically needs to be a Coastie wardrobe essential!

SŚAINT Parfum — Central Coast

Gender-neutral, clean, ethically sourced fragrances that started in a garage on the Central Coast and ended up in Sephora? That’s SŚAINT. Founded by lifelong friends Elle Wallace and Ciara Mahoney, the brand grew from a shared love of scent into a fully-fledged fragrance and lifestyle label and a seriously loyal following. Proof that some of the coolest brands in the country are being built right in our backyard.

Krumbled Foods & Mini + Me — Central Coast

Keira Rumble is a Coast local who turned a personal health mission into not one, not two, but three wellness brands. Enter Krumbled Foods, Habitual Beauty and Mini + Me, all of which are run by a team of mums based right here on the Central Coast. Krumbled’s collagen Beauty Bites sell one every 15 seconds globally, Habitual Beauty is stocked in Sephora, and Mini + Me (her mums-and-bubs range, and her own personal fave) has become the most popular of the lot. Not bad for local Coastie brand.