Managing the logistics of breastfeeding and life can be challenging – especially for families who want to share feeding responsibilities, and for mums who are navigating returning to work, travelling or attending events while breastfeeding.
So Brisbane mum of three Cass Wingrove is revolutionising how breast milk is accessed and stored, with her startup Nourishy – Australia’s first breast milk freeze-drying service.
Cass’s inspiration for Nourishy came while travelling with her second child and trying to navigate the complexities of pumping and transporting breast milk so she and her husband could attend a friend’s wedding. This experience planted a seed in Cass’s mind, and she resolved to find a solution that would make breastfeeding more manageable.
After extensive research, Cass connected with Milkify, a US-based breast milk freeze-drying service that has already helped over 4,000 families freeze-dry their breastmilk, and which attracted investment from Gwyneth Paltrow when it appeared on the US version of Shark Tank. Nourishy is the official Australian partner of Milkify, bringing this same technology to Australian families.
Dr. Berkley Luck, the PhD microbiologist who founded Milkify and invented its contact-free freeze-drying process, says: “Ensuring the safest, highest quality product was of utmost importance as we sought out a partner in Australia. From the beginning, Cass Wingrove and the Nourishy team demonstrated that same unwavering commitment. We feel confident that, through Nourishy, Aussie parents finally have access to the same quality freeze-drying service Milkify has provided in North America over the past five years.”
Nourishy is a user-friendly breast milk freeze-drying service that takes the hassle out of preserving and transporting pumped breast milk.
The process is straightforward: frozen pumped breast milk is collected from your home and transported to a facility in Brisbane. There, it undergoes freeze-drying to create a convenient powder that preserves all the milk’s essential nutrients, with a shelf life of three years.
The robust tech behind the service means every pouch of milk is meticulously tagged and tracked, so there’s no risk of cross-contamination throughout the process. The milk never comes into contact with people or machinery throughout the process, ensuring its integrity and safety.
The resulting powder is easy to use for anyone feeding the baby – simply add cooled boiled water and make up the bottle. The powder can also be added to the baby’s food as they grow and move onto solids, as an extra nutrient-boost.
“Nourishy is opening up options to make breastmilk more accessible and long-lasting. It’s empowering mums, dads, caregivers and guardians to feed babies nutrient-rich, immune-boosting breastmilk, with the ultimate convenience of a take-anywhere powder,” says founder Cass Wingrove.
Nourishy’s overnight breast milk shipping means the service is available nationwide, with mothers, midwives and childcare centres already singing the praises of the service.
The Mothers Milk Bank Charity in Brisbane, a breast milk donor clinic, is also working with Nourishy, so that it can transport its donor breast milk more easily to the families who need it.
“Freeze-dried breast milk changes how babies and young children are able to receive breast milk. The cost to freight frozen milk is expensive and we see Nourishy playing a critical role in mitigating this cost, ultimately making pasteurised donated human milk more accessible to more families who need it,” says Lyne Hall, RN, MN(Ed), IBCLC, Mothers Milk Bank Charity.
Cass Wingrove’s other favourite hacks and tech for parents:
Bubba’s Desk: Co-working space with childcare for mums that only launched last year but is already attracting a lot of attention.
” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Tiny Hearts Education Instagram feed: They run first aid courses but also share super helpful information for parents about all types of childcare sickness, first aid etc. It’s brilliant.
Maggie Dent Podcast: I love how real the advice is. https://boobtofood.com/podcast/ is also a great podcast covering all things relating to mother/parenthood.
Meke Baby: This product is amazing as it’s an on-the-go warmer. We love it as it can warm water to mix with your powdered breast milk.
Juggle Street is pretty good to help find last-minute care for your kiddies, and I like ” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Centr for quick workouts that are effective for a busy mum.
Find out more at: https://nourishy.com.au/