As you may know my Mum, Jo (Jojo to her 8 grandkids) started Springhill Farm over 35 years ago.

It all began because school kids would regularly visit my parents’ farm and while Dad (Ray to his mates) gave them the full ‘farm experience’; think collecting eggs, hay bale rides and milking the goat (story for another time) Mum wanted to give them something to eat that they could connect back to what they had learnt that day.

While it doesn’t sound revolutionary now, the muesli slice was in vogue back then (literally, the slice was featured in Vogue, I’m not kidding). Word got around about Jojo and her delicious slice, and soon she and Ray were baking full time.

While Mum isn’t in the kitchen as much anymore in an official capacity, she is well known to whip up a slice or a scone or two for guests, the postman, any farmhands, tradies; anyone who may stop past the farm.

Today, Ray and Jo have passed the reins to their daughter Fiona and her family. You will still see a Whatley or two (usually half a dozen) on site at our facility in Ballarat, Victoria.

"Growing up, I loved being a taste tester for all of the treats being created at Springhill Farm. It made sense that when I grew up, I would somehow be involved in the business. After starting off in different careers, James and I have officially been at the helm of the Springhill Farm brand for over 10 years. Today, although our batch sizes have increased, we’re still based in Ballarat, and still creating delicious snacks… challenging the snacking status quo and shaking up one supermarket aisle at a time."

Maybe we were brave, maybe we were foolish —either way, diving into the confectionery world felt like deciding to skydive with a parachute made of sugar (50% less to be exact). But hey, if you're gonna be reckless, might as well be sweet about it! 

We’d spent nearly 40 years perfecting the art of SLICE but why stop there we decided to venture into the world to crunchy, delicious, yet surprisingly healthy confectionery. boodles were born. We expanded our manufacturing facilities in Ballarat, and proudly expanded our team; able to employ over 70 people in the local community

Where are we now?

What is the saying – doing the same thing twice and expecting different results is…. Entrepreneurial (surely, it’s something like that).  Never ones to sit still for too long, we knew we were onto a good thing with our boodles chocolate clusters and wanted to expand the range. 

In 2024, we are venturing into the health aisle, where kale reigns and quinoa flows like confetti. Armed with ambition, we hit the health aisle with a triple threat—5-star lunchbox snacks, grown-up treats that scream 'adulting’, and kid-friendly fuel to keep the little ones going strong. Our new products make eating healthy feel less like a chore and more like a flavour-packed party.

Originally trained as a physiotherapist, I’ve always been passionate about healthy lifestyles.    Not in a fanatical strict diets and exercise regime type of way, but in a way that says life is all about balance.  You can eat snacks, just not too many of them, you should exercise, but find what’s right for you, and make sure you make some time for laughter with your family and friends. 

Somewhere along the way, food has become complicated, with ingredient lists that are unrecognizable.  Snacks used to just be a great moment to stop and enjoy. A muesli bar at recess, some crackles made in the kitchen or a piece of slice with your cuppa – they were moments of pure enjoyment, unencumbered by the worries that our modern food landscape present us with now. 

Unexplained ingredients, information overload and societal pressures have stripped away the joy.

Well at Springhill Farm, we have always viewed snacks as something more important. They’re the glue in moments of real connection. 

We don’t accept the current state of snacking. And we’ll continue to fight for it. To make snacking happier again.