A crash course in global supply chains

Scutella, 38, is one of four female directors at South Australia’s first infant formula company, mumamoo Group Pty Ltd.

Started in 2021, the business has grown from an exclusively South Australian product to being sold nationally at over 700 stockists with more than $1.7m in revenue in the past 12 months.

She comes to the business after pivoting from her career as a human resources professional with her experience as a mum of three kids and an understanding of the layered challenges mums face when it comes to making decisions about how and what to feed their baby.

Launching the brand during a pandemic and facing supply chain issues forced Kristina to solve challenges in planning as they tried to maintain growth through a turbulent time.

“The last 12 months have been incredibly challenging in securing our supply chain to deliver a 100 per cent Australian made and owned product,” Scutella said.

“Not only did launching during a pandemic put downward pressure on the supply chain, this was further compounded by ongoing crises in the US who continue to deal with catastrophic shortages in infant formula.”

The overall impact has contributed to increased freight costs, shipping delays and labour shortages which significantly affected the company’s ability to source premium raw materials and manufacture quantities to fulfil current retailer orders whilst accommodating growth.

“We are passionate about providing an ethical 100 per cent Australian made premium product and have worked closely with our material suppliers to accurately forecast demand, and secure additional materials for increased production,” she said.

“I have since diversified manufacturing to strengthen our supply chain by engaging additional third-party manufacturers to accommodate our demand.

I have also diversified our warehousing by engaging a second warehouse in Victoria. Engaging two warehouses allows us to ship product quicker and more efficiently across our channels.”

Scutella said they are also working with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) to create a product for babies with cow’s milk intolerance protein (CMPI).

“This is an area of R&D I feel incredibly passionate about after personally having a baby with this allergy and still searching for a suitable alternative,” she said.

She said specialist formulas are all imported and hard to get, which creates “a significant market opportunity and would complement our existing product line, being the first Australian brand to do so”.

An important part of Kristina’s work is supporting organisations that acknowledge and provide care for women managing perinatal mental health issues and the stigma and judgement many women feel from formula feeding.