For this week’s feature, we are shining the spotlight on Nabula Brdar and Rebel Tidmarsh, the duo behind Supermarket Swap, an app that aims to provide consumers with healthier, additive-free, and affordable supermarket food choices. To date, the app has catalogued over 2000 products stocked across Australia’s largest supermarkets and has built a community of informed and health-conscious consumers around it.
ISB: What led you to become an advocate for additive-free supermarket products?
NB: It all began when I started feeding my children. Previously, I had scanned the nutritional table to look at sugar and sodium intake but hadn’t paid much attention to the ingredient list. Whenever I did glance at the list, I found them hard to decipher and understand as they were often long and had numbers and confusing names on them. Time went on and I started to learn more about additives and preservatives and the side effects that can occur if we exceed the ‘ADI’ or the Acceptable Daily Intake. I also started to understand how some of these additives were made and quickly realised there were lots of additives that I wasn’t comfortable consuming or feeding my kids. When I started looking out for ingredients to avoid, I was pleasantly surprised that there were so many great alternative products on our supermarket shelves made with real and recognisable ingredients! I started sharing my finds to my friends on Instagram and it very quickly grew into one of Australia’s largest communities of main grocery buyers.
ISB: From being an Instagram page, what motivated you to transform Supermarket Swap into a fully-fledged app?
RT: A lot of our audience are busy mums so we know we needed to find a way to make additive-free information accessible easily and quickly. The app does exactly that. Not only does it take away the guesswork when you’re in the supermarket but it also helps you plan your dinners and is filled with recipes to make cooking for a family (or for yourself) simple. The app was designed by busy mums with a goal of removing some of the mental load associated with grocery shopping and cooking night after night, week after week.
ISB: What was the most challenging aspect of developing this app and how were you able to overcome this hurdle?
NB: Development in general has been the biggest hurdle. Neither of us are developers and so we rely heavily on professionals in this space. We’ve learned a lot in this space and we now appreciate just how different subscription app development is from traditional web development. We are continuously seeking best-in-class specialists to guide us in this space, we ask for help when we need it and aren’t afraid of change or a last-minute pivot, which has helped us overcome challenges when they arise.
ISB: Can you share how your diverse backgrounds and knowledge complemented each other in the growth of the business?
RT: We both come from a sales and marketing background but we’re Ying and Yang. Nabs is very creative and big-picture whereas I am more data and detail orientated. This benefits the business as we both enjoy working on different tasks and we don’t think we could do what the other does. However, we’re both highly passionate about the message we’re sharing and so this keeps us motivated to do our best work. We’re also comfortable challenging each other if we think we could improve and are respectful of each other’s opinions as we know we’re both looking for the same outcome.
ISB: How do you envision Supermarket Swap’s growth in the next couple of years?
RT: We hope to educate more people about what is in their food and be an integral part of everyone’s kitchen. Whether this is through what they have in their pantry, how they meal plan or just by having fun in the kitchen.
ISB: Lastly, what single advice can you give to someone who has a business idea they want to bring to life?
NB: Just get started. No matter how small that initial step might seem, all small steps add up over time. Don’t wait for the perfect moment; start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can. Also, look for cost-effective ways to validate your idea, such as sharing it on Instagram or discussing it with friends and family. This can provide invaluable feedback and allow you to gauge interest without requiring significant investment.
