Good mix for community

Perth-based company Thermomix has reaffirmed its commitment to community causes on the back of continued strong demand for its do-it-all kitchen appliance.

Revenue from Thermomix machines in Australia surpassed $100 million in the 2013 calendar year and is set to increase by about 30 per cent for 2014.

The success has prompted managing director and founder of the Australian company, Grace Mazur, to assess Thermomix’s community contribution and retain its strategy of involvement rather than simply handing out donations.

The company was recently successful in raising $260,000 to help save the endangered Tasmanian devil through the sale of a cookbook.

All proceeds from the sale of the Devil of a Cookbook collection of recipes, which retails at $40, have been allocated to the Great Devil Wall project in Tasmania.

The $260,000 raised has enabled the not-for-profit organisation to start building a five-kilometre wall separating healthy Tasmanian devils from their diseased counterparts.

Ms Mazur said the idea originated with Tasmanian chef Fiona Hosking – also a Thermomix employee – and was an example of how community and corporate partnerships could have a better outcome than solely monetary donations.

“It was an innovative idea to create more awareness – if we had just given the money we wouldn’t have created the awareness,” Ms Mazur said.

“The cookbook led to demonstrations and discussions about it so our customers became aware of the problem.”

Ms Mazur said it was a strategy that Thermomix preferred in addition to employees giving their time for causes they considered important.

Sales of Thermomix machines, which sell for just under $2,000, have doubled in Australia since 2011. In that year more than 26,000 were sold compared to last year’s total of around 57,000.

Ms Mazur said the company was continuing to expand into Queensland and the launch of a New Zealand branch in 2011 was going well, with sales there jumping 90 per cent year on year.

Thermomix opened a new $3 million headquarters in Balcatta in January, at which time it said it was looking to employ 1,000 sales consultants over the year. It already employs 2,500 in Australia.