A Full Circle Moment
With Hayley and Paul Moran from Airlie Health Hub
There's a new team member about to join the Airlie Health Hub team, only this time it’s growing from within, as husband and wife business owners Hayley and Paul Moran are expecting their first child.
Hayley's motherhood journey is closely entwined with the creation of her business, as she and Paul launched the organic, health-focused food store after Hayley experienced trouble conceiving.
"I had massive fertility issues in my early 20s." Hayley shared.
"I thought, but why- I shouldn't? So I asked: what's in the products that I'm putting on my skin? What's in the food that I'm eating, the water that I'm drinking?
“There was no access to eating chemical- and toxin-free at that time, so I really had to start my own store to be able to turn my own life around. Now, I'm pregnant… It's something that we had pretty much given up on."
Upon discovering the power of how changing your diet can change your life and transform the way you feel, Hayley and Paul committed themselves to helping others feel their best.
"Sometimes, people come to us not just to eat cleaner and eat fresher, but because they have health problems that they know they can't deny anymore because it's really impacting their lives." Hayley said.
Airlie Health Hub offers a new way of fuelling your body, one that is connected to nature, and mindful of the impacts of chemicals on the body; chemicals that often find their way onto supermarket shelves.
Along the way, Hayley and Paul have been building community, supporting producers in the region and looking for new ways to find a natural way of living. They are currently heading into their growing season, heading out to farms in Bowen twice a week to harvest fresh, seasonal produce.
"When you see out-of-season produce in the supermarkets it's from overseas, or chemically stored, which never tastes as good. Ours, you can just smell the food, you can taste it. It's so much different," Hayley explained.
With a little one on the way, Hayley and Paul are continuing to grow the store's offering, as they learn about new products that keep both baby and Mum healthy and toxin-free.
"I've started to implement things in the store now," Hayley said.
"For instance, there are a lot of chemicals in typical nappies that go straight onto a newborn's skin. And your skin's your biggest organ. So, we’re finding alternatives.
Hayley and Paul have always led the business as a duo, but as they step back a little to prepare for parenthood, they have been growing a team of passionate, beautiful staff who carry their warm, welcoming energy and passion for good food. The transition has been made easy for Hayley by Paul's unwavering support.
"He does everything for me at the moment, whether it be cooking, or putting my shoes on. Paul is my best friend," she said.
With four years spent running the business, Hayley and Paul have long since found their flow, and complement each other – but it took a little adjustment to find their groove. The secret, they say, is honest, open communication.
The couple’s proudest achievement along the way has been seeing the store grow, adding fresh produce, dairy, organic meat from the Atherton Table Lands, and fresh sourdough bread, to the bulk wholefoods they began with. They've grown a network of similar minded, organic producers, curating small-batch products from all over the Whitsundays; and on the horizon they only anticipate further expansion.
Q: What makes you feel successful?
A: That we actually, genuinely love what we do.
