If you've walked into our stores and felt something different compared to any other neighbourhood health food store… That's not an accident, that's Kathryn.
Kathryn Whittaker of Salt Creative Studio has shaped the look and feel of all three of our stores; Avalon, Manly, and now Warriewood. She created our original branding years ago, and she's been with us as we've grown. Every colour, every texture, every photograph on our walls has been considered or inspired by her.
As a business built on community connection, we love nothing more than championing the local talent around us. So this month, we wanted to hand the microphone over to Kathryn.
A Sense of Place
One of the things we love most about working with Kathryn is that she never took the easy road. Kathryn went above and beyond to build something rooted in where we actually are. She brought in local photographer Samantha Mackie, whose imagery of vintage shells, the coastline and the small natural details of the Northern Beaches gives the brand a layer of storytelling that graphics alone could never achieve. Each store has its own palette and personality, drawn from its own location, while still unmistakably part of the Beaches Health Foods family.
A Few Questions for Kathryn
What was the first brief Zoe gave you, and what did you want the brand to feel like?
“When Zoe and Matt first came to me, the brief was really about creating a brand that felt fresh, natural and welcoming. We wanted Beaches Health Foods to feel like a place you genuinely wanted to spend time in – not clinical, overly "health food" or predictable. The starting point was understanding the business, its customers and the sense of community and location. From there, we developed a visual language that felt contemporary but grounded in the natural environment of the Northern Beaches.
A big part of that was creating a sense of place. Each store has its own palette and inspiration, reflecting its individual location and personality, while still feeling part of the Beaches Health Foods family. Avalon, Manly and Warriewood each have their own character, and that became an important part of the creative approach.”
Tell us about Salt Creative Studio. What kind of work lights you up most?
"Salt grew out of my love of combining strategy and creativity. I've worked across branding, design and marketing for more than 20 years, and over time I realised the projects I found most rewarding were the ones where I could become genuinely involved in understanding the business, not simply designing the final piece. I'm particularly drawn to businesses where there's a strong founder vision or a real connection to place. The best work happens when strategy and creativity work together. Every creative decision should have a reason behind it, but it should also make people feel something."
You're a Northern Beaches business designing for Northern Beaches businesses. How does living here show up in the work?
"You can't help but be influenced by the place you live. The Northern Beaches has a very particular character, connected to nature and the coast, but with a strong creative community and a real appreciation for quality and individuality. There's a relaxed confidence here. That said, I don't think every Northern Beaches brand needs to look 'coastal'. It's more about understanding the culture and context of a place and allowing that insight to inform the work."
Health food stores can fall into clichés easily. How do you sidestep that?
"The key is not designing for the category, it's designing for the brand. If you start with 'health food store', it's very easy to arrive at the same visual language as everyone else. For Beaches Health Foods, nature was important, but we didn't need to represent it literally. We could capture it through colour, texture, photography, typography and materials. The vintage shell imagery gives you an immediate connection to nature and the coast, but in a way that feels unexpected and more editorial. Good design should feel natural because it is rooted in something real, not because it uses the usual visual cues of 'natural'."
Your favourite spot on the Beaches for a reset?
"The coastline, definitely. I love Avalon and Palm Beach, particularly early in the morning when everything is quieter. I'm constantly noticing colour, light, texture, architecture and the way people interact with a place. Inspiration is less about looking for a particular 'inspiration spot' and more about giving yourself enough space to notice what's around you."
For the small local businesses reading this - what's the one thing to get right first?
"Get clear on what makes you different. Before you think about your logo, colours or website, take the time to understand what you stand for, who you're trying to connect with and why someone should choose you over someone else. That clarity becomes the foundation for everything that follows. The strongest brands are the ones that know who they are, communicate that with confidence and create a genuine connection with the people they want to reach.”
Supporting Local, In Every Sense
We talk a lot about supporting local producers; the Australian brands, the small-batch makers, the people behind the products on our shelves. But local support goes beyond what's in the basket. It's the photographers, the designers, the creatives and the small businesses who make this community what it is. Kathryn is one of them, and we're grateful to have had her alongside us from the very beginning. If you're a local business thinking about your own brand, we couldn't recommend her more.
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