Hi everyone.

I just wanted to gauge the interest in the possibility of a new online store for Australia and New Zealand, specifically designed for low-carb and sugar-free products.

Since starting the Atkins diet I have had enormous success, losing approximately 10 kilos and several pants sizes. I feel fantastic and I love my new-found sugar-free lifestyle.

I have been doing heaps of research on the net to find sugar-free and low-carb products whihc might be available in Australia/New Zealand and have found that we are truly the "poor cousins" of our American counterparts when it comes to the range and availability of products in this area.

To this end, I have decided to progress the possibility of starting a new importing company with an online store only at this stage, and bring into Australia a range of products which we simply do not get the chance to see - I'm especially excited about the Keto range, whihc currently is not distributed by anyone here.

So, my question is this - do you all think there would be support for a store such as this, with a gradually increasing range of products to cater to both the low-carb and sugar-free lifestyles??

Let me know. I plan to have the store up and running ASAP, as soon as I clear up importing issues with Customs (which would seem to be few) and the Quarantine Inspection Services (who do have some strict regulations regarding egg content, etc.).

I look forward to your feedback and to opening up a whole new avenue of lifestyle choices (and hopefully very affordable!) for people in our "shoes"!!!

Cheers.
Philby.

Hi
Go for it Philby - I'm sure it would be a great hit - at the right price of course. I definitely agree that we ate 'the poor cousins'. It gets quite frustrating surfing the net just to see what is available elsewhere - while we are doing it tough!

Wendye

Yes, I agree that it's good idea. More and more people are becoming interested in this healthy lifestyle and I think that you would certainly get lots of interest. I agree with Wendye about the pricing though.

I think it is a great idea. I have imported stuff for myself from the US and it is very expensive, and some items have been pulled by customs. I would buy from you if you start a site in Australia.

Thanks for the support.

Yes, price is certainly the big issue, as is the quality and suitability of all of the products we are considering. It's not great that our dollar is so "down in the dumps" and so I will probably be very choosy when it comes to the actual products we bring in - I don't want to have too many expensive items, but there will be some "luxury" type of items (ice cream mixes perhaps, etc.) that would be worthwhile for that special treat.

We are in the process of wrapping up all of our Customs and Quarantine issues and currently in discussion with some of the US suppliers, some of whom are helpful, others not so.

Anyway, I will keep you posted on the developments and will post back here as soon as the store looks like opening up for business, which I hope will be within the next 2-3 months.

Cheers and thanks again.
Philby.

Hi!

Yes, I think this would be wonderful! I was all set to get some products hard to find in NZ from Dr Atkins website - until I saw how much the international shipping charges were! I have seen a low carb supplier in NZ, but the product range is very limited.

Good luck!

Just popped into say hello. Have you guys heard of "Picture of Health". They are another low carb support BB. They also sell low carb products around Australia and I am sure they would send out to NZ. If you type in Picture of Health it will come up. It is great to find local support that talks in kilos and grams not pounds and oz. But it would be great to find things freely available everywhere.

Philby, you might want to consider taking a poll on favourite LC goodies - I belong to a US board and have ordered stuff from the States. Many of the Atkins products are not liked, but most of the Keto stuff is great. I can tell you that I prefer the Keto-Shakes over the Atkins and Designer Protein for example. I also much prefer the Doctor's Diet Low Carb/Carb Rite bar of the EAS and Atkins, Carbolite bars are a close second.

I have today tried the Keto Orange Juice (OJ) Zero carbs and it is fantastic!

I have to hand some Tortillas and pasta - yet to be tasted tested by me, but they have a great rapp on the other board I belong too.

Best regards
Loraine

Wow - I think orange juice - if it was any good - could be a big winner I know lots of people who miss their juice for brekky.

I had some pasta and some snacks I bought from the US via the net and they were ghastly - like cardboard.



Goodluck

Wendye

Thanks Loraine - I really appreciate the input.

Yes, the Keto range is one that particularly interests me a great deal and I am currently in discussions with them about distributing their products in Australia. The real trick is making it cost effective for both my operation and acceptable to the LC community from a cost point of view. There are some products which simply will be too expensive and others which will be okay for occasional luxuries and then again, others which maybe will be okay on a week to week basis.

One of the things that really interests me is the Keto Milk and Keto Crisp cereals, mainly because I miss being able to have some cereal in the morning. There's also another brand I am looking at which has hot flax type breakfasts, which apparently are supposed to be quite good.

There is, however, a big question mark over oa lot of supposedly LC bars and things in the US at the moment, even Atkins products, because of the "hidden carb" factor and the new FDA regulations relating to Sugar Alcohols, which many products use as a sugar substitute and actually are now being recognised as true carbs whihc must be counted. I am looking into this a lot more and, utilising this site's great hidden carb counter to check up on some o fthe products we are looking at.

Anyway, thanks once again for the great ffedback and support.

Will keep you all posted.

Philby.

Philby, if you start this site up I'd love to hear about it. I'm very keen to get some low -arb bits and pieces, and hey, the exchange rate is getting better now too.

So, any update on your online store?

It would be great to be able to buy some of the products. I do have Diane Lee's Baking Low Carb book, which means I can pretty much bake anything, including bread. And Fran McCullough has a great hint on making low carb icecream that isn't like a rock.

GNC stores in Melbourne, and I assume elsewhere in Australia are bringing in more of the Atkins (better) products. I am addicted to Designer Protein powder, and have to say after 4 years of chocolate shake for breakfast I still love it.

The DaVinci syrups sound wonderful, the thicken/thin, bread mixes that make it easy, the brownie mix.

You can see I love my sweets.

And do you all know about Zecal? A mix of Stevia and Erythritol. It means you can cook with it (coz Stevia ain't great heated) and it is free of anything harmful. low carb, great for diabetes, doesn't affect blood glucose or insulin levels, GI value of zero, doesn't give you the same problems as Maltitol (?). I have used it for the past 18 months and love it.

Ring 03 9879 1488 for the importer. Still need to use Splenda for chocolate though.

Cheers
Dale

I am very sorry to tell you that the Low Carbolite NZ site is closing. I guess they found the products were too high to maintain sales. For example, Thicken Thin/Not Starch is $41 NZ.

Philby, there is a US Foods shop in Bentleigh. I will be visiting them on Wednesday just to see if they are open. At the moment they just bring in high carb popular foods.

Dale

Good luck with your new store Philby! It would be great to have some more choice available.

Perhaps you can also distribute the low carb cereal made in Australia by Empower Foods? I've been having it for breakfast for a month now and it tastes great. They do some other low carb produts as well. They have a website at www.empowerfoods.com.au but they don't seem to sell through there.

Any idea when your site will be up-and-running?

As mentioned, pictureofhealth.com.au is a graet site, as is www.sizematters.com.au- both sell low-carb products at pretty good prices...obviously not as big a range as the US but pretty good all the same!