Higher State Co

Smart50 Regional Award winner

Higher State Co has taken the top gong in the new Smart50 Regional Award category, with the drinks company making a significant impact on the Geelong and Port Fairy communities in Victoria.

Co-founders Samantha Manning and Hadyn Farley believe in the need to continually innovate and develop new products in the drinks space.

“I’ve always had a passion for recipe development in business,” Manning said. “That’s why we only use the highest-quality ingredients derived from distilled plant extraction.”

An entrepreneur at heart, Manning started and then sold her tea business before shifting gears to the functional beverage market with Lunae Sparkling and the non-alcoholic category with Monday Distillery.

Her stovetop experiments were so successful that Manning and Farley sold their house in Torquay to inject cash into the burgeoning business. That leap of faith has paid off, with Higher State Co undertaking an equity crowdfunding campaign to raise $1.2 million in order to keep up with demand.

While some businesses use crowdfunding when they have no other funding options, for Higher State Co it’s a sound strategy to grow while continuing to establish itself as a community-minded operation in regional Victoria.

“Our product is manufactured in Geelong, and we are known within the region for supporting local initiatives and charitable efforts, as well as donating stock to worthy causes,” Manning said.

It’s this innate sense of community that Higher State Co holds dear, both on a business and personal level. With the company’s head office in Port Fairy, Manning and Farley support small businesses to ensure the strong “village feel” continues.

“It takes a village,” Manning said. “We have managed to build a global business all within the small-town ethos of family and local support. We like to think that we are testament to what can happen — no matter where you are located.”

The Smart50 judges highlighted Higher State Co’s passion for supporting its local Geelong region and that its work has built new opportunities in its local community.