A decision to build a business where her privilege could be used to create a world of inclusivity, connection, understanding and healing has taken Lara Maré, founder of RUSH Nutrition, on a rollercoaster entrepreneurship journey.

As a working mom with a passion for convenience and a desire for healthy food, Lara started RUSH Nutrition eight years ago with the aim of providing healthy snack options for children, families, athletes, professionals, and others who want to fuel their bodies and minds with locally produced, clean-label, natural products. These products have been endorsed by Diabetes South Africa as well as the Heart & Stroke Foundation, and in 2019 the company received recognition in the London Stock Exchange’s “Companies to Inspire Africa” report.

Although she’s always had a passion for people, health and improvement, Lara chose to study towards a BCom degree in Management Accounting at Stellenbosch University, which she completed in 2003. “I opted for a versatile degree that could be applied
across industries and specialities,” she explains.
After university, she was selected to become part of the AIESEC Global Exchange platform as well as the Standard Bank Graduate Programme. During her career, she joined Deloitte in their Finance Transformation Service Line and later became Head of
Insights for a boutique management consulting firm, Step Advisory.

“I adored management consulting. The emphasis on helping people grow and the exposure it provided to new and varied industries was incredible. It was only when I became a mother that the billable-hours model clashed with the much-needed flexibility required by
motherhood as well as my constant yearning to leave a legacy and create something beautiful.”

With the birth of her eldest son in 2010, Lara devoured as much research as she could around optimal child brain and body development, and increasingly realised the importance of nutrition.

“Coupled with the double burden of disease on the African continent and childhood malnutrition, I felt compelled to do something.”

She feels that there has been a definite shift in awareness around what people put into their bodies, largely driven by parents who see the immediate impact of different foods on their children. “I have seen first-hand what certain additives in foods do to aggravate the ADHD symptoms in my son. I have battled for years to find lunchbox solutions that were free from dyes, preservatives, and refined sugars.”
Using African superfoods like moringa, rooibos and baobab, RUSH Nutrition creates an array of lunchbox solutions that are now also exported to the Middle East, the United States, Mauritius, and the Seychelles. They not only manufacture for their own brand but also for
Wellness Warehouse, Vida e Caffè, Superbar and Local Village Food.

According to Lara, it hasn’t been a journey for the fainthearted. “The category has become increasingly competitive with many retailers launching their own private label brands. I often say that if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have ventured out into this space. It’s tough being a small player up against gigantic food multinationals.

Having said that, it has been amazing to be at the helm of my dreams.” Lara not only supports clean and healthy food, but also clean and healthy business practices.

“I really believe that we should be changing how we do business to create a more collaborative, inclusive, healthy, and transparent world. Unfortunately, this is completely at odds with current ‘bottom-line’ business practices and the ‘silver-bullet’ mindset of consumers.
It is hard not to become despondent by the way the system works, but I remain resolute in my mantra of holistically ‘turning the tide on disease’.”

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