Tucker Family

TUCKER’S FAMILY

The launch of the Tucker’s Natural Gourmet Cracker range was developed from a shared philosophy of husband-and-wife team Sam and Cindy Tucker. When Sam met his wife Cindy in their 20’s, they both had a strong interest in health and wellbeing. Both were active sports people and wanted natural health positive products in their diet.

When the opportunity of developing a cracker that was GMO free, contained no artificial preservatives, flavours, or colourings, was free from yeast, soy, and MSG, and it looked like something the consumer market was asking for, they both jumped in.

In 2007, the Tucker’s Natural Gourmet Cracker range was launched. Today, Sam Tucker leads the day-to-day team, whilst Cindy remains a support in the business but has her hands full with three blonde-haired active boys 11, 12 & 13.

Tucker’s Natural is proud to be a family owned and operated South Australian business. The philosophy of its beginnings remains the same today as it did when it was founded- Better, naturally!

No matter if it’s running the dog along the beach, doing laps at the pool, competing at the local surf lifesaving club or just family time on the water, the Tucker family have a healthy lifestyle. They are active, competitive and are making the most of living by the sea.

Sam Tucker was a bright kid, so he didn’t have to work too hard when he started school. He reflects on how good his childhood was growing up in Adelaide’s famous beachside suburb of Glenelg but thinks that perhaps he coasted for a bit too long.

"By the time I got to year 12, I realised that I was playing catch-up while everyone else were hitting their peak.”

When he sat his university entrance exams (year 12 as it’s known in Australia) he didn’t achieve the score needed to get into his preferred course. Quite serendipitously, Sam enrolled in a new international hospitality course recently opened in Adelaide. It would be the move that ultimately would lead Sam to a life of leadership in the food industry.

Sam became a chef and picked up another language (as was the requirement of the course) allowing him to work all over the world. After a stint working in the London Hilton, he returned to Australia to work in five-star hotels in Queensland.

Returning to Adelaide, Sam started to work in food production; first with a small bakery in the Adelaide Hills before taking over a gingerbread company.

Sam had always been a sporty man but while he was in the UK, he realised how intense his lifestyle had become. Life in hospitality made it hard for him to eat well and get exercise. He then realised that many other people shared the same problem.

When Sam married Cindy, it was the bringing together of two like-minded people. They wanted their family to have a healthy lifestyle in a better place for their children.

Adelaide could provide the perfect place to raise their family, but they were now aware of the lack of “better-for-you” snacking choices. This was a gap in the market that they could fill. This would become the opportunity that would define the Tuckers.

Sam and Cindy launched Tucker’s Natural in 2007 when Cindy was pregnant with their first child. The first versions of the crackers were developed for Tucker’s by a contractor and Sam’s sister developed the first version of the packaging. They had a site in Edwardstown in a facility that was so small, they had to pack consignments in the carpark.

“If the truck didn’t come, we were stuck”, says Sam. “It couldn’t go back inside because we simply didn’t have the room”.

Tucker’s Natural is synonymous with Sam and Cindy’s family. They had 3 kids in 2 years and 4 months right at the time they were building their fledgling business. A pack redesign, some further flavour development, and the unique “blade” shape (the paddle blade influenced shape that is perfect for socially acceptable double dipping) resulted in ranging in a national retailer. Tucker’s Natural became the next big thing in entertaining/snacking.

Every decision Sam and Cindy took in the development of their product range was based on what they wanted their own family to eat, good nutrition and natural food ingredients.

No artificial ingredients, better protein and fibre sources, multigrain and functional foods all helped make the Tucker’s Natural snacking and entertaining proposition something quite unique.

“We are now thinking about packaging and our environmental footprint. We want our kids to be proud of the ethical approach that we bring to our business”, says Sam. “It is a reflection of who we are”.