Blak Brews wins big on Food Stars

A GEELONG man has scored the opportunity of a lifetime, winning a 12-month mentorship with Gordon Ramsay and $250,000 to support his small business after appearing on the Channel 9 television series Food Stars.

Troy Benjamin, the owner of Indigenous tea brand Blak Brews, is now looking forward to working with Ramsay to expand the business’ reach, forging a footprint in Australia and overseas.

The show, which featured Ramsay and business mogul Janine Allis, saw two teams of budding entrepreneurs compete against each other to become Australia’s first Food Stars.

“I’m surprised at how well I did,” Benjamin said.

“That was 14 leaders, entrepreneurs, hungry young achievers and people who wanted that prize just as much as me.”

Although he doesn’t yet know what form his year-long mentorship with Ramsay will take, Benjamin said he was looking forward to the experience.

“I’m looking forward to being not just mentored but motivated because being around Gordon for those three and a half weeks, for me personally, was mega-motivating because of his style of work rate and energy.

“He’s a very, very efficient, hard and effective worker so I’m looking forward to seeing how he maintains that intensity and efficiency and work rate, while also staying connected to his family.

“It’s nothing but love with Gordon…He genuinely loves and cares for people.”

He said his entire family had been “lifted from this moment”, with the $250,000 investment having an “immediate ripple effect” on those closest to him.

“It really is something that’s going to relieve a lot of stress. I’ve never been in a financial position like this. We’ve had to work hard for everything,” Benjamin said.

“Many people don’t understand that there’s a lot of Indigenous people out there, and non, but in particular it’s really common in Indigenous communities and families out there that they don’t see homeownership as possible, or they don’t see financial security as possible.”

Benjamin said his time on the show had also given him a newfound sense of confidence, particularly in his ability to be a leader, both within the business world and for his community.

“I think leaders don’t look the same as what I thought they do and they’re not always the barking, authoritative, dominating, overarching voice,” he said.

“They can be caring; I think you’ve got to read the room well, have good intuition, good emotional intelligence and I think know your place and be happy to work under people and happy to lead at the right time.”

Benjamin said he’d received a wave of support following the win from people in all corners of the country, with messages from the Indigenous community touching him the most.

“It’s quite amazing. I’ve never been in a position where you can have an impact on such a huge number of people in one short space,” he said.

“I’ve always wondered how I can lift my Indigenous community.

“Quite often we look to footballers…but we’re very light on in terms of leaders that don’t have sport or that can run a team.

“I don’t think Indigenous people understand, or have been made to feel, they could be a leader, mainly because they haven’t seen it.”

He hopes his time on the show has resonated with them, allowing the Indigenous community in particular to see someone “lead in a space that they’re unfamiliar with”.

For more information, head to blakbrews.com