# Take Friday Off: full text

Source: https://takefridayoff.com. Brand positioning by Studio Offline. This file is maintained for language models and agents; it mirrors the public site. Key figures, with their context: as little as 6 months to shelf (concept to compliant, shelf-ready product); 32 days, design to production order (our fastest on record, a complex herbal capsule); 48 products taken into production (since 2020, across six formats); $1.5B+ revenue generated (across 50+ brands built by our operators); 40+ years of team experience (natural health, regulatory, supply chain, commercial).

## Positioning

Reducing your product development timeline from 24 months to as little as 6.

Take Friday Off helps wellness brands take a product from concept to compliant and shelf-ready in as little as six months, up to 4x faster than the industry norm.

With practitioner-grade standards, regulatory expertise, tier-one manufacturing partnerships and intelligent systems, we turn your concept into a compliant, ready-to-ship and category-leading product without the cost or complexity of building in-house.

Take Friday Off compresses timelines, de-risks compliance and delivers high-performance wellness products through one proven system, the Launch Engine™. We’re the product development team behind some of the country’s most trusted wellness brands.

Mission: To simplify and accelerate compliant product innovation for the world’s best wellness brands.

Vision: To become the behind-the-scenes engine powering the next generation of natural health product leaders.

We’re not a consultancy. We’re the task force team that gets your product from concept to compliant and shelf-ready in less time and with less internal friction.

## Introduction

Like you, we’re believers in the power of great natural products to improve people’s lives.

With 40+ years’ collective experience in Australia’s best brands, we know how to bring exceptional products to a demanding global market.

Over six years and close to 50 products in production, we’ve learned what works, who to call and how to make product development run better, faster and more cost-effectively.

The products and businesses we’ve developed have gone on to real results: one was acquired by an ASX-listed company.

You’ve got the breakthrough ideas. We’re here to help you make them a reality.

Take Friday Off exists to help great brands innovate faster, and better, without cutting corners. We take what is typically a fragmented, slow and complex internal product development process and replace it with one seamless, intelligent and proven system.

With 40+ years of combined experience across natural health, regulatory affairs, global supply chains and commercialisation, we’ve built brands and products that have generated more than $1.5B in revenue.

Now we’re building for you: faster, smarter and with greater health benefits for the most important person in this whole equation, your customer.

## Why TFO & why now

The wellness category doesn’t need more products. It needs better ones launched faster. With consumers demanding cleaner formulations and investors expecting rapid traction, speed to market and innovation are no longer trade-offs, they’re dual imperatives.

Take Friday Off offers a new way to build your product pipeline: one proven system, the Launch Engine™, that takes a product from concept to shelf in as little as six months.

Built by commercial operators rather than consultants, it integrates global ingredient access, formulation innovation, tier-one manufacturing partnerships and precise regulatory expertise to help high-growth wellness brands launch better products, faster.

We don’t just advise, we carry the outcome. From strategy to forecasting, concept to compliant, label to launch, we replace the need for up to six internal hires or fragmented vendors with one seamless, intelligent system.

Consumers expect high standards for results, manufacturing methods, ingredient sourcing and environmental impact across a product’s whole life.

Businesses have become leaner and need flexible access to specialised skills, facilities and resources as demand changes.

Product development, innovation and the regulatory, quality and technical work behind them have become more important to growth.

Companies need more consumer-focused products, delivered at lower cost, on shorter timelines and with smaller teams.

Take Friday Off offers a streamlined process and service to help brands launch new products, upgrades, relaunches and listing updates faster and with less stress.

## The Launch Engine

(01) Discover
We align the product with commercial, brand and regulatory requirements from day one: market, portfolio, pathway and forecast, so every decision ladders up to a product that sells and a pipeline that scales.
You get: A brief, a regulatory pathway and a forecast you can take to the board.
You decide: Go or no-go on the brief, and which regulatory pathway to take.

(02) Design
Practitioner-grade formulation with early access to new ingredients, emerging research and the formats your customers are already looking for, sourced through a Tier 1 global ingredient network.
You get: A formulation, a specification and a quote.
You decide: The formulation, the format and the target unit price.

(03) De-risk
Compliance built in rather than bolted on: claims, evidence, labelling and listing handled to TGA, FSANZ and AICIS standards, so nothing is unpicked later.
You get: Substantiated claims, compliant artwork and the listing.
You decide: The claims you will make, and the evidence behind them.

(04) Deliver
We manage the factory, so you don't have to. cGMP manufacturing partners matched to your format, volume and margin; specification, packaging and labelling carried by one team; release testing, imports and freight handled through to your warehouse or 3PL.
You get: Finished product delivered to your warehouse, with the playbook.
You decide: The first run and the launch date.

(05) Drive
After launch: performance against the plan, range extensions and the next SKU, so the pipeline keeps moving.
You get: A pipeline, not a one-off.
You decide: What comes next in the pipeline.

## What we build

Capsules (Single actives to complex herbal blends)
From a single-ingredient formula to complex herbal blends of 13 or more ingredients, in 60-count bottles, recycled PET and 7-day trial packs.

Tablets (Direct-compression tablets)
Direct-compression tablets, including a formula moved from capsule to tablet when the blend would not encapsulate.

Softgels (Fish, krill and algal omega-3)
Fish oil, krill oil and algal omega-3, taken from formula and stability through to reorder.

Powders and sachets (Probiotics, electrolytes, greens and performance)
Probiotic, electrolyte, greens and performance powders, in tubs, pouches and single-serve sachets.

Liquids and oils (Liquids and organic oil blends)
Liquids and organic oil blends, including a supply chain from a New Zealand maker through to delivery in Australia.

Creams and serums (Topicals on the TGA or cosmetics pathway)
Creams and serums on the TGA or cosmetics pathway, from a TGA-listed kava cream in tubes to a matching hair serum.

## Brand pillars

Faster, smarter product development
Speed isn’t a risk when you build with the right partner. We deliver compliant, shelf-ready products in a fraction of the usual time, without sacrificing quality or depth.

No chasing
Real updates, straight answers. Most of our reviews mention the communication before the speed: you know where the product is, what happens next and when.

Regulatory as an enabler
We integrate clinical rigour and regulatory pathways from the start, turning compliance into a strategic growth lever.

Elevating the standard
We raise the bar on every product we build: ingredient sourcing, dosing and formats that work better and last longer, and honour the people who use them.

Innovation advantage
Innovation isn’t optional, it’s expected. Our network gives you early access to new ingredients, emerging research and next-gen formats your customers will already be looking for.

Total system, not services
We don’t offer piecemeal support. The Launch Engine™ replaces chaos with clarity so your team can focus on brand and growth.

## Brand DNA

Strategic: We align product development with commercial, brand and regulatory requirements.
Compressed: We reduce 18 to 24 month timelines to as little as six.
Practitioner-grade: We formulate to practitioner-grade doses and TGA standards.
Quietly powerful: We don’t create more noise. We protect progress and carry the outcome.
End-to-end: From concept to commercial strategy, compliance, formulation and packaging.
Regulatory as a growth lever: Compliance is integrated from day one, unlocking claims, protecting IP and accelerating launches.
Communication first: Real updates, straight answers, no chasing.
Seamless: One task force team that replaces up to six, running one proven system: the Launch Engine™.

## Differentiators

As little as six months: Up to 4x faster than the industry norm.
Tier 1 global network: Access to Tier-1 manufacturers, the highest quality raw materials and global innovation partners.
Regulatory expertise: Compliance-led development that protects brand, claims and IP.
Commercial operators: $1.5B+ revenue generated across 50+ brands.
The Launch Engine™: Five steps from concept to compliant to shelf: Discover, Design, De-risk, Deliver, Drive.
Craftsmanship & formulation design: Category-leading products developed with expert precision and care.

## Benefit ladder

Emotional: You feel in control of your product development.
Functional: Concept to compliant to shelf in as little as six months: commercial, compliant and complete.
Brand truth: Full-stack delivery from commercials to formulation to compliance and manufacturing.
Brand belief: You don’t need 24 months to get effective, compliant products on shelf, and you don’t need to compromise on quality to get there.

## Case studies (from the project records)

Projects from our own records, strongest first. Clients are named where they have reviewed us publicly or already appear on our site, and anonymised otherwise; many prefer the market to see the product as their own. Manufacturers are never named. Every number and timeline is taken from our records.

EverLeanBody: Signed brief to dispatch in under six months (First launch): https://takefridayoff.com/work/everleanbody-saffron-capsule
At a glance: Capsule · TGA-listed medicine · Built on affron®, a clinically studied saffron extract · Brief to 3PL
The brand: EverLeanBody, a founder-led Australian women's wellness brand for perimenopause and menopause, started by a former firefighter and athlete, built around an engaged online community, selling direct and piloting in pharmacy.
The challenge: The founder wanted a premium daily capsule for women 35 and over, at a set retail price, with the evidence and listing to sell it with confidence.
What we built: A four-ingredient capsule built around affron®, a clinically studied saffron extract, with L-theanine, lemon balm and active-form B vitamins. We ran the brief workshop, designed the formula, built the claims evidence, secured the TGA listing, drafted the label and set up a 24-month stability program.
Manufacturing and delivery: We ran manufacturing end to end and managed dispatch to the brand's third-party logistics partner.
The result: 5.8 months from signed brief to dispatch; A second product, built on Eriomin®, a clinically studied lemon flavonoid extract, now in development with us
"Gabriel understood our brief straight away, then challenged us to make it better. He would not let us settle for what was already in the mainstream, and the formulation is better for it... Six months from our first meeting, my first product was on a shelf. The communication is what sets them apart. Real updates, straight answers, no chasing." (EverLeanBody; Google review)

The Belly Solution: From a first product to a national pharmacy rollout (First launch): https://takefridayoff.com/work/the-belly-solution-travel-gut-health-powder
At a glance: Powder in a 14-day pouch · TGA-listed medicine · Built on Saccharomyces boulardii, the most studied probiotic yeast · Formula to pharmacy shelf
The brand: The Belly Solution, a science-led Australian travel-health brand, started by a husband-and-wife team, launching its first product.
The challenge: A new company with a range of five products in mind. The founders needed a first hero product that was evidence-based, TGA-listed and ready for pharmacy.
What we built: A travel gut-health powder combining the clinically studied probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii, a prebiotic and electrolytes, in a 14-day pouch. We designed the formula, built the claims evidence, secured the TGA listing, drafted and reviewed the label, designed the stability protocol and set up a 36-month stability program.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing, release testing and delivery. The second batch is now in production.
The result: About eight months from formulation to dispatch; A second batch now ordered; A national pharmacy distribution trial, with more than 30 new stockists in the first week; A 5.0 rating from 24 verified customer reviews; A second product now in design with us
"It's a big thing to put complete and total trust in someone to build something for you from scratch... we've enjoyed the process so much, we've just hit the green light on our second product!" (Sally Towell, Director and Co-founder, The Belly Solution; Google review)

BWellness: Nine products and a long partnership (Established brand): https://takefridayoff.com/work/bwellness-practitioner-range
At a glance: Tablet · TGA-listed medicine · Built on EnXtra®, with Wellmune®, life's™OMEGA and VitaShine™ in sister products · Nine products, five years
The brand: BWellness, a practitioner-channel brand and distributor serving naturopaths and nutritionists across Australia and New Zealand, acquired in 2024 by an ASX-listed company for A$7 million.
The challenge: The brand needed a tablet built around a clinically studied branded extract, developed, manufactured and kept in supply.
What we built: A 60-tablet formula built on EnXtra®, a clinically studied Alpinia galanga extract, taken from quoting specification to manufacture. We managed production, a custom label and a stability program at 3 and 12 months, then ran every reorder since.
Manufacturing and delivery: We've managed every production run, including imported ingredients, customs and freight, through to delivery to the brand's warehouse.
The result: Five production batches from 2021 to 2025; A sixth order now in the pipeline; Nine products developed for the same brand, including an immune powder built on Wellmune®, an algal omega-3 capsule built on life's™OMEGA with VitaShine™ vegan vitamin D3, a vitamin D product, an adrenal formula and a women's health formula
"Take Friday Off is the future of a product design service... Crazy not to consider you for all NPD." (Peter Ochsenham ND, former Managing Director and owner, BWellness)

ATP Science: Rebuilding a sports brand's core range (Established brand): https://takefridayoff.com/work/sports-brand-core-range
At a glance: Capsules and a powder · TGA-listed medicines and food · Includes Testofen®, a clinically studied fenugreek extract · Five products, reformulation to reorder
The brand: A private-equity-backed Australian sports and wellness brand, turning over A$24 million a year by 2019 and exporting to New Zealand, the UK and the UAE.
The challenge: Several of its best-known formulas had room to improve on ingredient quality, dose and permitted indications.
What we built: Four TGA-listed capsules, reformulated from scratch (one built on Testofen®, a clinically studied fenugreek extract), plus a food-pathway performance powder. We handled the TGA listings, stability protocols, label review and manufacturing.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing for all five products and every reorder, and worked through a co-packer delay, through to delivery.
The result: Five products in production from late 2023; Reorders on three of them within a year

A joint formula for a leading sports nutrition brand (Established brand): https://takefridayoff.com/work/sports-nutrition-joint-formula
At a glance: TGA-listed medicine · Formula, evidence, listing and manufacture
The brand: One of Australia's largest direct-to-consumer supplement makers, with more than 100 staff and around 50,000 orders a month (2025).
The challenge: Bring a joint-support formula into its range as a TGA-listed medicine.
What we built: The formula, the claims evidence, the TGA listing, production, and a later listing update to keep it current.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing and interstate freight through to the brand's warehouse.
The result: Delivered in 2023, alongside further products we scoped for the brand.

The regulatory partner behind an international skincare brand (Established brand): https://takefridayoff.com/work/skincare-brand-regulatory-partner
At a glance: Supplements and a sunscreen · TGA · Ongoing regulatory retainer
The brand: An international professional skincare brand, founded in the US in the 1980s and sold in more than 25 countries, with an ingestible range.
The challenge: Develop and keep a growing range of supplements and a sunscreen compliant in Australia.
What we built: Formula and evidence work across three products, two supplements and a sunscreen, with stability studies out to 36 months. Since 2024 we have run their regulatory work on a monthly retainer.
The result: A regulatory partnership now in its third year.

Pump Haircare: A hair care brand that keeps coming back (Established brand): https://takefridayoff.com/work/pump-haircare-hair-supplement
At a glance: Capsules · TGA-listed medicine · Repeat client since 2021
The brand: Pump Haircare, a hairdresser-founded, private-equity-backed Australian hair care brand, stocked in more than 300 salons and sold in over 100 countries (2022), that moved into supplements.
The challenge: Turn its hair expertise into TGA-listed hair growth supplements, then upgrade the formula as the range grew.
What we built: A TGA-listed hair growth formula, its reorders, and later an upgraded version with a full new listing package and stability testing.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing, imports and air freight, and fixed issues along the way, through to delivery for every order.
The result: Working together since 2021; A 2024 reorder, ready ahead of schedule; An upgraded formula shipped in 2026, with another reorder in the pipeline
"Was a lovely process, the team are great to work with, patient, understanding and responsive." (Heidi Doig, Pump Haircare; Google review)

Rescuing a product that wouldn't encapsulate (Established brand): https://takefridayoff.com/work/eye-health-tablet-format-rescue
At a glance: Tablet and capsules · TGA-listed medicines · A format rescue, then a range
The brand: An established Sydney natural health company with a multi-product range and export customers.
The challenge: An eye-health formula kept failing in encapsulation because the ingredient mix was too wet, and hand-filling would have added one to two more months.
What we built: We moved the formula to a direct-compression tablet, got samples approved, and designed the stability protocol needed to support a three-year expiry. Across the relationship we developed and quoted nine products for the brand, spanning eye health, omega-3s, probiotics, liver, immune, prostate and more, and took three into production.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed every production run through to delivery, including the change of format mid-project.
The result: The eye-health tablet shipped in June 2024; A fish oil and a krill oil capsule also in production, with the fish oil reordered

An eye-health formula, certified halal and reordered (Established brand): https://takefridayoff.com/work/halal-eye-health-formula
At a glance: TGA-listed medicine · Built on the nutrient levels of the AREDS2 clinical trial · Halal certified · Design to reorder
The brand: An Australian eye-health brand founded by an ophthalmic surgeon.
The challenge: A premium eye-health formula built on the landmark AREDS2 nutrient levels, with a sample pack to drive trial, and halal certification to reach more customers.
What we built: The formula, updated to AREDS2 vitamin E levels before build, a 60-count pack and a 7-day trial pack, halal certification, and a 24-month stability program.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing of both pack sizes, for both runs, through to delivery.
The result: From design to production order in under seven weeks; Reordered a year later, with the halal certification renewed

Design to production order in 32 days (First launch): https://takefridayoff.com/work/ashwagandha-capsule-32-days
At a glance: TGA-listed medicine · Built on KSM-66®, a clinically studied ashwagandha extract · 32 days, design to production order
The brand: A founder-led men's performance start-up from a team with a background in branding and marketing.
The challenge: A complex herbal formula built around branded KSM-66 ashwagandha, needed on a tight timeline.
What we built: The formula, an evidence package covering more than 13 ingredients, the TGA listing and a long-term stability program.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing through to delivery.
The result: From design to production order in 32 days.

Mother Daily: Six versions to get a postnatal formula right (First launch): https://takefridayoff.com/work/mother-daily-postnatal-supplement
At a glance: Postnatal supplement · Six formula versions · Evidence to full production run
The brand: Mother Daily, an Australian mothers' health brand, backed by a venture fund.
The challenge: A postnatal supplement with evidence behind every key ingredient.
What we built: An evidence package covering eight key ingredients, six versions of the formula until it was right, the nutrition panel, label press proofs and a full production run.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing and the freight of the full run to the brand's warehouse.
The result: One of our largest first production runs, shipped in 2024.

Arxi: A preconception formula that keeps reordering (First launch): https://takefridayoff.com/work/arxi-preconception-supplement
At a glance: Capsule plus 7-day pack · TGA-listed medicine · Three production orders
The brand: Arxi, a fertility brand founded by a fertility dietitian, a national Dietitian of the Year finalist, and a clinical nutritionist.
The challenge: A TGA-listed female preconception supplement, with the evidence to support it.
What we built: The formula, the claims evidence, the TGA listing, the label and the product specification, plus a 24-month stability program. We later added a 7-day sample pack for events and sampling.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing for every order, troubleshooting the first run with the maker, through to delivery.
The result: Three production orders since 2024.

Client Confidential: A prenatal built on native botanicals (First launch): https://takefridayoff.com/work/native-botanical-prenatal
At a glance: Capsule · TGA-listed medicine · Built on native Kakadu plum with First Nations provenance
The brand: A profit-for-purpose native-plant supplement brand whose profits fund free prenatals for women on a healthcare card, co-founded by the founder of a leading creative agency.
The challenge: A prenatal multivitamin built as much as possible on native Australian plant powders, led by Kakadu plum.
What we built: Three versions of the formula, quotes from three manufacturers, an evidence package covering 13 or more ingredients, the TGA listing, the label and the stability protocol. We also sourced a replacement Kakadu plum with First Nations provenance.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed production and troubleshooting through to delivery for launch.
The result: The brand launched in August 2025.

Vitable: A hair range in recycled packaging (First launch): https://takefridayoff.com/work/vitable-hair-growth-range
At a glance: Capsule and serum · TGA-listed medicine and cosmetic · Built on a clinically studied Biota orientalis extract, AnaGain™ under licence and Quatrefolic® · 100% recycled PET
The brand: Vitable, a venture-backed Sydney personalised-vitamin brand operating across five countries, whose founders were named among Australia's Top 100 Young Entrepreneurs (2024), now being acquired by ASX-listed Elixinol Wellness.
The challenge: A hair growth range: an evidence-based capsule and a matching serum.
What we built: A complex TGA-listed capsule with more than 13 ingredients, including a clinically studied Biota orientalis extract, AnaGain™ under licence and Quatrefolic® active folate, in a 100% recycled PET bottle, plus a matching topical serum on the cosmetics pathway. We formulated and manufactured both, and sourced the recycled bottles.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing of both products, including the recycled bottle supply, through to delivery.
The result: Both products delivered in 2024 and 2025.

A skin program built on probiotics (First launch): https://takefridayoff.com/work/probiotic-skin-supplement
At a glance: Two-a-day supplement · TGA-listed medicine · Probiotics at the core · 12 weeks, design to production order
The brand: An Australian skincare brand.
The challenge: Turn its skin program into a daily supplement, the second version of its formula, with probiotics at its core.
What we built: The reformulated two-a-day product, the claims evidence, the TGA listing, the label and a stability program.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing through to delivery.
The result: From design to production order in 12 weeks, shipped in 2025.

Your Skin Scan: An own-brand launch for a clinical skin service (First launch): https://takefridayoff.com/work/your-skin-scan-nicotinamide-tablet
At a glance: Tablet · TGA-listed medicine · Nicotinamide at the 500 mg strength used in published clinical research · Enquiry to delivery within the year
The brand: Your Skin Scan, a community skin-check and mole-mapping service, led by a clinical nurse consultant who wanted her own supplement for her clients.
The challenge: The founder wanted to sell her own vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) product but wasn't sure which regulatory pathway applied.
What we built: A single-ingredient 500 mg tablet, 120 per bottle, as a TGA-listed medicine. We handled the formula, the quote, the claims evidence, the TGA listing, label compliance and the stability protocol.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing through to delivery, so the founder never had to deal with a factory.
The result: A first own-brand product, from first enquiry to delivery within the year.
"5 Star business. From concept to manufacturing to completion, Take Friday Off were thorough, professional and understood the needs of a small business. Highly recommended." (Sharon Hudson, Managing Director, Your Skin Scan; Google review)

Nivari: A founder's first product, launch-ready (First launch): https://takefridayoff.com/work/nivari-powder-supplement
At a glance: Powder in the brand's own pouch · First product · Idea to launch-ready
The brand: Nivari, a founder-led wellness brand, with a CEO and COO team, launching its first product.
The challenge: Take a powder supplement from idea to a finished, launch-ready product.
What we built: The formula and the full development and manufacturing process, packed into the brand's own pouch.
Manufacturing and delivery: We managed manufacturing and delivery, including the founder's own pouch.
The result: Produced and delivered for a mid-August 2026 launch.
"Working with the Take Friday Off team to develop my supplement has been a great experience from start to finish. The entire job was smooth and the communication during the job was clear and professional... I would highly recommend Take Friday Off to anyone looking to develop a product." (Minaret Shore, CEO, Nivari; Google review)

Deeply Rooted: A cross-border organic oil for little ones (First launch): https://takefridayoff.com/work/deeply-rooted-organic-oil
At a glance: Organic essential oil · Made in New Zealand · Cross-border supply chain
The brand: Deeply Rooted, a founder-led natural baby-care brand, working with lactation consultants and midwives.
The challenge: An organic essential oil blend for children, made in New Zealand and sold in Australia.
What we built: Product development and the whole cross-border supply chain, from the New Zealand maker to delivery in Australia.
The result: Delivered in 2025.
"Fantastic company to engage with. Gabriel is super knowledgeable and has assisted me greatly in my business." (Founder, Deeply Rooted; Google review)

Ora: Practitioner-grade natural medicine, built on clinical evidence (Our own brand): https://takefridayoff.com/work/ora-practitioner-natural-medicine
At a glance: Capsules, powders, tonics and chewable tablets · TGA-listed medicines and premium functional foods · Built on affron®, KSM-66®, GutGard®, Ferrochel®, life's™OMEGA, Vitashine™, ioPea™, PANMOL® and SIRTCell™ · Our founder's own brand
The brand: Ora, a premium Australian natural medicine brand founded by Gabriel Perera, recommended by naturopaths, herbalists and functional medicine practitioners and carried by premium retailers across Australia and New Zealand.
The challenge: Build a full practitioner-grade range across healthy longevity, women's hormonal health, gut health, and sleep, stress and recovery, with every formula therapeutically dosed, plant-based and backed by evidence.
What we built: A range of around 19 products, each built on ingredients with gold-standard clinical research behind them, using certified organic ingredients where possible. One formula was co-created with clinical herbalist Erin Lovell Verinder. Ora also runs pilot studies on its own products, and every batch is independently third-party tested.
Manufacturing and delivery: Managed end to end through the same process and manufacturing partners we use for every client.
The result: A brand in practitioner clinics and premium retailers across Australia and New Zealand, a member of 1% for the Planet, and expanding into new markets.

Nectar of the Dogs: A new category, then an acquisition (Our own brand): https://takefridayoff.com/work/nectar-of-the-dogs-pet-supplements
At a glance: Supplement powders and water treats for dogs · Human-grade ingredients · Formulated with vet surgeons and naturopaths · Acquired
The brand: Nectar of the Dogs (People for Pets), founded by Gabriel Perera.
The challenge: Bring human-grade, evidence-based supplement standards to pets, in a format dogs will actually take.
What we built: A line of plant-based water treats and supplement powders, added to a dog's water or food, each targeting a specific health and wellness need. They were formulated to evidence-based standards in collaboration with vet surgeons and naturopaths.
The result: In 2022 The Real Pet Food Company, the group behind Ivory Coat, Billy + Margot and Nature's Gift, bought a majority stake. It was the group's first move into pet supplements.

Arxi: Making a prenatal people will actually take (First launch, shipping soon): https://takefridayoff.com/work/arxi-prenatal-chewable
At a glance: Chewable · TGA-listed medicine · Rocoat® coated B vitamins · Liquid to chewable
The brand: Arxi, a fertility and pregnancy brand founded by a fertility dietitian, a national Dietitian of the Year finalist, and a clinical nutritionist.
The challenge: Deliver a full prenatal vitamin and mineral dose in a form pregnant women will accept. B vitamins and selenium are bitter and smell strongly, and vitamin C fizzes in liquid.
What we built: We started with a liquid drop. When trials showed it wasn't stable and the taste couldn't be masked, we traced the main odour to one selenium form and removed it, tested a liposomal liquid, then moved to a two-a-day chewable with Rocoat® coated B vitamins to tame the taste. Our label review caught two errors before print.
Manufacturing and delivery: We're managing manufacturing now, through to delivery.
The result: In production, due for dispatch in late October 2026.

A kava cream built to challenge the category leaders (First launch, shipping soon): https://takefridayoff.com/work/kava-pain-relief-cream
At a glance: Cream · TGA-listed medicine · Traditional Pacific kava · Challenger to the category leaders
The brand: A founder-led Australian pain relief brand built on a traditional Pacific Island ingredient, with international distribution interest ahead of launch.
The challenge: A TGA-listed pain relief cream that pairs kava with proven ingredients, matches the category's leading creams on formula and price, feels non-greasy, doesn't stain, and comes in a pack older users can open easily.
What we built: The formula and R&D samples, the claims evidence, the TGA listing (updated after a preservative change), the stability program, the product specification and the label.
Manufacturing and delivery: We're managing manufacturing now, including the tube supply, through to delivery.
The result: Due in November to December 2026.
"I've got the first batch and I love them." (Founder, on the R&D samples)

## What clients say

"Gabriel understood our brief straight away, then challenged us to make it better. He would not let us settle for what was already in the mainstream, and the formulation is better for it... Six months from our first meeting, my first product was on a shelf. The communication is what sets them apart. Real updates, straight answers, no chasing."
Founder, EverLeanBody (Google review)

"It's a big thing to put complete and total trust in someone to build something for you from scratch... we've enjoyed the process so much, we've just hit the green light on our second product!"
Sally Towell, Director and co-founder, The Belly Solution (Google review)

"Take Friday Off is the future of a product design service... Crazy not to consider you for all NPD."
Peter Ochsenham ND, Former Managing Director and owner, BWellness

"Was a lovely process, the team are great to work with, patient, understanding and responsive."
Heidi Doig, Pump Haircare (Google review)

"5 Star business. From concept to manufacturing to completion, Take Friday Off were thorough, professional and understood the needs of a small business. Highly recommended."
Sharon Hudson, Managing Director, Your Skin Scan (Google review)

"Working with the Take Friday Off team to develop my supplement has been a great experience from start to finish. The entire job was smooth and the communication during the job was clear and professional... I would highly recommend Take Friday Off to anyone looking to develop a product."
Minaret Shore, CEO, Nivari (Google review)

"Fantastic company to engage with. Gabriel is super knowledgeable and has assisted me greatly in my business."
Founder, Deeply Rooted (Google review)

Google reviews: https://www.google.com/maps?cid=14325266214136607916

## Who we work with

Built for the brands people know and love, and the ones they’re about to.

Product & innovation leader: Head of product inside a growing wellness brand whose internal NPD team is at capacity, or struggling to innovate.

Commercial leader: A founder or CEO experiencing internal drag: a product idea, investor pressure to move, and a pipeline that isn’t moving fast enough.

Signals: Your internal NPD team is at capacity or struggles to innovate; Your regulatory pathway is unclear; You’ve wasted time and budget with freelance formulation labs or disconnected consultants; You have a product idea with investor pressure to move

## Why “Take Friday Off”

“Take Friday Off” was always designed to signal the outcome of working with us.
Through that lens, it’s not just a name, it’s a promise.
Our systems compress your timelines, reduce complexity and free up your team’s capacity.
You’re not hustling to get products over the line.
You’re closing your laptop on Thursday night, knowing it’s handled.
In fact, why not take Friday off?

## What we value

This is important work
For you, and for us. We treat everyone as an equal and we do what we say we will. Your time is precious, so we respect every second of it. And we only partner with brands that want products that work and customers who are healthier for them.

We live for this stuff
Let’s get the results you want, and enjoy the conversations, the process and a few laughs along the way. Great products don’t come from a place of stress.

No less than excellence
We work hard, smart and fast to get you to your objectives. We want you to grow, succeed and do great things in the world. Working together, we are a force for great.

We have your back
We treat our partner brands like family: if you need us, we take the call. We want you and your team to learn our process as we go, so that over time the Take Friday Off way lives inside your business.

Priced on outcomes
Fixed fees for a defined outcome at each stage, and manufacturing priced per unit. No hourly meters, no surprises, no artificial timelines.

## Founder

Gabriel Perera, Founder and Managing Partner
Gabriel founded Take Friday Off after two decades building some of Australia’s most trusted natural health brands. He holds the big-picture vision, connects market realities with product planning and ensures every decision ladders up to commercial success, clinical standards and regulatory requirements.

Gabriel began in law at DLA Piper and strategy at Accenture before two decades in natural health, where he has held senior executive roles at Blackmores and TSI International, leading multimillion-dollar launches, product pipelines and market expansions across Asia.

At Blackmores he spearheaded the Group’s largest acquisition, BioCeuticals, built a 200-product development pipeline across 11 markets and established the joint venture with Kalbe Farma in Indonesia. At TSI he led strategy across global raw materials, cGMP manufacturing and turnkey models for contract supply.

Since then he has founded the practitioner-grade brand Ora, built on clinically studied ingredients, and founded the pet supplement brand Nectar of the Dogs, in which The Real Pet Food Company bought a majority stake in 2022, alongside a fellowship with NICM Health Research Institute and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, where he is a graduate.

Gabriel brings a rare blend of clinical respect, regulatory depth and commercial clarity, the kind that moves products from idea to shelf at speed. He founded Take Friday Off to help wellness brands scale faster without compromising quality, compliance or customer trust, working with a team of regulatory and technical specialists.

Career: DLA Piper (Law); Accenture (Strategy); Blackmores (Senior executive: the BioCeuticals acquisition, a 200-product pipeline across 11 markets, the Kalbe Farma joint venture); TSI International (Strategy across global raw materials, cGMP manufacturing and contract supply); Nectar of the Dogs (Founded the pet supplement brand (People for Pets); The Real Pet Food Company bought a majority stake in 2022); Ora (Founder of the practitioner-grade brand: around 19 products built on clinically studied ingredients, one formula co-created with clinical herbalist Erin Lovell Verinder); NICM Health Research Institute (Fellowship); Australian Institute of Company Directors (Graduate)

Gabriel works with a team of regulatory and technical specialists. Together: 40+ years across natural health, regulatory affairs, global supply chains and commercialisation.

## Vocabulary

Innovation advantage, Precise, Efficient, Compliance-led, Practitioner-grade, Accelerated, Seamless, Compressed, Agile, Integrated, Regulatory-enabled growth, Shelf-ready, Launch Engine™, Tier 1 global network

## FAQ

Q: How does Take Friday Off get a product to shelf in as little as six months?
A: Compliance is integrated from day one, formulation, regulatory and sourcing run in parallel rather than in sequence, and tier-one manufacturing partners are already in place. The Launch Engine™ replaces up to six internal hires or fragmented vendors with one task force team.

Q: Who is Take Friday Off for?
A: Two kinds of brand. The ones people know and love: already doing $20M+ a year, with double-digit growth ambition and a product team at capacity. And the ones they’re about to: not at $20M yet, but built and backed to get there. In both, we work with the head of product, or the founder or commercial leader.

Q: What product formats do you develop?
A: Capsules, tablets and chewables, softgels, powders and sachets, liquids and oils, and creams and serums, across the TGA, FSANZ and cosmetics pathways.

Q: Do you work with early-stage or pre-revenue brands?
A: Yes, where there is a plan and the backing to scale: a brand built to reach $20M gets the team and system a $20M brand has, from its next SKU. If the idea doesn’t yet have backing or a plan to scale, join the list for first access to our notes and sessions as they start.

Q: How does pricing work?
A: Fixed fees for a defined outcome at each stage, from discovery to launch, and manufacturing priced per unit. You know the investment before each stage begins.

Q: Can we use you for one stage only?
A: Yes. Evidence packages, TGA listings, label and advertising reviews and stability protocols are available on their own, as are FSANZ and AICIS work. The Launch Engine™ runs end to end when you want the whole product carried.

Q: Where are you based?
A: Brookvale, Sydney, working with brands across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region.

## Notes

Masterclass: Jeremy Hunt (2021): https://takefridayoff.com/notes/masterclass-jeremy-hunt

Are the days of limitless CBEC and Daigou growth gone? Jeremy Hunt, Chief Executive of The Common Good Company and part of the Swisse team that opened China, on where the model is heading.

Are the heady days of "limitless" growth in cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) and Daigou trade gone for good? How does that square with Chinese consumers' previously insatiable demand for Australian and New Zealand brands? What happened to the market through two years of lockdowns, closed borders and political brinkmanship? What does CBEC and in-country China business look like now, where is the model heading, what do brands have to do to keep winning in Tier-1, 2 and 3 cities, where do the regulations stand, and should brands focus on export-only instead? We wanted the answers too, so we asked Jeremy Hunt, Chief Executive of The Common Good Company. Jeremy was a key member of the Swisse team under Radek Sali, one of the first people on the ground for Swisse in China, and spent more than seven years as Chief Operating Officer of Health More, a pioneer of CBEC and Daigou trade. The first contact, fittingly, was a WeChat message rather than a phone call. In the conversation Jeremy walks through his career and sets out in clear detail the scope of the China opportunity and how brands can adapt their strategies. The main takeaway, reinforced by President Xi Jinping's address at the 4th China International Import Expo: China remains firmly open for business.

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Masterclass: Peter Schwarzer, Ingredients Plus (2021): https://takefridayoff.com/notes/masterclass-peter-schwarzer-ingredients-plus

Raw materials are over 70% of COGS and drive most of your claims, labels and marketing. A conversation about seed-to-source supply chains, adulteration, forecasting and the rule of seven.

Raw materials make up more than 70% of cost of goods sold and drive about 90% of the claims evidence, labels and marketing behind a product. So we sat down with Peter Schwarzer of Ingredients Plus, a former jackaroo, champion footballer and viticulturist who has become the go-to contact for product developers and contract manufacturers looking for raw materials. This is an edited recap of the conversation.

From a farm in Hungary to a vineyard in Mudgee
Peter grew up on a farm in Hungary under communism, finished a master's in agricultural science and took a gap year in Australia in 1999, working on a farm near Mudgee and learning English on the job. He later ran a vineyard maintenance business for about five years before a recruiter connected him with Bronson & Jacobs, then part of Orica, which wanted agricultural knowledge to grow its herbal export business. The early work was import permits, quarantine inspections and the fumigation or irradiation of imported botanicals. Complementary medicine followed, and Ingredients Plus around 2015.

The connector
Peter's value is not knowing every botanical name; it is knowing the people who do, and being willing to refer a client to a competitor when that is the right answer. Raw-material quality starts at the source, and the people who sit between manufacturer and supplier decide how much of that quality survives. He also sells brand-first. Selling only to contract manufacturers gives an incomplete picture, so he approaches marketing companies and practitioners too.

The rule of seven
Sales cycles are long and depend on timing, product roadmaps and budgets. Peter's rule is that an ingredient has to be presented about seven times before it gets traction. One iron chelate took two and a half years to produce a first order. The risk cuts both ways: a brand can adopt an ingredient only after a competitor has heard the same pitch six times.

Forecasting floor stock
Forecasting is hard because it depends on contract manufacturers and brands, and many brands forecast poorly. The first batch is the hardest to predict; forecasts improve as sales data accumulates.

Finding and vetting suppliers
Trade shows and industry networks are the main sources. Peter researches new exhibitors before a show and meets them in person. Vetting covers TGA listing, clinical data, origin, manufacturing facilities and whether the supplier is a trader or a producer. Newcomers should understand the full cost chain from raw material to finished good. Peter will not do business on an ingredient whose price is unrealistically low for its origin: a kilo of raw herb that costs a few dollars cannot support a cheap extract.

Adulteration and spiking
Spiking is adding cheaper substances to inflate test results or hide substitution. There was a period when it was widespread; DNA identification and better standardisation have improved things, but it remains a live concern, as global curcumin studies and TGA warnings show. Peter described bulk drums where only the top layer is the right product. Testing only the top is not testing.

Why distributors still matter
People buy from people they trust. Distributors add warehousing, small-lot distribution and logistics support that suppliers cannot provide to small buyers. Brands should visit their warehouse regularly and see real stock.

Supply-chain pressure
Air freight is expensive, partly because passenger flights carry most air cargo and capacity has been cut. Urgent orders arrive with unrealistic timelines.

Trends towards 2025
Gut health and the gut-brain connection keep growing. Fermentation is enabling products like vegetarian chondroitin sulfate. Bioavailability is getting attention. Herbal actives with good clinical data and eye health are expected to grow, and sustainability and upcycling of by-products are increasingly attractive. In Europe, probiotics, organic herbs and origin stories. Brands find Ingredients Plus through its website, LinkedIn and industry publications; manufacturers usually arrive through purchasing teams, and the process is a conversation about their projects and compliance needs.

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New ingredient listing rules may impact innovative raw-material suppliers (2021): https://takefridayoff.com/notes/new-ingredient-listing-rules-may-impact-innovative-raw-material-suppliers

Proprietary Ingredients have long protected trade-secret manufacturing processes by disclosing them only to the TGA. Changes to how ingredients are listed put that commercial tool under pressure.

Proprietary Ingredients have long been an important item in the Australian industry's commercial toolbox. They protect a raw material by disclosing the trade-secret manufacturing process only to the TGA, under strict confidentiality, so a supplier can bring a novel ingredient to market without handing its competitors the recipe. Changes to how ingredients are listed put that tool under pressure, and the suppliers most exposed are the innovative ones: the companies investing in new extraction methods, fermentation and standardisation rather than trading commodity botanicals. For sponsors the practical questions are the same as always. What exactly is in the product, how is it specified, what evidence sits behind it, and does the listing still match the label? Those are the questions the Take Friday Off system answers before a formulation is locked, not after a listing is challenged. This post is an edited recap of the original article. The full text can be restored through the site CMS.

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Masterclass: Evan Hayes, Factors Group (2021): https://takefridayoff.com/notes/masterclass-evan-hayes-factors-group

Vertical integration from farm to finished product, B Corp, 97-ingredient formulas, first-mover advantage and what keeps one of Australia's most successful natural product developers up at night.

A Take Friday Off Masterclass is a one-on-one with someone who has built the products, brands or supply chains the rest of the industry benchmarks against. This one was with Evan Hayes, Managing Director of Factors Group Australia, taken on the road between appointments. Evan was Technical Director at BioCeuticals and later ran sourcing and procurement at Blackmores; Factors Group Australia is the local arm of Canada's Natural Factors, covering research, development, manufacturing and distribution of nutritional supplements. What follows is an edited recap of the conversation.

Vertical integration, from catch to batch
Factors grew from a family complementary-medicine business into one of North America's largest, and it did it by moving upstream: from distribution into manufacturing, then into raw-material sourcing and testing, then into farming and its own extraction facilities. Today it runs organic farms growing around seventy ingredients, makes its own ethanol for extraction and owns an MSC-certified fishery in Alaska. Evan calls it close to complete "catch to batch" control. Does that dilute margins or add complexity? Factors can't grow everything, so it manages around 7,000 raw materials and pairs in-house production with disciplined external sourcing. The reason for keeping so much in-house is simple: outsourcing leaves a lingering doubt about whether a third party's checks are substantive. Customers, Evan says, now expect that level of assurance as the baseline.

B Corp
Factors Australia was the first company in its space in Australia, and the first in the group, to achieve B Corp certification. Building a new facility helped, because processes could be designed for transparency from day one. Evan sees external accountability as the natural next step after self-declared good practice.

Launching bespoke, novel formulations
In roughly two years Factors launched several bespoke brands across practitioner, grocery and health-food channels, with a weight-loss brand to follow. One health-food formula carried 97 ingredients, seventy of them from Factors' own farms, and every one had to be re-specified and retested to meet Australian GMP. A project planned at three months took about eighteen. The result is one of the most comprehensive formulas on the market; starting with the hardest possible product was, by Evan's own admission, a brave choice.

Hero ingredients versus "pixie dust"
Everyone on the call rejected products that lean on one headline ingredient with trivial amounts of everything else. Small doses are acceptable where there is a formulation rationale, but any claim has to be backed by evidence. Consumers, Evan argues, are more sophisticated than the industry assumes.

Price pressure and margins
The industry is often assumed to be high-margin. Doing it properly is expensive: natural ingredients have harvests and shelf lives, testing standards keep rising, and products need education and time on the market. Brands built on export volume or low doses tend not to last; the ones with longevity focus on Australian consumers and believe in what they sell. The squeeze lands on everyone in the supply chain, most of whom are in it out of passion as much as financial need.

Outsourcing product development
Product development needs many skills at once and very few people cover more than three. Outsourcing parts of the work is normal in other industries and, done well, produces better solutions at lower cost. Suppliers and manufacturers often contribute to formulation in this sector, and that is a feature, not a weakness.

First-mover advantage
Raw materials usually have no patent protection, so the advantage comes from being first and then using the lead well in your chosen channel. Being first is not always best, though: some of Evan's best work went on to succeed under other companies because his timing or marketing was wrong.

What keeps him up at night
Becoming irrelevant. Missing the next trend, ignoring practitioners and customers, or growing arrogant. Evan values open, collaborative idea-sharing over holding information tightly.

Advice for someone entering the industry
Get a bird's-eye view of the whole chain, from raw-material sourcing and manufacturing through testing, logistics, marketing and the feedback loop. Start from a health concern you actually care about, then study the ingredients and products that address it. There is a role for almost any interest: sourcing, compliance, clinical work, negotiation, people.

Innovation and probiotics
Evan credits long-running industry relationships for Factors' Scobiotic range, first to market in its form. He traced Australia's probiotic history through early work at Blackmores and BioCeuticals, including what he describes as the first gut-brain-axis clinical trial, and made the point that innovation comes from many sources: reading the research, spotting trends and revisiting ideas whose time has not yet come. The conversation closed on a shared philosophy: build formulas from patient problems and clinical needs rather than chasing cheaper versions of existing products, with traceable, correctly sourced ingredients at doses that produce results.

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Sharing our four-pronged approach to TGA's requirements with NutraIngredients Asia (2020): https://takefridayoff.com/notes/sharing-our-four-pronged-approach-to-tgas-requirements-with-nutraingredients-asia

Permitted Indications and TGO 92 changed how listed medicines make claims. Our four steps for sponsors: update the evidence, select permitted indications, update the label, verify the label against the ARTG.

> Update, October 2026. TGO 92 has been replaced. The Therapeutic Goods (Standard for Labelling of Non-Prescription Medicines) (TGO 116) Order 2026 commenced on 30 September 2026 and is now the labelling order for listed and other non-prescription medicines, with a transition period for labels already on the market. The four steps below still hold; read "TGO 92" as "TGO 116" and check the current order before any label change. NutraIngredients Asia interviewed the Take Friday Off team about the TGA's new health-claim rules, the challenges sponsors face, and the approach we use with brands dealing with Permitted Indications and TGO 92. The full interview is on NutraIngredients Asia. The short version: Update the evidence. Make sure the evidence behind each product is current and meets the current evidence standard. Select permitted indications and update the ARTG. Choose claims from the permitted indications list and update the product's health claims on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. Update the label. Revise the label with the new health claims, to the new labelling order. Verify the label against the registration. Confirm that what is on the label matches what is registered on the ARTG. Compliance is a growth lever when it is integrated from the start. This is the same logic that sits inside the Take Friday Off system today: regulatory work runs in parallel with formulation and sourcing, not after them.

## Contact

hello@takefridayoff.com · Brookvale, Sydney · https://takefridayoff.com/contact