Winter 2024 Keeping it Humble with Hummble

Hummble by name and humble by nature, Matt and Laura McNamara have created a wellness-focused cacao brand that aligns with their family values of health, sustainability and intentional living, discovers Rebecca Jamieson Dwyer.

A few years ago, Matt and Laura McNamara had a crazy idea: why not raffle off their successful wholefoods café in Phillip Island in order to follow their hearts and travel around Australia in a campervan? With two small kids, a mortgage, and a thriving but demanding hospitality business, they’d realised that they were chasing fleeting joy on weekends rather than living a life that truly nourished them.

So they sold up (raising money for charity in the process), bundled themselves and their children, Frankie and Myles, into a van, and hit the open road to discover where it might take them.

“We were seeking a life filled with travel, fun, adventure and more quality time with good friends and each other,” explains Matt. “We decided to take a leap of faith and just trust the process.”

Although they loved the freedom that came from their new nomadic existence, being removed from their careers, their possessions and their home was confronting and humbling, forcing the duo to dig deep to discover who they were without all the trappings of modern life. Part of their process of coming back to themselves was embracing stillness in the form of meditation and journaling, as well as the daily ritual of creating their own superfood-infused warm cacao – a recipe they honed and perfected as they moved from place to place.

“We shared it with friends, family and people we connected with while we were travelling, and I’d continually get feedback, which helped me tweak the recipe,” recalls Laura. “One day, while I was meditating, the name came to me: Hummble, with the double ‘m’. I shared my vision with Matt, and it immediately felt right. We knew this was a path we had to pursue together.”

Laura’s background in food science and Ayurveda and Matt’s talent for building relationships meant they had the complementary skills needed to bring their fledgling business to life. After much product development and research, Hummble was launched into the world – while at the same time, there was another exciting development in the McNamara universe: the news they were expecting a surprise third baby.

Their daughter Mabel and their business baby were born in the Noosa region, with Matt and Laura taking endless inspiration from the natural beauty of the area, as well as the close-knit, likeminded community they found.

“We just really fell in love with the area after discovering how many open-minded people there were here,” says Matt. “And the brand became so accepted and embraced in Noosa that we really started to feel that this was our home.”

Because of their foodie backgrounds, Matt and Laura found it easy to connect with local health-focused cafés and wholefoods stores from Noosa to Byron Bay to get Hummble onto their drinks menus and shelves.

From there, word started to spread about this healthy yet moreish drink, with the local community getting behind the homegrown brand that offers an indulgent, enjoyable way to honour, nourish and replenish both body and mind.

Created using inspiration from traditional Ayurvedic principles, Hummble is packed with organic, plant-based, sustainably sourced adaptogenic superfoods, such as medicinal mushrooms, botanical herbs and Peruvian sourced cacao.

Its three flavours – Awaken Cacao, Elevate Cacao and Calm Cacao – have been developed to support our nervous system, immune system and energy levels in different ways, providing the perfect pick-me-up or calming drink.

“I’m obsessed with Calm Cacao because it’s infused with chamomile, passionflower and shatavari, all of which have been chosen for their calming properties,” Laura says.

“I take it every morning, and it helps me to feel really whole and balanced.

It’s common to feel overwhelmed and stressed as a mum because of all the responsibilities we carry, but this helps bring my energy back into alignment and encourages a calm flow for the day.

“I serve it to my friends who are parents and now they’re all addicted!”

Elevate Cacao, Matt’s favourite, has been developed with Siberian Ginseng and roasted dandelion root powder to support an uplifted and energised state, and can even help temper those morning coffee cravings.

“Since drinking Elevate, I no longer feel the need for a coffee,” says Matt. “It’s very hydrating and doesn’t affect the adrenal system in the way that coffee does, but it definitely gives me a boost.”

And then there’s Awaken Cacao, the rebranded original version of Hummble spiced cacao, which is a warm, revitalising hug-in-a-mug infused with maca, cordyceps, shiitake, maitake and turkey tail mushrooms; and a hint of chilli – perfect for providing nourishment and rejuvenation.

In a sea of healthy drinks brands, Hummble floats effortlessly above the rest because of Laura’s passion for quality, its potent ingredients, and her commitment to ensuring that each sip is completely delicious.

“Each of the ingredients is at the maximum level for balancing its nutritional properties with flavour,” she says. “The health benefits are enhanced when you take a small amount of these ingredients every day – but if something doesn’t taste great then you won’t be called to have it every day. So that’s been a really important focus for me.”

And the proof is in the pudding – or in this case, the handcrafted ceramic mug – as I witness the genuine excitement in their kids’ faces as they’re called to the kitchen bench for a Hummble on the day I’m interviewing Matt and Laura at their Sunshine Beach home.

“They absolutely love it and will drink one pretty much everyday,” Laura says.

Focus groups don’t get much better (or more brutally honest) than that!

For Matt and Laura, Hummble is so much more than just a drink – it’s a lifestyle that truly aligns with their values of health, sustainability and purpose, giving them the flexibility they need as a travel-loving family while enabling them to establish permanent roots in this special part of the world.

“The brand flows into our lives and allows us to live a purpose-filled existence doing what we love,” reflects Matt. And Laura agrees: “We all have that one thing we’re good at – our genius zone – and food and product creation is truly my passion. I’m just so grateful that we get to align with our truth and help nourish people through our products.”

As featured in the IN Noosa Magazine!