
Optimal wellbeing has always been at the heart of Olivia Scott’s journey. From pioneering New Zealand’s raw food movement with The Raw Kitchen to redefining protein bars for women, she has consistently stayed ahead of the curve. After selling The Raw Kitchen in 2019, Olivia took time to reset before launching her latest venture: Betty. Three years in the making, Betty debuted in 2024 with a focus on simplicity, functionality, and clean ingredients—crafted specifically for women. In this Q&A, we talk to Olivia about her entrepreneurial path, the vision behind Betty, and how she balances business with wellbeing.
In conversation with Olivia Scott
Let’s get up to speed. Please tell us a bit about you, your background and your career to date in a few sentences.
Back in 2013 I founded The Raw Kitchen – a raw food brand which scaled to four health-food cafes, an online cake boutique and a couple of cookbooks. After selling this in 2019, I took a couple of years to recuperate and get inspired again. I have always loved fitness and holistic wellbeing, and started working on Betty Bars in 2021 after struggling to find a good protein bar for females – both here and internationally. Betty Bars launched to market in 2024.
What inspired you to launch Betty? Can you tell us about the development process behind these unique formulations?
I experienced firsthand the benefits of incorporating a daily protein bar into my diet – usually post workout or as an easy breakfast on the go. It was sustained energy, satiety, muscle tone and improved hormone balance that stood out. Whilst there were plenty of protein bar options in the market – there were none that spoke to me as a female customer (they were mostly athletic performance, muscle growth or masculine skewed). Functionally, I couldn’t find a bar that was good for me and still performed well on a macro level. There were bars that had the right macro-nutrient levels but contained corn syrups, seed oils and artificial ingredients. There were also natural bars that existed but were full of dried fruit or dates that were high in sugar.
The process to create the bar took almost three years – I worked with three different technologists to find the right formula. It was important to me to stay true to ethical and transparent ingredients. I think we had 18 versions of the Chocolate Fudge protein bar!
With so many protein bars on the market, how did you approach making Betty stand out while staying true to your vision of simplicity and functionality?
I was clear that the customer was female and wasn’t the typical protein bar consumer we have seen in the past. She was a mum, a yoga/pilates lover, a working woman, a woman in her 50s or 60s looking for a nourishing sweet treat. It was fun creating the marketing around this as we were starting from scratch in this category – creating something we hadn’t seen before.
“Women who are pregnant, menstruating and going through menopause all need an increased amount of protein in their diets, and I am excited to be part of that education for women.”
Launching a brand that caters to the active and evolving lifestyle of women is no small feat. What challenges did you face during Betty’s three-year development journey, and how did you overcome them?
Maintaining a strong vision from the start was essential for overcoming the many hurdles that came our way. It was a challenge to create a formulation for a supplemented food product within the constraints I wanted to keep: all natural, nothing artificial, less than 200 calories, 16g protein, less than 5g sugar, dairy free and gluten free. And delicious! We did get to a point where we had a viable commercial product. Every roadblock I faced was an opportunity to get creative. I was motivated to redefine the category of bars for women – if I didn’t do it, who else was going to?
How do you find work/life balance in your career? Is there anything you do to de-stress or prioritise your own wellbeing?
My purpose has always been the same, to elevate the health and wellbeing for females. I get a lot of joy out of working and feel fulfilled from a productive day on Betty. In saying that, I am good at resting when I need to – when I feel tired or uninspired I take a break. I don’t have a set structure around work but do it intuitively. I do Pilates and walk my dog Paddington every day, and quality time with fiancé keeps me grounded.
What are your aspirations for the future of Betty? Do you have any other developments in mind?
I see a lot of potential for Betty globally. I’d love to enter into new markets this year and continue to grow the range in flavours and products.
Quick-fire questions
A restaurant or cafe I return to often is… Rhu in Parnell
My favourite local New Zealand fashion brand… Maggie Marilyn
My next holiday destination… Hawaii
Best fashion purchase recently… A pair of jelly crochet ballet flats from SSENSO
My top artist on Spotify Wrapped was… Tems or SZA
Favourite season and why… Autumn. Fresh air, clear blue skies, red trees and cashmere knits
Three beauty products I can’t live without… Aesop Breathless Body Oil, Emma Lewisham Overnight Sleeping Mask, Outside Beauty and Skin SPF50+ Mineral Primer
Images: Supplied