2 Friends + Cereal Obsession = A Brand

Travel changes you. It’s one of those inspirational quotes that floats around on the internet, popping up in your Instagram feed every now and then with the appropriate wanderlust destination photo in the background. It may be a cliché, but you can’t argue with its truth. Experiencing different ways of life, meeting new people, then having lots of time to mull it all over whilst in transit means if you come back exactly the same person, you are doing something wrong.

So it’s not surprising then that during a six month world trip, two friends came up with an idea for a new life for themselves and a new product for the Australian food scene. It was born over cocktails on the beaches of Bali, and developed over the next few months as inspiration poured in from every country they visited. The finished product is the delicious line of cereals with health and beauty benefits, The Wild.

Those two friends are Romana and Melisa, who were introduced to each other through mutual friends nearly ten years ago. It’s easy to see why they are often mistaken as sisters, even twins. Not only do they share a resemblance, they also have similar mannerisms in a way sisters do, a sign of the closeness of their friendship. The pair have occasionally added to the Jack White/Meg White-style relationship confusion by simply answering “yes” to the often asked “so are you guys sisters?”

The Wild is now a growing brand providing Aussie cereal eaters with organic, vegan breakfasts slash desserts. If this is the kind of positive change travel can bring, I say we all need a holiday.

Words by Larissa West for The Wild.