A childhood memory of a Spanish biscuit that's popular in the Philippines sparked Western Australian-based couple Nicola and Lez Bolin to start biscuit delivery service, .
"Prior to the business, I was cooking a lot more than my husband Lez," says Nicola Bolin. "Then one day, he took to the kitchen after talking about these biscuits his mum used to make."
The biscuits were polvoron, a dry Filipino shortbread made of toasted flour, powdered milk, sugar and butter. And when I say dry, I mean the biscuit is so dry that there's a classic Filipino game of eating a whole polvoron then attempting to whistle.
ABOUT POLVORON
Polvoron: The Filipino shortbread crumbling with colour
"Polvo means 'dust' or 'powder', and I remember mum used to make the biscuits for Christmas," Lez says. "It was a typical treat for us. She would wrap them the traditional way – in Japanese paper or cellophane and then twist them at the ends. Mum stopped making them when I was around 14 for some reason."
Lez recalls that his family had to place the treats in the fridge before eating during Australian summers so they wouldn't disintegrate.
"I remember we would grab some from the fridge, take a bite and make a really crumbly mess," he laughs.
I remember we would grab some from the fridge, take a bite and make a really crumbly mess.
He says that while there are a lot of recipes online, he preferred his mum's method over others.
"I quizzed mum about how she made polvoron. Most recipes are similar but, the sugar content and flour vary."
A side hustle
Lez's take on his mum's polvoron proved successful, with Nicola saying that she thought the biscuits were "amazing".
"I suggested we give a twist to them, maybe add our favourite flavours like chocolate and Biscoff," says Nicola.
Lez, who had been looking for a side hustle, thought that getting reacquainted with a childhood favourite was kismet.
Nicola and Lez Bolin of The Pimped Biscuit. Source: The Pimped Biscuit
"I'm a personal trainer and when I started making polvoron, Nicola and I were doing the nine to five grind. I gave some for my clients to try and they loved them, so it made me feel like they would sell," he says.
"I was thinking of having a side hustle, kind of sending it out into the universe. I thought of maybe selling stuff online so I got a bit of education in setting up an online shop and drop shipping."
With this knowledge and a concept, Lez and Nicola established The Pimped Biscuit.
“Once we started putting other bits on top, we had to adjust the sugar in the biscuit. Some of our popular flavours include the Queen B (Biscoff); Hey Lover (Nutella); Uh Oh Oreo; Apricot Dream and Espresso Yo self,” Nicola says.
A challenge
Because The Pimped Biscuit ships all over Australia, the texture and composition of the polvoron can be challenging to get right.
"We put a lot of weight into the weather, so we have to make sure that the biscuits are insulated well and, that we only do express shipping," says Nicola. "So far, our biscuits have survived the trip to Tasmania and Queensland, but we have to cross our fingers every time we get really hot weather."
Hot weather or not, the hands-on duo travel from Mandurah to Perth every weekend to deliver their products. And five days a week, clients can pick up the products from the duo's home.
"We also join markets and have our stockists in Perth, like Basil's Fine Foods and Gather & Co. We feel lucky about that," Lez says.
Nicola agrees, adding, "Working from home really works for us right now, but of course, ideally, our long-term plan is to have a brick-and-mortar shop so we can do our take on the polvoron, as well as potentially, other Filipino food."
Photos of Lez and Nicola by Natasha Brady. Photos of biscuits by Lez and Nicola Bolin.
350 Oakmont Avenue, Meadow Springs
Western Australia
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