Cassandra (Cass) Spies (Brown, 1991) co-founded and built Australia’s leading female-led frozen treat manufacturer Twisted Healthy Treats and is the Managing Director of the organisation.

Cass is the oldest of the three Brown sisters who attended MLC School – Georgina is from the class of 1995 and Andrea from 2002.

After her HSC, Cass completed a BSc majoring in Food Technology, before travelling to London where she spent 13 years in the Financial Services industry. She proudly states that she finished her Financial Services career on a high as a Global Project Manager, rolling out large-scale technology projects across the globe managing an international team.

Upon returning to Australia, she decided to fulfil a dream she’d had since childhood to start her own business, and Twisted Healthy Treats was born.

In 2009, Cass launched her business and in 2015 it transitioned from 100% retail to 100% manufacturing. The successful move to manufacturing saw the business grow five times in size. Coles, Woolworths and Harris Farm are some of the local supermarket chains stocking Twisted Healthy Treats products.

Twisted Healthy Treats manufactures all its own products at their factory in Sydney and their goal is to prove that is it possible to have delicious and decadent treats that are also nutritious. Their first foray into a different market – beverages – will launch in May this year.

Recently Cass has negotiated the overseas market and Twisted Healthy Treats are now in Costco (Texas and Midwest USA) and independent retailers across the USA. In a 2021 interview with The Carousel, Cass explained that obtaining licenses and approvals for the exportation of Australian dairy ‘is not for the faint-hearted. But we got there, and our team was amazing in getting behind it.’

Twisted Healthy Treats has an all-women management team in an industry traditionally dominated by men, Cass describes them as ‘a group of dedicated, determined and focused young women’ who have believed in her vision from day one.

Together with her team, Cass has built an authentic Australian brand that is ever expanding. She says her legacy will be an example to future generations of women, showing them that it is possible to make your way and create something great in industries that have traditionally been dominated by men.