Cornersmith

What Cornersmith does

Cornersmith is an Australian sustainable food business founded by Alex Elliott-Howery and James Grant, operating an artisan preserves brand, a cooking school, and a published cookbook line out of Sydney. The company sells shelf-stable pickles, jams, relishes, chutneys, and sauces (including Chilli Jam, Red Tomato Relish, Blood Orange Marmalade, Sweet 'n' Smoky Onion Jam, and Smoked Chilli) and has published four cookbooks: Cornersmith Cookbook, Use It All, The Food Saver's A-Z, and Pocket Pickler. The cooking school has run since 2013, delivering in-person workshops on preserving, fermenting, and waste-free cooking to home cooks and corporate groups.

The company previously operated two cafes in Sydney's inner west — Marrickville and Annandale — both of which have now closed, with the Annandale cafe shuttered in 2026 and Marrickville closed earlier. Preserves production has been outsourced to partner Pepe Saya. The cooking school now operates seasonally at third-party Sydney venues, including Tokyo Lamington in Marrickville and Simon Johnson in Alexandria. Cornersmith also distributes a digital cookbook, A Guide to Salad Making, through the Clove cooking app, a partnership involving founder Alex Elliott-Howery. The technology stack is a Shopify e-commerce storefront with Australia-wide shipping via Auspost on a weekly Tuesday dispatch cadence.

Cornersmith generates revenue through unit-priced retail sales of preserves (A$14.95 for individual jars; A$59.00 for the Preserves Box), cookbook sales (A$29.99–A$50.00), and workshop enrollments (A$175 for the Pickling Masterclass, A$200 for the Fermenting Class), plus private group bookings for a minimum of 12 people. Its go-to-market is community-led, anchored by an extensive recipe blog, organic social media on Instagram and Facebook, and an email newsletter, with shipping free over A$80 and a flat A$14 below that threshold. The business is privately held by its founders with no disclosed external investment.

Name

Cornersmith

Legal name

Cornersmith

Website

https://cornersmith.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cornersmith is an Australian sustainable food brand selling artisan preserves, cookbooks, and in-person cooking workshops online and via its Sydney-based cooking school, serving home cooks interested in preserving and food-waste reduction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Food Preserves

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling, and Drying (31142), Specialty Canning (311422)

SIC

Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies (2033), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Fermented & Pickled Fruit & Vegetable Products (Pickles, Kimchi, Sauerkraut) (AFAKAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vinegar & Pickling Solutions Manufacturing (AFAKADAG), Specialty Condiments, Sauces & Pickles Wholesale (AFAIAIAJ)

Keywords

• Artisan food preserves
• Pickling workshops
• Fermentation classes
• Food preservation cookbooks
• Cooking school

Headquarters

HQ city

Annandale

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Preserves and Condiments: Sale of artisanal pickled vegetables, jams, chutneys, and preserves through the online store. Products include Chilli Jam, Red Tomato Relish, Blood Orange Marmalade, Sweet 'n' Smoky Onion Jam, Smoked Chilli, and Preserves Box.
2. Cookbooks and Digital Products: Sale of printed cookbooks (Cornersmith Cookbook, Use It All, The Food Saver's A-Z, Pocket Pickler) and digital cookbooks (A Guide to Salad Making on Clove app).
3. Cooking School Workshops: In-person and potentially online cooking workshops covering pickling, fermenting, and waste-free cooking. Classes include Fermenting Class, Pickling Masterclass, and private group bookings.
4. Clove App Partnership: Partnership with Clove cooking app where Cornersmith recipes and content are featured, potentially driving referral traffic and expanded reach.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cornersmith produces and sells artisan preserves (pickles, jams, relishes, chutneys, sauces) through its Shopify online store, publishes cookbooks on food preservation and waste reduction, and runs hands-on cooking workshops teaching pickling and fermentation techniques. The product range is manufactured in partnership with Pepe Saya, and the business is anchored by founder Alex Elliott-Howery's preserving expertise and a community-led content strategy via recipe blogs and social media.

Product overview

Cornersmith is an Australian food preservation and cooking education business offering a portfolio of artisan preserved products (pickles, jams, relishes, chutneys, sauces), published cookbooks and digital guides, and hands-on cooking workshops. The core products include Cornersmith Preserves (sold individually and as gift boxes), a line of cookbooks (Cornersmith Cookbook, Use It All, The Food Saver's A-Z, Pocket Pickler), and a digital cookbook for salad making. The Cornersmith Cooking School provides workshops including Fermenting Classes, Pickling Masterclasses, and Private Classes. The business operates an e-commerce store through Shopify.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clove: A cooking app that integrates Cornersmith recipes and focuses on meal planning, shopping lists, and reducing food waste. Developed in partnership with Alex Elliott-Howery.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pepe SayacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornersmith collaborates with Pepe Saya to produce their range of preserves. Pepe Saya is an Australian producer known for artisanal dairy and food products. The partnership produces Cornersmith-branded preserves combining Cornersmith's preserving expertise with Pepe Saya's production capabilities.
• ClovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClove is a cooking app that Cornersmith founder Alex Elliott-Howery has partnered with to deliver her recipes and food wisdom. Cornersmith digital cookbooks are sold through Clove, and Cornersmith recipes are featured on the platform. Alex describes Clove as 'a beautiful new cooking app that combines all the things I care about most - good food, great recipes, strong community, and support in the kitchen.'
• Tokyo LamingtonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for Cornersmith Fermenting Classes. Classes are held at Tokyo Lamington, 140 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville, NSW.
• Simon JohnsonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for Cornersmith Pickling Masterclass. The masterclass is held at Simon Johnson, 24A Ralph Street, Alexandria, NSW. Bookings are managed through Simon Johnson's Eventbrite page.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Beerenberg: Australian family-owned producer of jams, sauces, pickles, and condiments sold via farm shop, online, and grocery channels. Closest direct peer to Cornersmith's preserves business, sharing a small-batch, premium-priced, farm-credibility positioning in the Australian specialty food category.
• Wilkin & Sons (Tiptree): UK-based premium preserves, jams, and condiments maker with farm-based manufacturing and global specialty distribution. Comparable in premium small-batch preserves, branded gift assortments, and farm-to-jar positioning similar to Cornersmith's pickling ethos.
• Tracklements: UK artisan maker of mustards, chutneys, and condiments sold through farm shop, online, and premium retail. Comparable in single-category specialization, premium pricing, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce model for niche condiments.
• Maggie Beer Holdings: Australian artisanal food brand spanning preserves, condiments, ice cream, cookbooks, and online retail. Comparable in combining premium product lines, cookbook authorship, and a strong founder-led sustainability narrative aimed at home cooks.
• Sydney Cooking School: Hands-on in-person cooking school operator in Sydney offering workshops and team-building classes. Comparable as a direct peer in the in-person cooking education segment where Cornersmith's Cooking School competes for workshop attendees and private group bookings.
• Merindie: Australian premium specialty food brand producing small-batch relishes, sauces, and condiments with a strong chef/restaurant following. Comparable in artisanal, chef-influenced positioning and DTC online distribution of premium preserves.

Others

• Hill Street: Australian gourmet grocery retailer stocking premium specialty foods including preserves, cookbooks, and condiments. Comparable as a channel/retail peer that distributes many of the same brand types Cornersmith would benchmark against in specialty food retail.

Broad incumbents

• Harris Farm Markets: Australian premium fresh food and grocery retailer with strong sustainability positioning and a curated specialty food assortment. Comparable as a potential distribution channel and benchmark for premium Australian food brands with sustainability messaging.
• Pepe Saya: Australian artisanal butter and cultured dairy producer that is also Cornersmith's co-manufacturing partner for preserves. Comparable as a leading Australian small-batch specialty food brand with a similar craft positioning and direct-to-consumer retail approach.

Emerging players

• Brunswick Goods: Small-batch Australian preserves, condiments, and seasonal ferments sold direct to consumer. Comparable as a peer emerging in the same artisan preserves/ferments category with similar SKUs (chutneys, pickles, ferments) and DTC online distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Cornersmith
• Instagraminstagram.com/cornersmith
• Xx.com/Cornersmithcafe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cornersmith

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cornersmith