Mumamoo cofounders Kristina Scutella, Charlotte Chambers and Belinda Humphris launched their baby formula on Monday in South Australian retailers Drakes, Foodland and National Pharmacies.

Chambers told InDaily the Adelaide trio wanted to give new parents an additional formula option to the number of imported and foreign-owned baby foods on offer.

“We saw a very obvious gap in the market for a formula that is Australian-owned and made and, at the core of what we do, is supporting women’s feeding journeys,” she said.

“We’re not an international conglomerate that has been around for generations and generations, we’re new but we have a locally owned and made product.”

Manufactured by dairy brand Blend and Pack in Victoria, the cows milk formula for infants, babies and toddlers has joined a highly regulated multimillion dollar Australian industry that aims to encourage more women to breastfeed for longer.

According to an Australian National University pre-budget submission, fewer than one in 10 Australian children are breastfed in line with national and international health authority recommendations – with even fewer in disadvantaged parts of the community.

The ANU report pointed to economic influences as a driving factor behind “Australia’s suboptimal infant and young child feeding practises”.

It followed recommendations by the World Health Organisation that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months and the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines, which encouraged breastfeeding for the first year of a child’s life.

Chambers said despite a large number of Australian women turning to breastfeeding alternatives when they returned to work there was still a great deal of stigma attached to formula feeding.

She said part of Mumamoo’s aim was to reduce this shame.

“Breast milk is incredible and women are incredible, but breastfeeding is just not a reality for many women for so many reasons,” Chambers said.

“We are supportive of all feeding journeys and understand that no two experiences are the same. While we are a formula company – we advocate for the goodness of breast milk and breastfeeding – but this is not always a reality for so many women for a variety of complex reasons.

“We’re really aware of the emotional impacts that not being able to breastfeed your baby has on women.

“Modern families are diverse and as a result, there are a huge number of women and families needing to access an alternative to breast milk.”

Chambers said while Mumamoo would only be available in-store in South Australia, the brand was available nationally online and was looking to export internationally with interest for Australian dairy products in Asia and America.