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Ultramarathon runner and charity hero Nedd Brockmann has revealed his chocolate milk side hustle has collapsed, just 12 weeks after he was named Young Australian of the Year.
Brockmann, 27, admitted on Instagram that it was 'tools down for Nedd's Milk' less than two years after it launched.
The brand was founded in October 2023 as a way for Brockmann to share his love of chocolate milk while also raising money for homelessness charity We Are Mobilise.
It was stocked in Woolworths, Coles, IGA, petrol stations and independent grocers, but Brockmann said he simply couldn't compete in the 'cutthroat' dairy industry.
In the emotional Instagram post, he wrote: 'A question I get asked daily is, "How's the milk?", and ever the optimist, I'd say something like, "Yeah it's going good, tough industry, but we can see a path".
'Truth is…deep down, that path was getting harder and harder to see.
'Small business in Australia is tough, and the dairy industry is cutthroat.'
He said anyone who starts a dairy brand without owning the cows or production facility is 'on the back foot from day one'.
Nedd Brockmann is pictured promoting his chocolate brand, Nedd's Milk
Nedd Brockmann took a Nedd's Milk-branded van around the country (pictured)
The closure of Nedd's Milk was announced in an Instagram post (pictured)
'You've got multi-million dollar companies flooding shelves with product, backed by massive budgets for discounting and advertising,' he wrote.
'Maybe that was a dumb choice, but you never know if you don't have a crack. Lifelong business lessons.'
Brockmann said he was proud of what he achieved, and praised his competitors for their success.
He urged Australians to keep buying milk and supporting farmers, and said he would continue to focus on raising money for charity.
Alongside the post was a video with highlights from the Nedd's Milk advertising campaign, which included a branded van that Brockmann himself drove around Australia.
The announcement attracted supportive comments from the likes of comedian Hamish Blake, athlete Harry Garside and rugby league star Thomas Burgess.
'The world is a better place for having that sweet nectar!' wrote Blake.
'As Shakespeare said, "Better to have started a delicious and socially impactful milk brand and lost, than to never have started a delicious and socially impactful milk brand at all".
Brockmann shot to national fame after becoming the fastest Aussie to run across the nation from Cottesloe Beach (pictured), Perth, to Bondi Beach, Sydney, in just 46 days
Nedd Brockmann is pictured, centre, at the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club after his run from Perth to Sydney in 2022
'He later changed the quote but I've always found the original more powerful.'
The original Shakespeare quote was: 'It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.'
Garside said: 'Proud of you for always being the man in the arena.'
Burgess wrote: 'Legend, still never forget Nedd turning up on my doorstep with a carton of cold choccys because I'd donated to @wearemobilise man of the people! Keep up the good fight sir.'
Brockmann first made headlines in 2022 when he ran 3,900km from Cottesloe Beach in Perth to Bondi Beach in Sydney in just 46 days.
He raised about $2million for We Are Mobilise.
Brockmann - originally from Forbes in the NSW central west - said he chose the homeless charity after being struck by the number of people living on the streets when he moved to Sydney.
'It's a lot more prevalent here and I wanted to make a change,' he said.
Nedd Brockmann is pictured with Delta Goodrem at the Melbourne Cup in 2022
In 2024, he ran 1600km - 3760 laps - around the athletics track at Sydney Olympic Park.
He finished the challenge in 12 days and raised more than $4million for the charity, which was enough to fund 370 years of safe housing for people in need.
In January, he was crowned Young Australian of the Year for his efforts and contributions.
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