Smudge Publishing Information

Smudge Publishing is what happens when food, wine & coffee-loving minds collide. A boutique culinary travel publisher based in Melbourne, Smudge is dedicated to celebrating the amazing abundance of produce, wine and culinary talent in Australia through a series of stunning coffee table books and cookbooks, travel guides and a digital directory. Seven years ago, Jonette Wilton and her daughters Daniele and Kaitlyn, saw an opportunity to create beautiful books that shone a spotlight on Australia’s culinary scene. Since then, it has grown from a small three-person business to a bustling and respected small publisher, employing 17 permanent staff across editorial, design, photography and business development. Smudge’s backlist includes 25 titles, a number of which have been recognised internationally with awards. Flavours of Melbourne has been awarded Best Travel Guide twice at the Independent Publisher Book Awards in New York, and took home Best Culinary Travel Cookbook at the 2014 Gourmand Cookbook Awards. Similarly, Flavours of Sydney won Best Cookbook at the 2015 International Book Awards and the Flavours of South Australia continued this winning run with the same award in 2016. In 2015, Smudge Eats was launched. The digital magazine was created in response to the need for an online presence and acts as the perfect complement to the print publications. In partnership with this, a series of pocket-sized Smudge Eats City Guides were produced. 2016 brought growth once more, with Smudge entering into two completely different markets: the wellness scene, and Bali. The Wellness Book Victoria was launched in May 2016. Similarly, Flavours of Bali represents the company’s first foray into international waters, and has set the tone for future global publications.