Identifying gaps and building on success
With a vision of becoming the world’s most loved and trusted health food brand, Good4U has expanded beyond the UK and Ireland in recent years to service other European markets
Good4U’s story began over 14 years ago when Bernie Butler was introduced to the phenomenon of sprouting. She was blown away by the powerful inherent nutritional properties of this practice of germinating seeds to be eaten raw or cooked.
Bernie and her husband Paul Butler decided to set up a dedicated healthy food and snacks business based on this idea, having previously run a company in Sligo making salads, desserts and ready meals for retailers.
Good4U’s products include sprouted seeds, energy balls, super seed snacks and seed pots available in both retail and catering ranges. About 80% of all goods produced are exported to the UK, where some of Good4U’s customers include Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda and Marks & Spencer.
It also sells into France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and the Netherlands, with listings secured in Sweden and the United Arab Emirates in 2018. “We continue to grow our business in the UK, but we are focusing on developing new markets,” says Laura O’Sullivan, daughter of Paul and Bernie Butler, and the company’s sales and marketing director. “We recently secured new business with Primark, which will leverage the brand in international markets.”
Good4U has two factories – a snacks and ingredients site in Sligo, where its head office is located, and a dedicated sprouted seed facility in Cookstown, Co Tyrone. It plans to increase its workforce from 50 to 60 this year and is targeting sales of €10m by 2020.
A continuous pipeline of new product introductions is integral to winning new business, according to O’Sullivan.
“Recipes created by our team of nutritionists and dieticians are innovative, nutritious, tasty and all-natural with no added sugars. They are gluten, wheat, dairy and nut free,” she says. “We are market leaders for sprouted seeds in the UK and Ireland and leading the charge with new innovations in the healthy snack and ingredient categories. This year we will bring out new innovations focused on personalised nutrition, which we believe is key to winning new customers.”
Food service is an area of major focus and Good4U is in advanced discussions with a number of food service distributors.
“Having nut-free status is important to us and is opening new trade avenues for the business, particularly with airlines,” says O’Sullivan. “It is becoming more and more prevalent that airlines are looking for snack alternatives to nuts because of the risk to passengers with allergies.”
“We recently secured new business with Primark, which will leverage the brand in international markets”