£2m deal for mother who made allergy free food in her kitchen!
WHEN two of her children were born with food allergies, Shauna McCarney Blair was frustrated with the lack of meal options on offer in the supermarkets.
So the enterprising mother got out her cooking pans – and made her own.
Now the 36-year-old has signed a £2million deal with Tesco, Waitrose and Morrisons to stock her range of organic, dairy and gluten-free baby snacks.
Mrs McCarney Blair came up with the idea for Heavenly Tasty Organics after spending years making special meals for children Joe and Cara, who are both allergic to nuts, eggs, dairy and raw apple.
The mumpreneur started the company from scratch at her kitchen table and snacks such as pureed fruit with coconut milk are now sold in 14 countries.
She said: ‘When they were diagnosed I found it a real struggle. Almost everything contained egg and dairy. I found myself standing reading labels in the supermarket and with two young toddlers in a trolley this wasn’t an ideal situation. This was before online grocery shopping from the kitchen table became the norm.’
Mrs McCarney Blair starting creating her own recipes when Joe, now 11, and ten-year-old Cara were babies and she was a single mother. But it was years before she thought of turning it into a business.
She added: ‘I was able to control everything that went into their food. I knew exactly what ingredients I used, and there was nothing hidden in there that I didn’t know about. As they were so young and we were still getting to grips with their allergies, it meant less symptoms of allergic reactions as we could pinpoint what had caused reactions.’
But she admits that it was tough
‘Made everything from scratch’
not being able to rely on the convenience of traditional baby food. She added: ‘I found it tough to make every single thing from scratch as a single mother and I imagined new parents and working parents would find the same.
‘So I had the idea for a brand churning away in the back of my mind for years, but it was 2009 when I put pen to paper.’ The mother, from Co Tyrone in Northern Ireland, spoke to nutritionists and suppliers and found equipment, packaging and designers all from her kitchen table – often while her children were having their naps in the afternoons.
Products include Yummy wafer wisps – a wafer with organic fruits and vegetables blended together with ancient grains – and Crispy Veggie Waffles, which are made from more than 50 per cent organic vegetables.
Her Coconut Squishies contain organic fruits with coconut milk and a dash of lemon juice – with no added sugar or water. The range launched in the supermarket chain Super Valu in Northern Ireland in 2011 and went nationwide a year later. last year, online grocer Ocado started stocking her goods.
Mrs McCarney Blair is now also a mother to Elsa, two, and lily, ten weeks, with her husband James Blair, who she met in 2010.
He now works alongside her in the business, making it a real family affair.
Their products will be on the shelves at Tesco at the end of this month, followed by Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.