Couple’s Grand Canyon trip was inspiration for trail mix business idea
HUSBAND and wife Joe and Carly Taylor are about to launch healthy snacks business Real Handful.
The duo, who have 16 years experience working for brands including innocent Drinks, Kelloggs, Heinz and the Authentic Food Company, were inspired to set-up the outfit after a hiking trip in the Grand Canyon. And after receiving a loan from BFS Start Up Now, the north west arm of the government’s national £150m Start Up Loans programme that is delivered by Business Finance Solutions, they feel they are ready to shake up the market. Joe said he and Carly discovered Trail Mix - a snack that traditionally blends dried fruit, nuts and chocolate to deliver a mix of fast and slow release energy - during a trip to America and then built on the concept.
He added: “Real Handful is a range of snacks that blend healthy ingredients (dried fruit and nuts) with a sprinkling of Belgian chocolate to create a snack that tastes yummy whilst still being a great source of fibre, protein and fruit goodness.
“Snacking is becoming an increasingly important part of people’s diets. Our perspective is pretty simple, we think food is better when it’s nutritious, tasty and fun – it doesn’t have to be perfect, just balanced. We felt the offer within the UK snacks market could be improved in this area and everyone we spoke to seemed to agree.
“With Real Handful we want to give more people the option of a natural, great tasting and nutritious snack to keep them going whether they’re stuck in the office, spending time with family or heading off for a walk in the woods.”
He added that he and his wife have spent the last year in the kitchen trialling different flavours. The Real Handful range now includes ‘Banoffee’, a blend of chewy banana slices, toffee flavoured sultanas, caramel flavour milk chocolate drops and lightly roasted whole hazelnuts and ‘Mochaccino’, a blend of coffee flavoured sultanas, juice infused cranberries, whole cashew nuts, dark chocolate coated coffee beans and cappuccino flavour chocolate drops. ‘Strawberries and Cream’ and ‘Chocolate Orange’ flavours will also launch in September. Real handful products are made in the Midlands but based out of their offices in Cheadle Hulme.