[ad_1]
I used to like the wealthy, gooey cookies they served on the faculty canteen. A lot so, I had my twelfth birthday cake made out of them – my mom contacted the varsity on to order a bulk supply.
However even aged 12, I used to be conscious that they weren’t good for me. My mother and father each labored within the medical occupation, so I used to be gaining a respect for wholesome residing – and I might see the way in which the fats within the candy treats turned the paper luggage clear.
It was then that I made a decision that sooner or later, I’d begin a enterprise and create a greater model: a cookie that may style scrumptious – with a gooey centre and the right crispy edging – however with out all of the fats and sugar.
An thought I wouldn’t develop out of
My fascination with meals and the way it’s created carried on via faculty and faculty. It led me to review Biomedical Sciences at Newcastle College, earlier than working in new product growth for sports activities vitamin manufacturers.
In the meantime, there continued to be a real hole within the UK meals marketplace for indulgent, but more healthy cookies. Crisps, doughnuts, and different meals had all made nice strides to cut back fats and sugar content material, however the candy cookies market appeared to be caught within the nineties, nonetheless serving up greasy biscuits filled with fats and sugar.
Protein snacks are getting extra well-liked because the nation turns into extra well being aware, however their positioning may be very a lot about well being and train, even bulking up – by no means as treats. All of us want treats!
And so, as my profession progressed, these faculty cookies sat behind my thoughts. Making a greater model was nonetheless my mission!
Bettering on a childhood favorite… with over 2,500 style assessments
In my late twenties, I made a decision to start analysis and product growth for my cookie thought. I labored alongside a staff of PhD scientists and specialists in bakery and sports activities vitamin, combining conventional recent baking strategies with innovative sweetness modulation expertise to copy the style of the scrumptious cookies I had beloved as a toddler.
There have been over 2,500 documented trials and style assessments to create the right finish consequence. We ate a number of cookies!
The consequence? JNCK cookies, which have 90% much less sugar, 50% much less saturated fats, thrice extra protein and 5 occasions extra fibre in comparison with present cookie merchandise. Rated Non-HFSS (non-high fats, sugar, salt) with a nutriscore of zero, they use components reminiscent of pea protein for satiation, prebiotic fibre for intestine well being, and maybe most impressively, a bespoke low-sugar protein chocolate. They don’t embody any palm oil.
From launching on Gopuff to successful awards
We launched on meals supply website Gopuff first, the place we outsold some fairly established baked items ranges – and over the previous few months our cookies have began to be offered and served by foodservice operators and retailers everywhere in the nation.
We’ve exhibited at commerce exhibits, we’ve dressed up as cookie monsters and given out cookies from our distinctive JNCK ticket machine, and we’ve taken half in actually thrilling pitches and podcasts. We’re persevering with to innovate, with new merchandise within the works.
This work is bearing fruit. We’ve received awards and been named as one of many area’s most fun firms by Enterprise Insider Northwest, and British Baker listed us as a prime bakery launch in 2023. And the cookies are flying off the cabinets!
Staying true to my 12-year-old self’s mission
My brother Sean has joined me on my journey – he was a buying and selling supervisor in his earlier function, so his power is in enterprise development and technique: we complement one another completely.
Sean and I are on a mission to make more healthy snacking extra enjoyable. The demand is definitely there: practically half of customers say they wish to keep away from shopping for meals that comprise added components reminiscent of trans fat, palm oil and preservatives – however the barrier is commonly all of the non-healthy selections accessible to us.
Luckily, there’s now authorities laws towards excessive fats, sugar and salt merchandise, so we’re completely positioned to seize a share of this market.
The meals trade has to take extra accountability for bettering the vitamin of the nation – however that doesn’t imply folks needs to be denied tasty treats. We imagine we will take away 800 tonnes of sugar from the UK provide chain over the following three years – and that’s simply the beginning!
I’d love to return in time and inform 12-year-old me that I did it. I believe he’d be fairly happy.
Alongside his brother Sean, Alex Brassill has developed low fats, low sugar, low salt, freshly baked cookies, impressed by the scrumptious snacks served at his faculty canteen.
[ad_2]