Focus Friday: Everest Granola

This year Focus Friday is teaming up with the SuperValu Food Academy to bring you the best new Irish food producers, and tell you all about their products. Today, we chat to Seamus Tighe from Everest Granola.  In collaboration with Bord Bia and the Local Enterprise offices, SuperValu have created the Food Academy Programme, where they work with and nurture over 200 businesses from start up to getting their product on SuperValu shelves.

Can you tell us a bit about your product?
At Everest Granola we provide a gourmet granola cup which is made from all ridiculously tasty natural ingredients. Everest Granola cups are crammed full of proteins, fibres, minerals and live cultures that help you scale new heights. We want to revolutionise breakfast on the go and change bad eating habits. It is far too easy to start the day by either missing breakfast or having unhealthy non-nutritious option. Everest Granola provides a convenient solution of a great product at good value at any time of the day.  At the moment our product comes in three different flavours; Apple & Cinnamon, Raspberry and Honey.

What inspired you to create your product?
At a personal level I saw a gap in the market for a healthy on the go breakfast option and through research I created my own individual healthy high quality meal on the go.

How has your product evolved since its launch?
The product is always under constant review to meet our high standards.  After our nutritional analysis was carried out we recognised that our product is high in protein. We are currently changing our packaging so that the product stands out more on the shelf and reflects our high protein offering. Food science is always evolving and we always keep up date with this field.  We continue to look at our flavors to excite and tantalise the palate.

Who is your customer?
Our customers  are the  busy “on the go” people  who are looking for healthy convenient option.

What tips would you give to someone who is starting out and wants to launch a food-related product/business?
To know exactly what your product costs to produce and factor in costs such as labour, distribution, merchandising and packaging. It is also so important to research your target market and figure out how to reach them.

Where can you buy this product and how much will it cost?
At the moment we are participating in the Food Academy Advanced programme backed by Super|Valu and Bord Bia. We have launched into SuperValu stores around Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Kilkenny with a plan to expand nationwide. SuperValu have been brilliant to deal with and have supported Everest Granola Cups tremendously. We are currently retailing at €2.49 for 250g cup.

What does the future hold for your business?
Our ambition is to become an established brand on supermarket shelves across Ireland and recognised by our customers as a healthy luxury food choice.