Bare Naked Noodles aims to shake up diet food market

Low-carb brand Bare Naked Noodles has revealed ambitions to change the diet food market after securing backing on Dragons’ Den.

Viewers last weekend saw Bare Naked Noodles founder Ross Mendham make an emotional pitch - actually filmed five months ago - and secure £60,000 in funding from Peter Jones.

Since the pitch, during which Jones said the noodles “tasted like baby food”, Mendham has been to China to improve the taste and clarify its gluten-free credentials, which were questioned during his pitch.

“Peter and his team have great ideas and the experience of taking small brands and turning them into a huge business,” Mendham told The Grocer. “They have been heavily involved. I usually speak to Peter or his team every other day.”

The revamped product - which is made from the konjac plant and contain less than 1g of carbs in a 380g pack compared with as much as 70g in 100g of regular cooked pasta - was launched last week in Holland & Barrett (rsp: £2.49/380g).

Mendham said the company was discussing listings with supermarkets now and hoped to secure one by the end of the year. He is also looking to develop new products including low-carb sauces and ready meals.

“We’re thinking carefully about what we can do next and how we can make a real change to diet food,” he said.

There was growing demand for low-carb products, added Jones. “I’m convinced we can build a brand under the Bare Naked name and extend the range into other categories.”