A passion for food and a desire to create something natural and healthy for kids are what prompted dynamic duo Marnie Millard and Rachel Allen to launch their own range of organic soups for children.
"Chilled soups are very nutritious and parents are struggling to get their children to eat healthy foods. There are a lot of chilled soups out there, but they are all targeted at adults and contain adult flavours and ingredients," says Millard.
"My Little Soup - which is the UK's first chilled organic range of soups for children - has been created with kids in mind. Besides being free of 'bits', the soups contain only fresh ingredients and provide at least one of the recommended five-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables."
My Little Soup is the first brand from Luscious Foods, which was founded in February by the two working mums. Between them, the twosome have a range of experience within the food and drinks industry.
Millard has spent more than 20 years working for big players, including Premier Foods and Silver Spoon, while Allen is a real foodie and loves all the "hands-on stuff". She holds a degree in food science and marketing, and has worked in the industry for 15 years.
Apart from its initial listing with The Co-operative Group, where Millard says sales are "above expectations", the company has also secured a trial in Morrisons in the Yorkshire area.
Millard and Allen predict the newcomer will clock up sales of £2m in the next year. To achieve this, they have been in talks with all the major supermarkets.
"It's proving a long process but there is growing interest," says Millard. "Our only issue is that everyone seems to want both innovation and a track record of success, which is quite a difficult combination to achieve."
Designed to appeal to children aged four to 11 years old, flavours currently include Tomato, Slightly Spicy Bean & Vegetable and Carrot & Cheddar, but there are plans to launch more variants next year.The soups are all smooth, blended to appeal to young palates.
The range is available in 300g plastic containers that can be heated in the microwave, or the contents can be warmed in the pan. Each comes with a £1.49 price tag.
"Chilled soups are very nutritious and parents are struggling to get their children to eat healthy foods. There are a lot of chilled soups out there, but they are all targeted at adults and contain adult flavours and ingredients," says Millard.
"My Little Soup - which is the UK's first chilled organic range of soups for children - has been created with kids in mind. Besides being free of 'bits', the soups contain only fresh ingredients and provide at least one of the recommended five-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables."
My Little Soup is the first brand from Luscious Foods, which was founded in February by the two working mums. Between them, the twosome have a range of experience within the food and drinks industry.
Millard has spent more than 20 years working for big players, including Premier Foods and Silver Spoon, while Allen is a real foodie and loves all the "hands-on stuff". She holds a degree in food science and marketing, and has worked in the industry for 15 years.
Apart from its initial listing with The Co-operative Group, where Millard says sales are "above expectations", the company has also secured a trial in Morrisons in the Yorkshire area.
Millard and Allen predict the newcomer will clock up sales of £2m in the next year. To achieve this, they have been in talks with all the major supermarkets.
"It's proving a long process but there is growing interest," says Millard. "Our only issue is that everyone seems to want both innovation and a track record of success, which is quite a difficult combination to achieve."
Designed to appeal to children aged four to 11 years old, flavours currently include Tomato, Slightly Spicy Bean & Vegetable and Carrot & Cheddar, but there are plans to launch more variants next year.The soups are all smooth, blended to appeal to young palates.
The range is available in 300g plastic containers that can be heated in the microwave, or the contents can be warmed in the pan. Each comes with a £1.49 price tag.
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