Healthy ‘shot’ from artisan producer targets winter chills

Lynette, who runs artisan business Spear and Arrow, has created a novel Turmeric and Ginger Shot drink that’s based on her successful bone broth. She’s developed the healthy turmeric shot as part of her focus on adding value to the nourishing bone broth launched to retailers earlier in the year and to widen the small company’s product portfolio for retailers here.

Lynette, who founded Spear and Arrow in November 2019, explains: “We are continually trialling new flavours and products based on our bone broth to give our customers more choice when it comes to gaining the health benefits from the broth.

“Our new Turmeric and Ginger Shot features concentrated bone broth in the blend. Around half of the juice is made up of the original broth with the remaining part juiced turmeric root, ginger root and lemons with added black pepper, which maximises the absorption of the turmeric into the body, along with natural honey to reduce the sharpness.

“Drinking one short, sharp shot a day of around 50ml will give consumers their daily consumption of bone broth for gut health and natural turmeric and ginger root which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties,” adds Lynette.

A former civil servant, Lynette says her own health research highlighted the benefits of turmeric as a medicinal herb that’s rich in antioxidants and could help with conditions such as arthritis, cancer and high cholesterol.

“It also boosts the immune system,” she explains. “Ginger has a long history of use in various forms of traditional and alternative medicines. It is also used widely to aid digestion, reduce nausea, and help fight the effects of flu and the common cold. So, it’s the ideal time to start a course to help fight off winter ailments,” adds Lynette.

Ginger was also loaded with antioxidants, compounds that prevent stress and damage to the body’s DNA. Ginger, in addition, may help the body fight off chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diseases of the lungs, plus promote healthy ageing.

“The new shot”, she continues, “is convenient to take as it is sold in a 500ml glass bottle. Kept in the fridge, our turmeric and ginger shot can be taken as a drink daily straight from the bottle daily. Once opened, the drink will last 10 days. The glass bottle has the added benefit of being fully recyclable,” she says.

The artisan enterprise, furthermore, has a number of other original products in the pipeline using the bone broth as the key ingredient. “While the bone broth is our primary product, I am keen to expand the business by coming up with other healthy foods and drinks,” Lynette explains.

“We are really excited by the potential of the new shot which widens our portfolio for marketing to food retailers and health shops. We’ve also received very positive feedback from shoppers at the farmers’ markets we’ve been attending such as the Causeway in Coleraine,” she adds.

Lynette developed the original bone broth in response to her own health issues which led to a switch in careers.

She discovered the natural health benefits of bone broth from research into healthy products for her own wellbeing and spotted a business opportunity to produce and market her own bone broth as a means, in particular, of helping people to address digestion problems. “The extensive desk research indicated that broth I make from locally sourced cow bones are a rich source of beneficial amino acids; are good for digestion and gut health; may support the immune function; supports the production of anti-ageing molecules; and may support weight loss and joint health. The bones I use come from a reliable local farm and are therefore completely traceable,” she says.

She turned to the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) at Loughry Campus, near Cookstown, Co Tyrone in 2019 for help in developing and manufacturing the broth.

CAFRE helped her secure a £5,000 grant through an Innovation Voucher from Invest NI. The vouchers allow an individual company to team up with a third level college or university on an agreed project in areas such as new product development, product sampling, and nutrition information.

She has continued to work with CAFRE experts in the development of the shot and other potential additions to her portfolio.

“The guidance and support provided by the CAFRE team within the Innovation Voucher have been invaluable and are helping me to develop my small enterprise with original and healthy products,” adds Lynette.