Cancer survivor chef launches healthy homemade granola business in lockdown

A Bangor chef who survived breast cancer has launched her own range of granola breakfast cereals, thanks to help from the Go For It Programme in association with Ards and North Down Borough Council.

The Go For It Programme is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) programme.

Nina Cristinacce (48), who works full time as a chef in The Guillemot Deli in Bangor, began making her own granola when she was being treated for breast cancer and was making sure she had a healthy diet.

“I became a lot more aware of the ingredients in breakfast cereals and the amount of sugar they contain. Making my own granola meant I knew exactly what I was eating in the morning and it was a good start to the day,” the mum of three said.

“Then, about two years ago, I started thinking about doing something with it and making it into a viable business. I started experimenting with different recipes for granola, looking at making granolas that were really low in sugar or had no nuts in them. I’m a big advocate of local ingredients and supporting small local businesses and I was trying to put together different combinations using local ingredients.”

There was a favourable response from friends and family who tried the granolas, but it was only when Nina was furloughed during the spring lockdown that she took the leap and launched the Morning Glory Granola Company in June.

“I was furloughed for five weeks at the beginning of the pandemic and I got to the point where I thought I needed to go and try it. It was probably the best thing I’ve ever done,” she explained.

“I was lucky to have a lot of friends who supported me - Rachel Armstrong at The Guillemot Deli stocked it right from the word go and then a box delivery scheme in Belfast contacted me on social media about supplying it.”

One recipe, called Wild at Heart, includes dulse combined with apple and honey, while Morning After features grain from the Bullhouse Brewing Company, a byproduct of the brewing process, along with ingredients that are great for anyone who has over-indulged the night before, such as banana, blueberry and coconut oil. She now supplies a number of coffee shops and makes a bespoke granola for Guillemot Deli. Most recently she has just launched two bespoke granolas for Corries Farm Shop.

Nina says the business plan produced as part of the support from the Go For It scheme was invaluable: “It’s something I struggle with - putting things down on paper - but they were absolutely fantastic,” she continued.

The Go For It Programme is delivered free of charge by a team of experienced business mentors across all 11 Council areas of Northern Ireland. It provides expert advice and help with developing a robust business plan to help turn ideas into a commercial enterprise.

“The advisor made me think about the process of what you are making - you can get caught up in the excitement of making a product and seeing it out there, but you also need to think about how much it costs to make it, package it and get it to the end user,” Nina added.

“There’s a lot of really practical information that you don’t necessarily think of. Because I’m doing this on my own, it’s really good to have someone you can ask questions of or run ideas by.”

Councillor Trevor Cummings, Mayor of Ards and North Down Borough Council praised: “The Go For It Programme, delivered by Ards and North Down Borough Council, provides new entrepreneurs with accessible, free and tailored support in the start-up stage of their business in areas such as financial and business planning, and sales and marketing to help get their business up and running. I wish Nina every continued success in developing and growing her enterprise and encourage anyone thinking about starting their own business to get in touch with the Go For It Programme!”

Marianne Hood, Business Advisor at North Down Development Organisation added: “It has been a pleasure mentoring Nina through the Go For It Programme that has culminated in the launch of her very own granola brand that’s available across a range of local stockists and online.

“Nina is a very talented chef and came to the Go For It Programme with her very own range of delicious granola and simply needed the support to turn these tried and tested recipes into a business venture. We worked with her to develop a business plan, defining her brand concept, sales strategy, sourcing ingredients and packaging, marketing and a two-year financial forecast.”

If you have a business idea you’d like to develop or if you are thinking about starting a business contact the Go For It Programme on 0800 027 0639 or visit: www.goforitni.com.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you