Change of direction sees Ballymena’s ‘Waffleman’ on new road to success

Michael, who runs Born and Raised Waffles from a converted horsebox, readily admits that the early months of last year were ‘traumatic’ for his small business specialising in handmade Liege Waffles and Dutch Stroopwaffles, tasty filled cookies sold from a state-of-the-art kitchen in a specially designed and constructed food truck.

“I had eight weeks of zero bookings at the start of last year,” he explains. “This certainly pushed me out of my comfort zone. It could’ve been a disaster but instead, it became a turning point in my business. It forced me to reinvent the operation and to make greater use of social media as a business tool.

“I carried out some in-depth market research and decided to switch from public events to focus exclusively on private ones. I took what seemed like a risk and turned it into my busiest Christmas season yet,” he adds.

The year, he continues, wasn’t just about waffles. It was about doing things differently and searching new market opportunities. From refurbishing a 40-year-old horse trailer to launching Blogr, a consulting practice, 2024 became a lesson in “entrepreneurial resilience”, Michael says.

The year saw Born and Raised Waffles “pivoting into a premium private events service”. “The biggest challenges, sometimes, lead to the greatest growth,” adds Michael.

He’s now focused his attention on key corporate events, serving delicious waffles from his colourful food truck at staff and customer appreciation days and other hospitality occasions, as well as movie and television shoots for feeding snacks to casts and crews including a movie featuring action hero Liam Neeson, another Ballymena man.

The refocusing of the business has proved an outstanding success during the past few months in which the company has served waffles at a host of events in Northern Ireland and, importantly, in the Irish Republic.