Shauna’s focus on health leads to new snacks

Tyrone entrepreneur Shauna Blair has created a range of healthier snacks that are free from the top 14 allergens, are plant-based, gluten free, high in fibre and compliant with the latest rules on saturated fat, salt and sugar.

Beam, a recently formed Tyrone food brand, has launched a range of healthier snacks that are free from the top allergens, are plant-based, gluten free, high in fibre and compliant with the latest rules on saturated fat, salt and sugar.

Based near Omagh, Beam is the brainchild of experienced businesswoman Shauna Blair. She has created a small business that’s committed to healthy eating and based on her own experience of dealing with allergies and food intolerances in her family over many years. It’s also a response to the growing market demand from consumers seeking foods free from allergens.

Shauna explains: “I created Beam when I struggled to find a healthy snack bar that I could bring into our home, that both me and my family could enjoy. One of my children has peanut and tree nut allergy, and, as someone who is passionate about healthy eating for the past 17 years, I could never find a healthy snack bar that either didn’t contain nuts, or quite simply had a ‘may contain traces of nuts’ statement on the pack, so I just couldn’t risk it. All the products are produced in a certified nut free and gluten free facility giving complete trust to our customers.”

She continues: “Whilst for some, allergen free foods may form a lifestyle choice as part of a food trend, however, for many consumers this is a need state which remains under served. The free-from sector in the supermarket didn’t exist when my children were diagnosed with food allergies, and whilst it has grown immensely over the past 15 years, there is still room for improvement.

“With more than 20% of UK consumers trying to avoid one or more allergens, and people with peanut allergy having doubled in the past 10 years, I felt there was a need for a new snacking alternative. ‘May contain’ warnings are rising on many brands, especially within ‘healthy snacking’ and many people cannot risk consuming even a trace of their trigger foods.” 

Research shows the extent of the opportunity for the recently launched brand with 97% of UK households currently buying free-from foods and 72%

seeking high fibre products.

“Lifestyle changes are clearly underway in the UK and other established markets as consumers seek food and drink perceived to be healthier,” continues Shauna.

Beam, she says, is designed to help plug “a large gap for truly free-from products that cater for multiple allergens and more importantly free from the Top 14 allergens”. Beam offered delicious products which served the need state of those consumers faced with food allergies and intolerances.  

Shauna, a mum of four children, has a successful track record in the development of highly innovative foods for those with health concerns. She formed Heavenly Tasty Organics in 2009 to develop foods for babies and toddlers.

Beam’s novel four-strong range of crispy puff snack bars represent a new and exciting stage in her focus on healthy eating and are also an important development in the plant based sector in the UK and Ireland.

In addition to being free from peanuts, tree nuts and gluten, the bars are free from milk, soy, eggs, sesame, lupin, fish, molluscs, sulphites and genetic modifications.

The bars are, in addition, free from palm oil, the harvesting of which leads to deforestation in the rainforests of South America an East Asia.

The ingredients used in the chewy, crispy seed bars are entirely natural. The bars are also low in calories, making them an ideal choice for consumers concerned about weight.

Shauna’s focus on healthy eating hasn’t meant any compromise in flavours. She knows that success in global markets will also hinge on consumers enjoying the taste of the bars which offer strong flavours such as blueberry and lemon, mint chocolate, pineapple, and cranberry and strawberry.

Sustainability is another central theme for the small business that’s based in a predominantly farming community. “Research shows that 88 percent of UK consumers want to live more sustainably,” Shauna continues. “Through our products we aim to plant one tree for every six cases sold on our e-commerce store via our sustainability partner onetreeplanted.org.”

The first launch of the innovative bars was at the new and exciting store concept Raye the Store Edition 04 in London’s Regent Street London last week.

“Raye the store is a pop up grocery store where consumers can come and discover innovative and emerging food, drinks and wellness brands in a beautiful space,” adds Shauna.