What is your food product?
Bake at home Cookie Mixes.
How is it made?
We make them by hand in Castleisland, Co. Kerry.
When and how did you first come up with the idea for the product?
After becoming a Mom of 2 to my little ones Ben and Emma. I was frustrated with the lack of time to bake with my little ones at times with work and everything that goes along with having a young family. I was also a little less than enthused by the baking mixes on the shelves of my local supermarkets - I just didn't feel they enticed me or my children to bake. I started playing around with a few ideas that started to flow into my head and so the mixes as we know them were born. Actually I also came up with some other fabulous ideas that are still in my head ready for launch when the time comes. I went with the cookie mixes as they were the most refined and really explain what Bake it Easy as a brand is all about.
Who buys your products?
The mixes were originally aimed at enticing young people to try baking for themselves at the weekends - but because they are so tasty they are a great treat for all ages!
Where do you source your ingredients?
We source all of our ingredients from a single Irish supplier due to their consistently high standards of quality with their ingredients. Quality of ingredient is by far one of our most important values as a brand.
Does your product carry the Guaranteed Irish label?
Not currently, as we are such a young company - it haven't even occurred to me to apply for this but this is a good idea and I will be following this up!
Is your product packaged in Ireland and is it recycled/recyclable?
Yes, we package the product ourselves in Kerry and yes our packaging is 100% recyclable.
Other than your own, what’s your favourite product?
Truthfully - everything and anything on the Food Academy just blows me away. I'm not just saying that but every product is just such high quality and I have met so many of the people behind the products and each of them have a family story like myself. It's just endearing to see that food has a story and people work so hard to create such beautiful products and to get them out there! The whole Food Academy concept is just such a good idea: bring the producer direct to the consumer in a way that makes it possible for producers to survive amidst the competition of huge Supermarket chains.
What is your view on ‘organic’ produce?
Organically grown food is very important, especially with the way the world food trends are going. It's important to be aware if what we are consuming. We have a polytunnel at home in which we grow as much as we can ourselves. It's important to us to know where our food is coming from and that it is clean.
Many food producers are very passionate about their products – have you a message you would like to share with your customers?
The cookie mixes are a simple idea to get people baking their own treats at home. It so easy, takes very little time but yet gives people an understanding of what is going into their food. The mixes are just a simple collection of really good ingredients that make baking a bit more accessible to people. It also means parents and children can do something fun in their time together. Since we started to make these mixes at home, I stopped buying the convenience treats for my children and when they want a weekend treat we take out a mix and bake up some cookies. There is a little more emphasis on sharing and getting involved with them and I love that. It gets people off of the couch and into the kitchen and spending time together and in my book that's a good thing.
Is there salt and/or sugar in your products? If so, how much and why? What is the shelf-life of your product and how come?
There is a layer of sugar in our mixes but you can see it through the jar, we're upfront and honest about exactly what is in our mixes - that's the idea of the see through packaging and the layering of ingredients. The oat & coconut mix is our lighter option for people that might enjoy a lighter cookie. As a home baker myself I believe in healthy moderation and a baked treat at the weekend that you make yourself is a healthy way to indulge a little in what you love.
What would your death row meal be (aside from your own products!)?
The traditionalist in me is saying my mom's roast lamb dinner - it's really good!
Where can people buy your food and find out more about it?
We are a part of Supervalu Food Academy and we are currently stocked in Supervalus across Munster with more to come in the future hopefully. We also sell online - 2 mixes delivered to your door anywhere in Ireland for €10. Front the start, the wish was that these mixes would be accessible to all people so our price point is very important to use to ensure everyone can enjoy them!
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