EVEN THOUGH HE runs his own nut company, Andrew Wynne admits that they were never really a food that excited him.
“Like I ate nuts before, but I didn’t love them,” he tells Fora.
“My wife Holly would have been very into health foods and that kind of lifestyle though. She’d come across activated nuts when she was travelling in America – she was living with someone who had a raw vegan diet and showed her how to make them.
“Then she came home and was making them in the kitchen – I had some and thought they were really different and nice, so my nut habit increased from there.”
But what exactly are activated nuts? Wynne says that’s one of the questions he gets asked most often.
“The difference is that they’re soaked for 24 hours, then they’re dehydrated, which keeps them raw and doesn’t affect the nutrients but gives them a really crisp, crunchy taste.”
Wynne was impressed by this homemade snack but couldn’t find anywhere in Ireland that sold them, so saw a potential business opportunity.
“I just couldn’t stop eating them and you couldn’t really buy them here, so I thought maybe there’s an idea,” he says.
“There was no defining lightbulb moment – I suppose it gradually happened. We were making them at home and got other people to try them. We were constantly hearing, ‘Oh that’s really nice, what did you do to them?’ So it just developed from there.”
Growing the business
Wynne began setting up his activated nut company, now called Nutmost, in late 2015.
“It organically grew at the start – then you’re on the hamster wheel and you feel like you can’t come off it,” he says.
He already had some experience in food production, albeit working with a very different product, as he had worked in his family’s business making animal feed.
“So I had the interest in health food and eating well, but I suppose I’d also seen the production element in the family business.
“The big thing was figuring out how to scale the idea – that’s one of the most difficult things for a food business.
“At the start we were doing small batches, putting labels on by hand, packaging and stuff like that. At the time I was just so committed trying to get the product out there that I didn’t mind but when I look back on it, it was a very humble start.”
Over time, Wynne moved from his own kitchen to a dedicated production space, taking on one full-time and one-part time employee. His wife Holly, who works as a broadcaster and blogger, is also still involved in the business but not on a full-time basis.
Now, the company produces three varieties – Himalayan salt almonds, maple-flavoured walnuts and tamari-flavoured almonds – which all cost €3 for a 50g bag.
Early on in the company’s development, Wynne looked to boost business by appearing on RTÉ’s Dragons’ Den.
However, despite receiving three offers from investors – and accepting one from food entrepreneur Alison Cowzer – he decided not to proceed with a deal once the cameras had stopped rolling.
“My gut feeling was just that it wasn’t the right long-term deal for us. As much as you want to get a handshake on the show and everything like that, you have to remember that it’s a TV programme and there’s real life after that.
“There wasn’t a falling out or anything – Alison Cowzer is very experienced and well-respected – but I felt that it just wasn’t the right deal in terms of amount and equity, and I think it would have caught me out later on.”
Still, Wynne says that his TV debut was a “great experience” and “opened up a few doors” for Nutmost.
Rather than take on investment, Wynne joined Bord Bia’s Food Works accelerator programme and received help and mentoring from his Local Enterprise Office.
“To start from scratch can be quite challenging, because margins are so tight and there’s a lot of moving parts,” he adds.
“It’s a cliched thing, but you kind of underestimate things. Everyone tells you it’ll take you three times longer and cost twice as much than you think. But sometimes it takes you 10 times longer and 10 times as much.”
Production challenges
Wynne says that he has faced plenty of challenges as the business has grown.
“From the outside it looks like, ‘Oh you’re just putting nuts into a bag – what’s the big deal?’ But there’s quite a lot even to get your operation set up – you’re doing everything on your own for the first time and it’s very time-consuming,” he says.
Establishing a production line was his biggest hurdle, as the nuts require special equipment and processes to get the taste and texture right.
“Figuring out the manufacturing took over a year. We had to try a couple of different factories and do test batches to make sure everything was right.
“We tried several facilities, from Cork to Donegal and all parts of the country. I wouldn’t say it was a waste of time – that’s just the reality of it.
“But it’s frustrating – you think you’ve got somewhere with it or you’re making progress and then you’re two steps back.”
Nutmost’s production is now set up in Kildare and, with that process out of the way, Wynne says that he can really start to think about the future.
“Now that’s settled down, it allows me more to focus on the brand, the sales and the marketing, which is my preferred area,” he says.
“As much as I enjoy the production side of things – parts of it are really exciting because it’s your own business, your baby – this was always where I had planned to focus.”
Future plans
Although the demand for healthy, convenient food products is on the rise, it took a while for Nutmost to tap into this market.
“I suppose the biggest question has always been what is an activated nut. That was the big concern at trade show and markets – at the end of the day your head would be fried from explaining the process and what you’re doing, and why the product is different,” Wynne says.
“But I think general knowledge has grown in the past year and it has actually become easier because there are more products now.”
Nutmost posted a loss of €50,000 in its first year, but Wynne says that the company is now “on the right track”.
“We’re in a different position now because we have the scale. Instead of dealing in boxes I’m able to deal in pallets now as well.”
Nutmost is sold mostly in Dublin – stocked in coffee shops, as well as some Avoca, Fresh and SuperValu stores – but Wynne is planning a nationwide rollout in the next month or two.
The company is also looking to introduce new bag sizes, new flavours and new products, with a potential overseas expansion further down the line.
“You want to get Ireland right first and learn from your mistakes. Then it’d be another level going to the UK, maybe London – that’s a target over the coming years.”
Wynne says that there have been plenty of ups and downs over the past two years but he remains confident for his business going forward.
“There have definitely been highs and lows. You can be having a tough day and then five minutes later you get a phone call or someone will tag you in an Instagram post - it’s funny how even little things can make a difference.
“At the start you’re just in a blur – at times you’re like ‘What am I doing?’ But you have to have confidence in the brand and the product to keep going.”
This article is part of our weekly series examining the nuts and bolts of businesses. If you would like to see your company featured please email news@fora.ie.
Written by Sarah Harford and posted on Fora.ie
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