Introduce yourself.
We’re Evie and Eliza, sisters, food lovers and founders of NutShed. We’re makers of plant based treats and award winning single origin peanut butter which we make here at NutShed HQ in Tipperary!
What inspired you to join the natural health sector?
Having grown up on the shop floor of our family’s speciality food shop, we’ve been surrounded by delicious food and inspiring food growers and makers our whole lives.
There was never a question that either one of us would pursue a career doing anything else. Our family has always communicated through food and as sisters, we always knew we wanted to work together and do the same. Our business model at NutShed is very different to our family business, but our core values are the same, and we get so much energy from that.
Where did you get the idea for your brand?
Evie has always had such a sweet tooth, baking was her first love. When she took a stall at Limerick’s Milk Market selling nuts, seeds, dried fruit and wholefoods we were both on a journey learning about new types of plant-based foods. When she discovered just how decadent these ingredients could be when brought together she started experimenting with energy balls and they became hugely popular with her regular customers on the stall. At the same time we were spending long summer days on the road and on our feet with our festival food business and when the team gobbled up her supply, she started to produce more and more and soon enough we were working on supplying some really beautiful cafes in Dublin. Our most popular product, the peanut butter ball inspired us to jar the gallons of the fresh PB we were making every week... And from there we have 6 great award winning peanut butters.
What makes your brand unique?
We manufacture all our food at NutShed HQ in Tipperary, which we are really proud of. We still have a hands-on process and are so involved in every step of our food making. We also roast on site, which is very unique. We spend 60 hours a week at NutShed HQ roasting our single origin peanuts. Perfectly , freshly roasted peanuts are integral to our quality. Much like coffee, peanuts come in all varieties and qualities and so, the roast can also make or break the flavour. We really put emphasis on the fact that when we use so few ingredients, the quality of the ingredients we use really need to stand out. We’ve learnt over the years that while we can become super-efficient in some areas of the business... Speeding up the food making process always has to be deeply considered, at the end of the day our customers are looking for a great quality product and that’s what we are most particular about delivering!
What are your company’s core values?
We want to make food that people love to eat and we really love to celebrate that! Eating is so emotive, it brings us all together around the table, it comforts us on those slow, muggy days and drives us on to do that 5k. We’re here for it all! We want to make super delicious, decadent and wholesome food for you, whether that peanut butter is going into your morning shake, or for dunking your chocolate bar into.
How do you support your community?
Being from Nenagh and running our business from here has been really important for us and in fact, we’re the ones who feel very supported by our community!
That being said, giving back is an important part our business. We’ve found ways to do this through our social channels, such as, full donations of special edition releases of new
products or our annual Christmas initiative The Pass It On Project, where we create a coming together of other small businesses and have a day of charitable donations in stores and online. We also support charities like HomeTree, planting indigenous trees in the west of Ireland.
What has been the most rewarding part of your brands journey?
Building our team has been hugely rewarding for us here at NutShed HQ. We are so lucky to have a strong team to work with which makes coming to work really enjoyable each day. It’s so important to us that our workplace is energetic, positive and good fun and we couldn’t do what we do without our small team here.
What in your opinion makes Irish brands unique?
Irish consumers are really supportive and invested in who they buy from, so Irish brands are really unique in the sense that we have a responsive community to engage with. There’s heart behind so many of the great brands here.
What is your favourite product from your brand?
Forever and always in love with our Nutshed Original Smooth. With only two ingredients, there’s nowhere to hide. That harmonious balance of perfectly roasted peanuts and Irish sea salt, it’s seemingly simple but once you taste it, you immediately appreciate the depth behind it. It’s the Mother of all of our NutShed products and goes on everything.
Tell us about something that has shaped your brand?
It’s really hard to pinpoint one thing that has shaped us. We’ve grown NutShed slowly and enjoyed all the ebbs and flows to date. Our growth has come organically and with that pace, it has allowed us to personally grow organically alongside. It really feels like we are in the right place and doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
We have big hopes for the future. Growing NutShed within Ireland to become a household brand would be amazing. We also want to develop our overseas business and really expand on other markets.
Want to read more about our favourite Irish brands? Click here to see The Sibly Food Company’s 'Evergreen: Behind The Label' blog.
