Honest Wheat-Free Products
Director, Dorothy Campbell, Strangford

The Benefits:
Honest Wheat-Free Products has won a major food industry award and has secured a GB distributor to supply retail outlets throughout the country with quality produce for wheat intolerant consumers. This will result in a £40,000 Net Present Value* for the company.

The Company:
The origins of Honest Wheat-Free Products can be found in the home-kitchen of founder, Dorothy Campbell. Spurred on by wheatintolerant friends, she set about finding a substitute for flour that could be used to make wheat and gluten free cake squares. She succeeded, using an unusual combination of dried fruit, nuts and ground rice to create cakes of exceptional texture and taste.

The Project:
Realising that her products had real commercial potential, Dorothy went along to an Invest NI Business Start-Up event held in Downpatrick. She knew that there was much work to be done to turn her idea into a viable business enterprise and that re-producing her recipes for a commercial, mass market would require specialised and technical assistance.

Making it Happen:

  • MTP
  • Invest NI - Innovation Credit
  • Invest NI - Speciality Food Programme
  • CAFRE
  • Beechill Laboraties

Dorothy was put in contact with MTP at the Business Start-Up event. Following an assessment of her needs, the home-based enterprise moved to The Mount Business Centre in Belfast where she continued to refine her products. The Loughry Campus gave advice and assistance regarding product formulation and a production trial was undertaken at the Food Technology Centre. MTP also assisted with important product tests to ensure both legal compliance and product shelf-life prior to market launch. MTP’s field officer also advised Dorothy on packaging and the Invest NI ‘Innovation Credits’ Scheme was used to support much of the work carried out.

The Result...
Honest Wheat-Free Products officially launched their Honest Squares range at the Fine Food Fair in London as part of ‘Ireland the Island of Food’ exhibition assisted by Invest NI and Bord Bia. So inundated with requests for orders, they secured their first GB distributor at the event. The cakes were subsequently entered for and won a top British food industry award. The company has now expanded into new premises to enable production to be increased and further product developments are planned. The company will achieve a Net Present Value of £40,000 due to this project.

Dorothy Campbell:
“Consumer response to our produce has been amazing but without MTP and their partners I wouldn’t have a commercially viable business. I will certainly continue to access their expertise as the product range expands and the company increases its outputs.”