The latest sweet snack products from free-from brand Creative Nature have won a prestigious UK Quality Food Award beating off competition from both Asda and Lidl.
Gnawbles – which are allergy free protein ‘bites’ dreamed up by operations manager Matt Ford – were only launched in October this year. However they have already been well received by consumer and by independent retailers.
Matt said: “We can’t believe that Gnawbles have already received such positive recognition in the sector. We only launched a few weeks ago and soon two more flavours will come on stream. This proves that food which is free from allergens and much lower in sugar, can be delicious.”
Matt and Creative Nature’s CEO Julianne Ponan won the award at the UK Quality Food Awards in London last week. This prestigious award ceremony covers all major brands and is seen as a leader in the food and drink sector. This year is the event’s 40th anniversary.
Julianne Ponan said: “It’s been amazing for us to win an award when we are up against such big names in the sector. I hope this inspires other small producers and manufacturers to keep going. If you believe passionately in what you do and you stay consistent in your niche, you will win through.”
The couple were given their award for the best product in the ‘free from sweet snacks category’ during the evening which included special guest actress Sally Phillips.
They also picked up a High Commended certificate in an additional category for ‘free from sweet dessert’ for their Organic Chia and Cacao Brownie Mix.
Aged just 22, Julianne took over the company Creative Nature, moving away from its original focus and turned it into one of the UK’s leading free-from snack and superfood brands which caters for people just like her. Julianne is severely allergic to many foods including nuts and seeds. In 2018 her company raised more than £500K to scale up and turnover is on its way to £2m.
Julianne is also known as a campaigner for those who live with severe allergies has led to her being selected as one of the 30 under 30 in the retail and commerce category of the Forbes’ list.
The products she’s created with her team are vegan friendly, free of the top 14 allergens and many are currently available in the UK in Sainsbury’s, Asda, through Ocado, through independent shops and also online.
