How competitive is the baby food market in the UK, and what makes you stand out among them?
Paul Lindley: The UK baby food market is extremely competitive. Ella’s Kitchen stands out as it’s focused on making healthy food fun for babies and kids, and is not just aimed at mums! Through the flavours, textures and packaging, all our products are made so that babies love it and it makes mum’s life easier.
I started Ella’s Kitchen three years ago from my kitchen table because I believed (and still do) that babies and kids should be able to eat good food that’s tasty, handy and lots of fun.
There’s a major trend towards premium baby foods led by brands such as Ella’s Kitchen. Since starting the company, there have been a huge number of new, niche baby brands coming into the market, which is great, as all competition is healthy!
What makes us stand out is that we make good, nutritious food with homemade tastes and textures (just like mum would make!), but in handy little packs that makes feeding babies and kids easy at home or out and about. We also believe that good food for kids should be part of a fun and healthy lifestyle.
What are your plans for global expansion, and is expansion wise considering the business climate?
Lindley: We do have plans that are currently under way to launch Ella’s Kitchen in other markets. For example, we launched in Sweden and Denmark this month, with local language packaging and significant marketing support. Kids are more the same around the world than they are different, and with a local and cultural focus, Ella’s Kitchen is perfectly positioned to be a global brand.
We do know that in many of the other markets, the current baby food offering is limited, outdated and not delivering what we know mum and kids really want. We hear this directly from mums and want to make sure we’re providing their babies with pure and simple organic food.
How many new products do you plan to add to your existing product range over the next couple of years?
Lindley: I have a huge folder at home that just contains ideas for new products! This is borne out of the fact that we not only have a great brand that is the most trusted baby food brand in the UK (Mum’s Views Ltd, 2009), but that we truly understand what mum and kids want. However, we really want to ensure we’re focusing our efforts in the right place and not become distracted from our core offering, which is 100% organic, tasty and fun food for kids and babies in packaging that’s handy for mums.
A recent Soil Association report showed that many consumers are abandoning the organic sector, affected by the credit crunch. Even Rachel’s decided to drop the word ‘organic’ from its logo. Is this something you would contemplate for your own business?
Lindley: Ella’s Kitchen is deeply rooted in the ‘organic ethos’ and we’re not looking to make any changes here. Organic is critically important to us. Personally, I believe organic tastes better, as well as being more nutritious and providing assurance that the communities that harvest our fruit and veg work in a healthy environment. Equally importantly, however, our consumers (our mums) want the reassurance that the word organic gives them; helping give them the best they possibly can for their children and babies.
Ella’s Kitchen is named after your daughter. Does she help with cooking up new ideas and recipes for the brand?
Lindley: Yes – Ella is real and we’re a real family! Ella, her brother and all of their friends are constantly coming up with new and exciting food ideas. One of the things that really makes Ella’s Kitchen unique is that a lot of the products are developed, named and road-tested by real kids.
Paul Lindley is founder of Ella’s Kitchen, and is also Ella’s Dad!
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