Chocolate Just Got Tastier: Meet Abundance Foods

Here at Forward Fooding, we believe in a lot of things. The importance of sustainability in the food ecosystem. That corporate and start-up collaboration is the future. How tech is shaping the foodscape as we know it. But, above all, we believe that nobody should ever have to miss out on having something sweet because of their dietary decisions or restrictions…and Abundance Foods are doing something about it. We spoke to Marcia, founder, to hear the story of how she’s disrupting the the stigma around sweet treats.

So what is Abundance Foods?

I help you manage you sweet tooth with a range of truffles, treats & desserts with a twist! They’re free from dairy, gluten, wheat, soya, and refined sugar. There’s also no artificial preservatives, additives, colours or anything else that shouldn’t’ be there, just some “Better For You” ingredients that you can pronounce!

What made you decide to start disrupting the sweet treat business?

Trying to help my Dad manage his type 2 diabetes was an uphill struggle, and it eventually cost him his life. Watching that unfold, and not being able to persuade him to change his diet, made me realise that I had to make some changes to my diet too.

But, as I started to eat healthier, I kept finding that my sweet tooth was tripping up my healthy intentions. In an attempt to combat this, I started experimenting with alternative sweet-treat ideas that didn’t use white sugar and unnecessary chemicals etc. I tried them with friends and family, who loved them and said they were good enough to try turning them into a business, and so Abundance Foods was born!

Was it difficult to find recipes for your products initially?

Finding recipes which didn’t use the ingredients that I’d decided to cut out of my products was, initially, near impossible. But undeterred, I kept on scouring the internet, did a lot of reading and researching, and made contacts who ate raw and / or vegetarian food. Eventually, I started to find plant based alternative ingredients and methods of processing my products that meant that not only were they indulgent tasting, and free form artificial or unpronounceable ingredients, but they also preserve more of the vitamins, minerals and good stuff that the ingredients originally contained. A win win!

What advice would you give to someone starting out in the food industry?

If you have a genuine passion for your product, go for it! Don’t worry about it being perfect from the outset; there are often things to be learned that you will only learn by making mistakes. Research your market, get feedback from customers and find new methods and processes as you go along.

What’s something you’re most proud of when it comes to your sweet treats?

I’m really proud of the fact that my products allow those who’ve been missing out, because maybe they’re trying to eat healthier, they have food allergies or intolerances, or are vegetarian or vegan, can now indulge in a better way. Your food is supposed to nourish your body, and make you feel satisfied, alive and amazing, not crappy after eating it, or guilty about having a well-deserved treat. When you feed your body with food closer to how nature intended, you get to enjoy that feeling — you deserve it!

I’m also proud of my commitment to not use unnecessary packaging for my products. I’ve gone to great lengths to ensure that everything I use is either made from recycled materials or can be recycled or upcycled after it’s use. I encourage my customers to help me with my commitment by including ideas on how to re-use their packaging with every order. That includes my product packaging, postal packaging and when I attend food festivals & fairs.

What would you want the future of Abundance Foods to look like?

I would like to take my company and my message “Healthy Is The New Indulgent”, global! I think the world is crying out for a new way of enjoying our food that leaves us feeling well and makes us feel good. And where in the world don’t people want to enjoy an occasional indulgent treat!

Thank you for talking to us! It was great to hear how commitment to health shouldn’t ever come at the cost of deliciousness; chatting to Abundance Foods, it’s clear that the passion and enthusiasm they have for creating products which are inclusive, environmentally friendly, and tasty is infectious! If you’d like to learn a little more (or to get your hands on some of their truffles!), check out their website here, or follow their Facebook or Instagram here.

If you’d like to see what connections Forward Fooding could offer your start-up, feel free to get in touch with us at info@forwardfooding.com! You can also add your company to our FMCG trends section on our platform to get free visibility within our corporate and investors’ network here.

Forward Fooding is the world’s first collaborative platform for FoodTech Data Intelligence and Corporate Startup Collaboration. If you enjoyed this article, follow, clap or share and join us in our Food Revolution atForwardFooding.com