Meet the people who make Food & Drink the Waterford Way – their place, their history, their community, their stories
Brian & Yvonne Dillon, Nutrilicious
Brian and Yvonne Dillon of Nutrilicious are good food warriors. About five years ago they planted the seeds of a company that has grown into a one stop shop for nutritious and delicious treats that is still growing today.
In those early days, Yvonne had given up her job and did a diploma in Nutrition and Health while Brian was still running the family bar in Dungarvan. Yvonne had an idea for healthy, unprocessed food for people on the go – you know those people who are used to grabbing filled rolls and fast food from filling stations and takeaways. She knew that people wanted to eat well, but they didn’t have the time while the convenient food industry wasn’t make it too easy for them to eat healthily.
“I started experimenting at home with some recipes and soon I began to realise that we had a potentially good business model on our hands,” Yvonne said. “Brian came on board and signed up to the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork for three months to learn about how to do food the organic way.”
Yvonne, with her diploma and a Business of Food course behind her, also did the Ballymaloe Cookery course and soon the couple’s passion for food had gone through the roof.
“We started off, like so many, in the Farmer’s Market in Dungarvan,” Yvonne said. “We were doing breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks but soon discovered that it was the healthy snacks that people were going mad for.”
All of the now famous Nutrilicious snacks are gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, paleo and vegan. Yvonne and Brian, without even thinking about it, had tapped into a thriving market they never knew existed.
“We provide a catering service for meetings and parties that people really appreciate but because the treats became so popular, we decided to focus primarily on them,” Yvonne explained.
The treats, including Chocolate Orange Energy Balls, Chocolate Coconut Energy Balls and Chocolate Bars (full of goodness!!) are available fromwww.nutriliciousfoodco.ie, along with a host of products and information from a business that is definitely doing Food the Waterford Way.
What do you think of the food industry in 2018?
“I think it’s definitely evolving,” Yvonne said. “People are definitely becoming more conscious about what they eat – they’re doing their research and reading the labels on their food, which I think is a really good thing. Thankfully, health and well-being are on a lot of people’s minds now and that’s reflected in the programmes we’re seeing on television and the healthy alternatives that are now becoming available in the local supermarkets etc.”
What motivates you?
“We love good food but I have to admit, there’s a lot of excitement that comes with setting up your own business that definitely kicks us into gear in the mornings,” Yvonne said. “It’s nice to have an idea, based on something you’re passionate about, and then see it growing.”
What’s next for Nutrilicious?
“Because our range of healthy treats has proved to be so popular, we’re going to put our heads down and grow that range even further,” Yvonne said. “Everyone loves treats so I want to provide more healthy alternatives, and make them available nationwide and then hopefully online and on to the overseas market.”
Want to learn more – check out www.foodthewaterfordway.com or follow us @Waterford_Way
