Sligo health food company Good4U celebrates 20 years in business with expanded product range

Sligo health food company Good4U celebrates 20 years in business with expanded product range and new UK listings

Business turnover is up 32% this year fuelled by growth and expansion in the UK and Ireland driven by consumer demand for functional foods

Good4U, the family-run business producing healthy snacks and meal toppers based in Sligo, is this month celebrating 20 years in business with a December launch planned into Morrisons in the UK and the introduction of an expanded range of its popular Protein Ball snacks.

Founded by food industry veteran Bernie Butler and her three children Karol, Laura and Michelle in 2004, Good4U has developed a significant foothold in the UK with listings in more than 4,000 stores. Currently available in Tesco, Sainsburys Waitrose and Ocado, the launch into Morrisons further strengthens Good4U brand visibility throughout the UK. The company was also delighted to secure a listing this Summer supplying Good4U Protein Balls on Aer Lingus transatlantic flights.

Ambitious Plans
Last year the company completed the first of two phases of a €2.75m investment in company headquarters. Phase 1 involved the addition of a new state-of-the-art warehouse and process automation which increased capacity and improved efficiencies.  Phase 2 which has been supported by EI and the local AIM centre in Sligo involves digital transformation including the introduction of a new ERP system and capital investment to support a lean manufacturing plant and layout.

Speaking about their ambition for growth, Karol Butler, Commercial Director, Good4U said, “While exports currently account for more than 80% of our business, we are an Irish producer and the Irish market is very important to us.  We recently joined forces with a major distribution partner in Ireland opening new channels and opportunities across retail, foodservice and the convenience markets.  Dunnes Stores, Maxol and BWG have been added to our longstanding partnership with Tesco and Supervalu. We also have ambitious plans to further expand into the UK with the aim of securing listings in 8 of the top 10 UK retailers by 2026. 

Like for like sales of our hero product – Super Seeds Salad Topper – is up over 30% in the last year showing that consumers are really embracing convenient, nutrient-dense and tasty food products and we are excited to be able to continue to innovate, providing our customers with these options.”

New Product Development
Good4U is driven by a commitment to make foods that have powerful nutritional benefits that are convenient for people to incorporate into their everyday lives. As consumer demand for functional food products has grown over the last number of years, Good4U has invested heavily in research and new product development to bring a range of exciting products to market. Good4U will continue to disrupt mainstream grocery offerings by integrating functional meal topper solutions across multiple categories.

Michelle Butler, Registered Dietician and Innovation Director at Good4U said, “People are becoming more informed about the importance of knowing what is in the products they are consuming. They are looking for a short list of ingredients they recognise and this is where Good4U really wins. Our range is 100% natural and contains only kitchen cupboard, whole food, plant-based ingredients with no added sugar and each product providing tailored nutritional benefits.”

Good4U Protein Balls
This week the company is launching an expanded range of Good4U protein balls – which they like to refer to as ‘superfood truffles’ – perfect for snacking on the go, enjoying with a cuppa, or a nutritious lunchbox snack.  Joining the popular Salted Caramel, Cocoa Orange and Raspberry Brownie are two exciting new flavours – Mint Choc and Lemon Drizzle. Made from whole food plant-based ingredients, the range is high in fibre, gluten and nut free, contain 7g of protein and no added sugar.

The new extended range of Good4U protein balls can be purchased in Tesco and Dunnes stores nationwide.