“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are,” French food writer Jean Brillat-Savarin said centuries ago. Food feeds our souls. But how often do we pause before a bite to think about what we are consuming?
“I’m addicted to the kitchen!” These are the words of Claire Pauck, telling her delightful story of where her love for wholesome, healthy food comes from. “I could cook before I could read. I loved cooking with my mom. The kitchen was my favourite place.”
It wasn’t until she was in high school, when a close uncle was diagnosed with diabetes, that Claire’s passion to consume, produce and advocate holistic, healthy food was sparked – a passion that drove her decision to study food science at Stellenbosch University, graduating in November 2015 with a master’s.
With her practice, activism, passion and calling in mind, Claire joined Launchlab’s Knowledge Accelerator programme in June 2015, a 10-week-long programme focusing on entrepreneurs developing and growing core businesses and management skills. Armed with essential knowledge gleaned here and with an opportunity and mentors on hand, Claire pitched her business idea for Nurture Bakery and won the R15 000 seed funding to kick-start her business.
Along with her programme facilitator, Renier Schonken, Claire looked at the critical elements generic to all new businesses: purpose, uniqueness, competitive landscape, sales and marketing, financial management and seed capital. Working with collaborators and spreading the word was the next critical step.
Nurture Bakery joined LaunchLab as a food start-up in January 2016, the location from where Claire distributes her product range, which is twofold: a range of rusks containing wholesome seeds, honey and spiced pumpkin; and baked treats, muffins and cakes.
Claire’s long-term vision for Nurture Bakery includes a health-focused cafe or coffee shop that she can franchise, bigger production facilities, recipe books, articles and food-education workshops.
Her story is so much more than just a wholesome treat; it is about what sustains entrepreneurs: self-belief, faith and trust − and never being alone.
Take leap into entrepreneurship and join the LaunchLab’s Knowledge Acceleration Programme here.
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