Pollen & Grace: The startup that turned a food problem into a business opportunity

Friends and colleagues Kristina Komlosiova and Stephanie Johnson quit their event management jobs to start a food business after Johnson discovered she had a raft of intolerances

First-time entrepreneurs Komlosiova (left) and Johnson (right) say the process has been ‘a steep-learning curve’, but that the pair have enjoyed every moment (Pollen & Grace)

For most people, discovering that you have a catalogue of food intolerances during your twenties would be a gross inconvenience. For Australian-born Stephanie Johnson, it was a business opportunity.

Frustrated by the lack of appetising alternatives on the market, Johnson resolved to fix the problem herself. At first she began bringing her own gluten and dairy free meals into work. Her concoctions became popular with her colleagues, and soon she found herself inundated with requests. One of those colleagues was her close friend Kristina Komlosiova, and the pair decided to quit their jobs at their event management firm to have a crack at making big business out of Johnson’s amateur bites.

In 2015 Pollen & Grace was launched from Johnson’s Hammersmith kitchen before moving to an old army barrack in Clapham Junction. Having switched from delivery to retail, they now churn out 4,500 unit sales a week.

“Food has always been my world,” says Johnson. “When I discovered my intolerances around three years ago, there were no options. Now it is okay, but back then it was impossible to navigate, especially as a big foodie.”

Their target market is not limited to those with intolerances to gluten and dairy, but their menu is laden with foods that come from what Johnson mystically describes as Pollen & Grace’s “naturopath”.

You can buy an “alkaline balance box” for £7.50. Pollen & Grace describe it as, “Grilled organic prawns with a creamy pea mash, detoxing courgetti and kohlrabi salad, and a wheatgrass salsa verde.”

If you feel like pigging out, you can grab yourself an acai and chia detox pot, but only after you’ve googled what that is.

Pollen & Grace’s ‘alkaline box’: grilled organic prawns with a creamy pea mash, detoxing courgetti and kohlrabi salad, and a wheatgrass salsa verde (Pollen & Grace) (Pollen & Grace)

Johnson is aware of the growing kickback against superfoods and nutritional fads. Anthony Warner, the blogger and author who writes under the alias “The Angry Chef”, has soared to prominence thanks to his acerbic attacks on “clean-eating”. People should have a balanced diet, he says, but not feel guilty about indulging from time to time.

“We understand the message,” says Johnson. “Eat a sensible, varied diet; don’t feel guilty about food – those are all core themes that align with our values.

“We avoid making statements that aren’t 100 per cent backed up by evidence. Food and health are difficult areas to navigate, and there is a lot of misleading information out there. We simply believe in putting nutritional options on the shelves with a focus on natural ingredients.”

Regardless, the company has grown at an impressive rate, increasing sales returns from £37,000 to £370,000 in its first year. Their 2017 target is to hit £1m, having secured private investment for the first time in October last year.

Both are first-time entrepreneurs and Johnson says the process has been “a steep learning experience”, but wouldn’t change a moment.

“It’s been invaluable to have been able to do this as a pair”, she says. “You have to have that spark.”

“When we started out this market was very niche. Now it is basically mainstream, which presents challenges but also more customers.

“But the advantage in what we do is that there is a very high barrier for entry. Because all our produce is fresh it has a very short shelf life, so production and distribution is difficult logistically. It’s not a simple business model and although sometimes we wish it was, it does mean our products are unique.”

Currently limited to upmarket London retail stores such as Selfridges, Johnson says the next step is to take their food nationwide.

Watch out Glasgow, detoxing courgetti is headed your way.