Entrepreneur Victoria Prince announced her arrival on the food scene after successfully transforming her healthy hobby into a booming business venture...
Educated both at Nottingham Business School and Nottingham Trent University, her Energy Ball Recipe Kits have gone from strength to strength, culminating in the latest impressive milestone: a deal with high-end department store Selfridges.
For the uninitiated, an energy ball might sound like something you’d use to try and catch Pikachu with - but the sweet treats have been heralded as game-changers in the snack market, being packed full of fibre and protein and using all fresh and natural ingredients, they’ve become hugely popular as a healthier alternative for the snack cupboard.
Having been diagnosed with polycystic ovaries, Victoria found herself researching alternative low-sugar snacks in order to help combat symptoms that were exacerbated by an unhealthy diet. After spending hours researching recipes online, as well as examining pre-made products, she came to the conclusion that there was a gap in the market for an easier, cheaper option that would allow her to kick her own chocoholic behaviour.
Motivated by an encounter with Dragon’s Den producers, Victoria began introducing her products at enterprise events, making a name for herself on the snack scene. Behind the scenes, however, there was a lengthy experimentation process going on, “Sometimes it can take about eight goes at one recipe to perfect it,'' she says. The popularity of her innovative creations - which include lavender, apricot and the much-loved Christmas Bauble - led to Victoria launching Energy Ball Recipes on Kickstarter last year.
health of the planet. Any food waste from her kitchen goes into a small caddy, which is turned into compost at a local allotment.
The process of getting Energy Ball Recipes to the shelves of Selfridges has not been without its problems, however. During one period of self-doubt, she was “ready to just press cancel” on the business, but her determination to succeed won out, as she says, “It was just a case of having the guts to put the business out there.”
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