Loretta Kennedy is the proud owner and founder of Mama Bear Foods, the healthy food company bringing natural products to the Irish market and beyond. Loretta set up her company only 2 years ago, after becoming inspired to scale her home-grown ketchup to a commercial level. With a background in Social Psychology, Loretta didn’t see herself as an entrepreneur. After having kids, she found herself doing a lot of cooking, making foods for her children that were natural and low in sugar but still retaining great taste. This is when Mama Bear Foods was born. Loretta’s ketchup is the lowest sugar content on the market and made with prebiotic fibre and quality ingredients sourced in Ireland. Loretta says, she tried to sneak in as many good bits as she could- an important aspect for parents who want to ensure their kids can enjoy mealtime while staying healthy. With the support of her siblings already set up in the food industry in Ireland, Loretta got to work to scale her ketchup range to bigger markets. From small beginnings in local food markets to Supervalu’s Food Academy Programme, Loretta launched in Supervalu in 2018. After taking part in Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontier’s programme she became confident enough to pitch to Aldi, whom she joined four months later, on their Grow with Aldi programme and now has a national listing with the supermarket chain. Most recently, she’s made exciting feats in closing deals with International distributors and has a line of new products ready to go!