Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tomás Castro, Founder of Eattitude - Deliciously Organic, located in Coimbra, Portugal.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Eattitude is our family business. Ours means our children's - Carlota, Vasco, and Joaquim. It was for them that we started making granola at home in 2012. Carlota was 12 months old, and we were looking for purees for her that were healthy, low in sugar, and tasty. We would make granola, partially grinding it to obtain a flour that, mixed with milk or dairy-free milk, became a wonderful puree. The remaining granola, our lot, served as an inspiration every morning at breakfast for new mixtures and flavours. Soon the scent of granola became a feature of our kitchen, which became home to countless jars of the different flavours we would create. The word got around, and before we knew it, we already had orders. So, we realised that we had a product in our hands that the market wanted and a great opportunity to dedicate ourselves to something that would make a difference in that part of the world that we could change for the better: food.
In January 2017, we took on Eattitude as our small family business. In 5 months, we inaugurated our factory in Cascais, where we made a commitment to the new Eattitude family, composed of domestic and foreign customers and consumers, who are now an integral part of our story. Nowadays, Eattitude is our life. All the processes are done by us, from the choice of suppliers, purchases, packaging creation, design, marketing & communication, sales, logistics & shipping, and customer service, and we dedicate ourselves to the confection with the same love and commitment we used for our children, in our kitchen at home.
Tell us about yourself
My motivation to start this company, along with my wife, was to create food alternatives based on delicious and healthy, a concept that 12 years ago was non-existing. What drives us every day is to know that we are fighting for a better world and that we are changing the habits of consumers to more healthy options, preventing disease factors that threaten society, such as childhood obesity or the long-term effects of harmful chemicals, by offering better food options.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment was to start a business from our house kitchen and grow it to what we have today, with a production unit of almost 1000 sqm. We still have a long way to go, but to look back and see what we have accomplished in 5 years feels really good.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The hardest thing is to disconnect, especially if your partner is your wife or somebody close to you. It's a 100% commitment and availability to your business, and we need to be careful not to let it interfere with our personal life. The sacrifices, the responsibility, the joys, and the frustrations, all of it, will be a very active part of your life.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Make sure the project is solid and viable.
- Make sure you have the right persons working with you and the right clients for your product.
- Make good and exhaustive management on a daily basis.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://eattitude.pt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eattitude.pt/about
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eattitude_deliciouslyorganic/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eattitude/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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