BUSINESS
Babies can get their first taste of the Mediterranean from the age of six months
The products are made from scratch using fresh ingredients
INSPIRE What inspired you to set up Piccolo in the first place? It started while I was pregnant with my daughter, Juliet. I just couldn’t find anything that resembled what I had grown up eating. I wanted to give her tasty yet nutritious meals using only organic and sustainably sourced ingredients. Having worked in the charitable sector for many years [Cat is the former CEO of Slow Food UK], it was also important to me to give back – Piccolo is committed to giving to 10 per cent of profits to charity, as well as working with amazing organisations like the NCT, Tommy’s and The Trussell Trust. How is Piccolo different to other baby food on the market? We really focus on sourcing the best ingredients, and that usually means using small producers. The recipes are steeped in the Mediterranean approach to food, too, which helps ensure little ones develop a great palate. Describe a typical day for you. Every day revolves around my four-year-old daughter and her nursery timings – once that’s
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CATHERINE GAZZOLI The founder of organic baby food brand Piccolo talks family, giving back and cooking the Mediterranean way sorted I could be doing anything from meeting a new retailer to working on new recipes with our in-house nutritionist, Alice. Tell us about your charity, The Food Education Foundation. We set it up to provide advice on a child’s food journey from the start. Alice and I run workshops across the UK to educate families about what to feed their children without having to spend too much money or time.
You were the first food brand to be backed by the NCT, what impact has that had on business? We have had a fantastic relationship with the NCT since we launched two years ago. The support has meant consumers have an extra element of trust and reassurance in our products. You’re also the first ever Fairtrade baby food brand, why was that important to you? We’re really proud of the ethical standards we uphold to our suppliers. Working with Fairtrade produce has always been one of our sustainability goals, and we’re so happy that our Pure range has made it possible. We’re honoured to be supporting such an important initiative.
What advice would you give to other women who want to start their own company? Just do it. It’s the best, most exciting and at times challenging journey you’ll ever embark on but the pride you feel when someone tells you how much you’ve helped them makes it all worth it. It’s a rewarding experience seeing the whole development of your own brand. What’s next for Piccolo? We’re always thinking about how best to help develop babies’ taste buds, and know that introducing them to texture is important, which is why we recently introduced Stage 3 Piccolo Pots to our range. They use different types of veg in Mediterranean sauces, which are kept separate to the accompanying grains like quinoa and ditalini pasta to maximise the texture. Alongside these is our new multigrain snack range, Piccolo Squares. We’re also spending the summer touring the UK, giving weaning masterclasses, and can’t wait to get out there and meet parents! bs mylittlepiccolo.com