INTERVIEW
SUMMER 13
striking a fine balance How did an economics and marketing graduate end up making nuritionally-balanced pizzas? Healthy eating struck a chord with Donnie Maclean and supermarket success followed, writes Karen Peattie If Donnie Maclean left the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards disappointed a few weeks ago, he certainly didn’t show it. In fact, he was among the first to congratulate the winner of the two categories in which his fast-growing company Eat Balanced, manufacturer of nutritionally-balanced pizzas, was nominated. This young entrepreneur doesn’t have time to dwell on disappointments or setbacks. He’s a man on a mission to grow his Glasgowbased business by extending distribution and expanding his product range. “Winning any award will always help you raise your profile and let more people know about your product,” Maclean points out. “But so does being shortlisted and you also have to consider the networking opportunity presented by the event itself.” It is typical of the 34-year-old to think like that. Maclean’s story is a well-documented one. Straight-talking and articulate, he has a
SPECIAL REPORT | SUMMER 13
knack for securing column inches that would make even Richard Branson envious. This one-man PR whirlwind, however, fully deserves to be given a platform to talk about what he is doing, why he’s doing it and what inspires him. You may also have seen him taking a starring role in The Entrepreneurs, a BBC2 documentary about Scotland’s acclaimed startup incubator, Entrepreneurial Spark. Maclean’s nutritionally-balanced pizzas, developed in collaboration with internationally renowned nutrition academic Professor Mike
Lean, who heads up the Human Nutrition department at the University of Glasgow, aim to make it easier to achieve a balanced diet. “We can preach at people and tell them what they should and shouldn’t be eating and drinking,” says Maclean. “But does anyone really have the right to dictate to people how they live their lives? “The reality is that people will do what they want regardless. That includes eating pizza – it’s universally loved and widely available in supermarkets and restaurants. So I came at >>
We’ve thrown down the gauntlet to the food industry and shown that, with our first range, it is possible to make tasty products that tick all the boxes
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FOOD & DRINK IN SCOTLAND