9 minute read
BEHIND THE BRAND: PICCOLO
Six-year-old Juliet is very much part of the business
Cat co-founded Piccolo with creative Kane O’Flaherty and nutritionist Alice Fotheringham
PICCOLO Kate Freud MEETS THE INFANT FOOD BR AND’S FOUNDER CAT GAZZOLI TO FIND OUT HOW HER KITCHEN TABLE IDEA BECAME A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS BEHIND THE BRAND
Cat’s daughter Juliet was the inspiration behind the brand
s with everything I do, the decisions I make are with new mums and their babies in mind – I feel passionately that parents should be given choices that work for their family.” Cat Gazzoli, founder of Piccolo baby food is explaining the ethos behind the company with such enthusiasm, it’s clear there’s much more to this brand than delicious Mediterranean-inspired fare for babies and toddlers.
As a mother herself – she has a six-year-old daughter Juliet and is pregnant again – Cat is a rare breed in the business world – an entrepreneur with a strong social conscience and priorities which reach far beyond her profit margins.
Much of this is down to Cat’s earlier career, working in the charity sector with the United Nations food agencies in Rome, and later as CEO of Slow Food UK, the global campaigning organisation for good, clean and fair food.
“My father ran a refugee agency for the UN, so I guess you could say the giving back thing is in my blood,” Cat explains. “And I strongly believe that businesses – no matter whether they’re a huge multinational corporation or a tiny kitchen table startup like Piccolo – all have a duty to help.”
One of Piccolo’s early champions was celebrated chef and Great British Bake O host Prue Leith, who had such faith in the concept she invested in the brand herself. “She was a huge supporter and encouraged me to start the company,” explains Cat. “I’m “ A
Piccolo donates the range to the British Red Cross for refugees very grateful to her as I’ve been able to make more of a dierence with Piccolo than I could before, like donating the range to the British Red Cross to feed baby and toddler refugees.” “Sustainability has also always been important to Piccolo too, so we’re particularly proud to be the first baby food company in the UK to launch a bio-based pouch, made from 80 per cent plant-derived materials,” she explains. “As a mother, I have a responsibility to my daughter’s future.” And it’s this strong ethical backbone to the company that really set Piccolo apart from the mainstream.
Another area that Cat feels strongly about is the lack of regulation when it comes to sugar content in many well-known baby brands. “We’re always careful never to add any sugar to our recipes, and wherever possible we reduce the naturally occurring sugars in our pouches too.” We all know that if you give babies sugar they develop a sweet tooth,
so it’s crucial to Cat to give them a diverse mixture of ingredients so they develop a more varied, well-rounded palette.
All of Piccolo’s ingredients are sourced from independent family farms whenever possible, and the organic fruit and vegetables are grown in the sun-soaked Med. As Cat explains, with just a few cherry-picked ingredients in each pouch, it’s important they contain as much flavour as possible. Some tropical herbs and spices may be picked up from further afield.
To date, there are 20 people making up the Piccolo team, working across everything from recipe formulation to packaging design. And integral to that are Cat’s co-founders, Kane O’Flaherty, who heads up the creative side of the business and Alice Fotheringham, the
The brand’s healthy cooking range inGluHes fl aZoursoQe pastas and stir-in sauces
Piccolo’s ingredients are largely sourced from independent family farms
nutritionist, who has worked on developing the recipes since day one.
Cat lives in Covent Garden in the centre of London, around the corner from the o ce, juggling the business and motherhood with style. “My daughter Juliet was the inspiration behind Piccolo, as I wanted healthy choices to feed her when we were out. She’s very much a part of the business, so she’s learnt to understand if sometimes I have to travel or can’t be there for pick up. But working so close to the o ce has made my life a lot easier.” “No two days in my job are the same,” Cat explains. “I do everything from meeting retailers to expanding the product range. But I’m fortunate enough to have a very supportive extended family that help me a lot. And Juliet is lucky enough to have her grandparents in Italy, where she loves to spend time during the school holidays.”
It’s amazing to think that, despite launching just four years ago, Piccolo is now sold in Piccolo also offers a broad range of snacks, from breadsticks to wafers
every major supermarket in the UK, with an estimated turnover of £7.5m in 2020. And, despite expecting a new baby imminently, Cat shows now sign of slowing down, with plenty of innovative launches in the pipeline.
Most excitingly the company is bringing a new range of organic formula milks to market, developed alongside experts with 35 years’ experience in infant nutrition. “When my daughter was born, I was surrounded by family who supported me through my decision to breastfeed, but I know it doesn’t always work out that way,” says Cat. “So I want mothers to have the best alternative possible.”
It’s this constant desire to give other parents the very best for their children too, that’s sure to guarantee Piccolo its continued and wellearned success.
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with NEEV SPENCER ALL THINGS MOTHERHOOD W e decided to start the year with a trip to Dubai for some much-needed winter sun. The Ritz Carlton is a great place for families, and having had such a fantastic time at its Tenerife outpost for our last break, it was a no-brainer to choose this resort for our first holiday as four, and it didn’t disappoint. Travelling with a little one can be daunting, so be sure to check out JoJo Maman Bebe’s online Holiday Shop section. It’s an easy-touse shopping list – it’s surprising the things you might not have thought of.
Every tot feeds dierently, so it’s important to know your baby and trust your instincts. Baby-led weaning worked perfectly for Genevieve, who now at three and a half years old eats most things and has a varied diet. Vivienne had naturally started to show an interest in food, so I consulted Gill Rapley who wrote Baby-led Weaning with Tracey Murkett. Gill advised that now Vivienne can sit up independently, reach out, grasp things and take them into her mouth she was ready for solids. She suggested sharing meals, eating healthily, avoiding highly-processed food, making sure iron is included once a day and cooking without salt or sugar. Oering veg sticks was the starting point. She stressed that it’s more about discovering than eating, and that breast milk or formula are still a baby’s main source of food at this stage. So far so good, and she loves joining in mealtimes!
Catch me next month for more on my motherhood journey, don’t forget to check out the online version of this column and follow me on social media @neevocial
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health NEWS & beauty THE LATEST PRODUCTS AND INNOVATIONS IN THE WORLD OF WELLBEING
Renowned for its fab food pouches, snacks and sauces, Piccolo has now launched its Árst range of infant follo[on anH gro[ing up milk, suitable for tots from birth to three years olH 1aHe froQ organiG high Uuality ingreHients this nutritious forQula has been sourced from family farms and is TaGOeH [ith all the gooHness FaFy neeHs to stay strong anH healthy *inH the TroHuGts in 3GaHo anH &oots froQ *eFruary anH in Sainsbury’s from early March. £14.99, mylittlepiccolo.com
BREASTFEEDING MUMS SHOULD EAT MORE EGGS TO PREVENT THEIR BABY HAVING AN ALLERGY, RESEARCH HAS FOUND. THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA STUDY SHOWED THAT EGG ALLERGIES IN KIDS ARE FOUR TIMES LESS LIKELY WHEN THEY’VE BEEN EXPOSED TO BREAST MILK CONTAINING EGG PROTEIN.
