Vegetables & Fruits

Strong Roots Dig into UK Market with Underground Flavors

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strong roots sweet potato fries

In spreading the Strong Roots Underground Flavors frozen food product line from Ireland to the United Kingdom, the Dublin-based Strong Roots has successfully cultivated buyers at Whole Foods Market and Waitrose to stock its Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Kale & Quinoa Burger offerings at their retail stores.

“We know there’s demand for health-focused convenient food, and a key part of the brand’s growth strategy is to expand our customer base in the UK and further afield,” said Samuel Dennigan, founder and chief executive officer of the budding company. “Our vegetable food range, which is ideal for those with busy lifestyles who need to cut corners in the kitchen, is vegan-friendly with no artificial flavors.”

strong rootsIn business since 2015, Strong Roots products are already well established and in high profile in Ireland at SuperValu, Tesco, Dunnes, Eurospar and Spar freezer sections, as well as in the frozen food aisles of independent retailers. In addition to fries and burgers, the stores carry 500-gram bags of Strong Roots Ripenened Avocado Halves and Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

Thirty-one-year-old Dennigan has deep personal roots in agriculture, as well as a background in art and design. He grew up working on a farm and assisted in the family fruit and vegetable distribution business.

Recently the company received £25,000 in investment funding through
Dublin City’s Local Enterprise Office (LEO) after taking first place in the “Best Start-Up Business” category of Ireland’s “Best Young Entrepreneur” (IBTE) competition.

Upon accepting the award, Dennigan commented: “We have worked really hard for the last 18 months on the business for ourselves, and while we have internal milestones that give us our own victories, the public acknowledgement of a body like the LEO, EI (Enterprise Ireland) and the DJEI (Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation) is huge. For me, it has only put more positive pressure on the want to expand and grow into new markets and further develop existing ones.”

Key members of the Strong Roots team working with Dennigan to increase penetration of the home market and transplant success abroad are Indira Fernandez, who heads up global brand strategy, and Maria Costache, sales director.