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Dribble Delights tell us about their new dairy free business.
Dribble Delights – OUR STORY
“I am a mum of three gorgeous children, a girl and two boys, ages 4, 2 and 1, so life is pretty hectic for me right now. All of my kids are Dairy Intolerant and it’s been quite a journey the past 4 years, from my children being diagnosed as being Dairy Intolerant to learning to adapt our everyday lifestyle to accommodate being Dairy Free.
We learnt the hard way with Sophie. She was diagnosed as being Dairy Intolerant at 9 months after a trip to the emergency hospital after her nappies turned grey, with what we later learned were, small red strands of her stomach lining. The fright, shock and amazement at how calmly the doctor told us that day still lives with me. You see, I had had several trips to the doctors, excuses are given when children try new foods, or they are having an off day, or you need to try a food 12 times before you know they really don’t like it. Your head is buzzing with all the information you need to process.
After our trip to hospital we cut out all dairy and the change was amazing. Within two weeks my daughter has started to have what I would class as ‘normal’ nappies. Her appetite returned and she started to have more energy, smiles and laughter.
We cut out all Dairy – cheese, yougurt, baby milk but I then started to worry about her calcium levels. I checked all her favourite foods as was astonished to see how many actually had some form of milk or dairy in it.”
HOW I COPED
“As the boys came along and were diagnosed as being Dairy Intolerant too it was never easy for me to try and have exciting ranges of foods. Cooking was not a passion for me and I fell into the trap of only feeding my children the same types of ‘safe food’. Food that I knew wouldn’t hurt their tummies.
We had to learn to adapt all our meals, our snacks, our days out, trips to others parents houses… Birthday parties have particularly started to become difficult to handle as my daughter is now 4 and it’s so hard saying no to her as she stares at a huge table of sweets other kids are chomping away on and she can’t have anything. I try to make it easier by having a dedicated ‘princess’ lunch bag with her ‘special’ sweets.
After my third child was born and at three months his nappies changed just like my daughters I knew what was about to happen again. I felt awful as all three of my children were Dairy Intolerant and I still hadn’t found an easy way forward where food was concerned. The stress, the decisions, the planning…it’s every meal time, every snack time….it’s never-ending.”
HOW MY KIDS COPE
“Children are amazing. If they never had it they don’t miss it. Yes my kids love their chocolate and cakes, just the Dairy Free kind. As they get older they are more aware of what they can and can’t have. My 4 year old helps her younger brother, aged 2 telling him what is good for his tummy when we’re out and about. They adapt quicker than we do and are less troubled about what they are missing out on. It’s only when you start getting into nursery/school/friends house/birthday parties that they start to realise what they eat is different.
Nursery has been a whole new learning curve for all involved – School – Parent – Child. You suddenly realise that you are giving up control over an extremely worrying life-changing circumstance and giving up that full control opens up a whole new dimension into having kids who are Dairy Intolerant. At this point in life I am thankful that my children are only Dairy Intolerant and not allergic to Dairy. It offers a slight release on the worry and stress I feel.”
THE BUSINESS
I was speaking to my sister one day about my issues and that’s when she decided to step in and help. She is one of those amazing food people that can fling a whole pile of ingredients into a pan and cook the most delicious meal and she doesn’t get stressed!! She started to make cakes, cookies, muffins, and main meals – all Dairy Free. I was ecstatic and my kids loved it when their auntie came to visit with yummy goodies for their delicate tummies.
The best bit was when she made a princess chocolate birthday cake for my daughter’s 4th birthday. You have no idea how happy my little girl was seeing the cake and eating it! I loved the fact that it was a ‘character’ cake just like the ones you see in the main supermarkets, yet it was completely Dairy Free…I was totally delighted and it tasted so yummy!
That was the beginning of the business idea which turned into Dribble Delights.
We have some amazing things happening at Dribble Delights in the near future. We’re working with two top Scottish Universities to get accredited and to gain expert analysis on our products – a range of Dairy Free main meals and a range of Dairy Free snacks, aimed at the treats and parties markets, called Dribble Nibbles. We want to build up a relationship of trust with our customers as we truly understand and have lived the life of having Dairy Intolerant children. Our plan is to officially launch in April 2012.
Dribble Delights – Yummy food for delicate little tummies
WEBSITE http://www.dribbledelights.co.uk
FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/dribbledelights
TWITTER @DribbleDelights
CRFOWDFUNDING http://www.bloomvc.com/project/Dairy-Free
