Interview with Founder of Baby Food Company Bellota Baby, Jade Ireland

Whilst weaning her daughter and walking away from a decade as partner of property firm Knight Frank, Jade set up a baby food company, Bellota Baby.

Along with nutritionist & weaning expert Mary van der Westhuizen they launched in late 2018 specialising in producing organic, fresh plant–based Baby & Toddler food.

Offering next day delivery Bellota Baby provides the perfect solution for time-poor parents too busy to batch cook but who want to avoid the long life commercial baby food pouches.

She believes babies should have the most natural and nutritious start to life, and the twelve strong product range is dairy and gluten free and packaged in sustainable, widely recycled glass jars.

 

Describe a typical day for you?

Since our newest girl arrived six weeks ago the typical day as we know it has been turned on it’s head…if sleep patterns allow I like to do some email admin & set up the day’s deliveries before my bigger two (4 and 6) wake up. Then it’s the mayhem of getting everyone fed, scrubbed and out the door.

The big ones are at school in Highgate so after drop off I take the baby for a bracing stroll around Hampstead Heath – it’s one of my favourite places on earth. This is the daily me time I need and some of my best ideas have been conjured up climbing Parliament Hill!

No two work days are the same but I like to visit our kitchen facility at least once a week and take a handful of meetings. Other work time is spent in the office at home in North London, all with baby in tow.

3pm is the mad school pick up rush, then it’s phones away and girl time until the three of them are tucked up in bed.

I’ll crack on with some more work stopping to watch the current box set and enjoy dins with my husband. Then it’s baby night feed and bed for me!

 

What do you feel are your greatest achievements?

My family most definitely. I have a wonderful and funny husband and three very vivacious, spirited little girls. They are all so different but compliment each other wonderfully!

Seconding that would be starting up my own baby food business Bellota Baby, as the antidote to a personal tragedy we suffered as a family. As it goes from strength to strength I feeling a growing sense of proud over my fourth baby.

 

What’s in your handbag/ satchel?

I live in my puffa jacket so those large pockets are my handbag in the winter. In them lives my phone, keys, pocket tissues, lip balm and spare baby dummies.

 

What are your ambitions in life?

To raise my girls to be happy and become great in whatever field they choose.

To expand Bellota Baby so it becomes a well known brand name and key player in international baby food market.

 

What do you wish you’d known at the start of your career you now know?

Don’t get hung up on what’s happening on social media…it can be life sapping and at the end of the day it’s only a small part of how to grow your business.

 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

Happily ensconced in North London with my family but running a large team, exporting my baby food around the world!

 

What advice would you give a budding entrepreneur?

Make mistakes, it really is the only way to learn. You will only regret the things you don’t do.

 

What advice would you give to a new parent?

Buy multiples of EVERYTING you can…trust me you’ll be thankful when you find the back up pack of baby wipes you stashed in the car!

 

Finally, happiness is…

Family time and getting plenty of sleep!

 

Photo by Nara Parana.

Read more interviews here.