Jacked Up purchase new facility to develop food start up company
By Maurice Garvey
TWO Lucan-based business partners have purchased a 5,000 sq ft meal production facility in Dunshaughlin, to further develop their food start up company.
Jacked Up was established last year by Indian natives Gursharan Singh and Binu Varghese, who realised a gap in the market for healthy vegan alternatives in Ireland.
Gursharan Singh and Binu Varghese
Both directors are involved in the Asian retail sector and food distribution industry with 20 years of experience in Ireland.
The business model is based on the jackfruit, an exotic fruit grown in tropical regions and native to South India.
Mr Singh said: “Jacked-Up was born from a desire to provide a nutritional, tasty meat-replacement meal that could be enjoyed by vegans and vegetarians as well as everybody else. We wanted to be the ones to introduce this super-tasty superfood to Ireland as we couldn’t believe it wasn’t popular here.
“Not only does jackfruit taste good, it’s packed full of nutritional benefits and is the ideal meat replacement. It has a texture like pulled pork and it’s packed with nutrients. All we’ve done is add the best flavours: Pulled BBQ, Tex Mex and Indian Curry.”
Mr Varghese added: “I first came up with the concept as I grew up with jackfruit in southern India. It’s so popular there, I just knew it would also be popular here. Myself and Gursharan both grew up eating it in our families. It’s also considered very special to serve jackfruit at your wedding.”
Singh (40) resides in Lucan with his wife and their two children, and has been involved in the Irish food and retail industry since 2001.
He has also been pivotal in shaping one of the largest ethnic supermarkets in Ireland, the Fonthill-based Eurasia Supermarket, and continues to play a major role in this family owned business since its establishment in 2010.
Varghese (44) also lives in Lucan with his wife and their two kids, and has a background in retail banking, food distribution, import and export and supply chain, and is the Director of Top in Town Foods Ltd – a leading independent wholesalers and distributors of frozen and dry food products.
Each Jacked-Up dish is 100 per cent vegan, low in fat, high in iron, fibre and vitamin E and C.
Every 64 grams (1/2 a cup) of jackfruit contains approximately 40 calories, zero sugar, zero fat and two grams of protein.
The Jacked Up range comes in 300g portion for two, a RRP €3.99, and is available in selected Supervalu stores and any good food stores nationwide.
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