Maria Lucia Bakes goes from strength to strength

By Maurice Garvey

RATHFARNHAM business Maria Lucia Bakes exhibited their range of gluten-free breakfast cereals at the recent Speciality & Fine Food Fair in London.

Established by Maria Betts in 2013, the business has gone from strength to strength, supplying over 400 stores across Ireland, from a base in Rosedale Lodge, Barton Avenue, Rathfarnham.

Bord Bia brought over 16 award-winning speciality Irish food producers to the UK for the showcase at the start of the month, to act as ambassadors from the sustainability programme Origin Green.

Origin Green unites Irish farmers, food producers, retailers and food service customers, to help set and achieve measurable sustainability targets – reducing environmental impact and protecting Ireland’s rich natural resources.

Earlier this year, Maria Lucia Bakes was chosen to join a new collaborative programme, run by Bord Bia and Musgrave Marketplace.

The first Food Service Academy is supporting ten small Irish food and drink companies in developing their business.

The programme also aims to help companies achieve growth within Musgrave Marketplace’s food-service business.

Maria developed a passion for healthy, home-baked food, whilst growing up in Glendalough.

She has been making her favourite food – homemade granola – and variations of it for many years, and offers a range of flavours, including products that are gluten-free and suitable for most coeliacs.