Meet Jessica Higgins, founder of Take Stock
I’m Jessica Higgins, ex-employment lawyer, first time entrepreneur, who like so many others had begun mulling over work/life balance over lockdown. I’m not one of these ‘had to escape the corporate rat race’ types as I enjoyed my legal career. However, like so many others, there had always been a burning desire to turn one’s heartfelt interests into a career that is as much vocational as entrepreneurial.
As a mother in these increasingly topsy turvy times, good nutrition and good gut health has always been a really important topics for me in an age where functional food and self-help have become increasingly powerful call-to-arms. Ed, my partner, is a vocal advocate for real food and home cooking, so bone broth seemed to be the perfect ‘shared love’ project.
Where did the idea for Take Stock come from?
We got increasingly frustrated over Lockdown that there was no easy access bone broth to purchase, which was our ‘lightbulb’ moment. Yes, there are a few niche brands of organic bone broth if you happen to live in London and shop in the likes of Wholefoods, but no brand capable of either taking online by storm or igniting the retail debate regarding why our supermarket stocks and gravies fixture is currently so devoid of sound nutrition, real food values or appetite appeal.
No-one denies that homemade broth is best, but who really has the time, energy or storage for saucepans of slow bubbling bones and joints? What can’t be escaped is that bone broth is a sustainable leaning super food, eeking out every last ounce of slowly simmered goodness!
What was the thinking behind Take Stock?
For many people, food is the key to happiness and wellbeing. Whether that’s the joy and togetherness of a nourishing meal with family and friends, or the might of wholesome, unprocessed foods to energise, restore and heal.
We wanted to be a counter-balance to one of the most archaic aisles of the supermarket, which is stocks and gravies. When you look at the pace with which so many hitherto intransigent grocery aisles have embraced food movements like vegan, gluten-free and low carb, it was certainly frustrating that the stocks aisle hadn’t seen bona-fide innovation since the convenient, mass-produced stock pot. Stock pots, for all their foodie positioning, are really little more than yet another nutritionally bereft conveyor belt solution made with yeast, industrial fats and synthetic nasties.
If you look at what has happened to premiumisation of the vinegars aisle, which was not along ago little more than a staunch Sarsons outpost, it’s not hard to see how there’s scope for a nutritional powerhouse bone broth to make its presence felt.
Biggest marketplace obstacles?
Bone Broth (or stock as the UK market has traditionally known the product) struggles from trying to escape its building block ingredient shackles. Stock has historically been undervalued as a low maintenance base ingredient. But the reality is stock sits at the very heart of so many great dishes helping meats and veg operate at the top of their game (both taste & nutritionally speaking), which is why we know in-the-know customers will pay more for something truly worthwhile.
On the opposite side of the debate there may be a little sniffiness that we’re an ambient tetra style pack, and not a pretty tub of ‘organicness.’ Being ambient is essential if any brand is going to scale sufficiently (online, Amazon, bricks & mortar supermarkets) to challenge the incumbent stocks status quo and not simply offer yet another ‘elitist fringe’ offering. Organicness is itself an interesting discussion as our broths are made from ingredients sourced from Norway - the smaller scale farms, expansive pastures and colder climate make prime conditions for healthy, well cared for animals. Norway has the lowest use of antibiotics in farm animals in Europe – 10 x lower than the UK average and 2.5 x lower than the Organic average.
Our goal is to turn the incumbent stock fixture on its head, not simply cause a few polite ripples.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt as a result of lockdown?
The meteoric growth of our brand online as Amazon’s leading offering demonstrated that we were not alone (as consumers) when it came to untapped bone broth enthusiasm. Bone broth resonates with the ever-growing tribe of everyday wellness folk as well as the better-informed food is medicine fraternity turning to broth to tackle everything from IBS and weight loss to menopause
Tell me about your Norwegian ties.
We are not the first to look northwards when it comes to admiring Scandinavia’s unrivalled at one with nature thinking! Norway is consistently voted one of the world’s happiest countries thanks to their healthy-living outdoor lifestyle.
What’s your proudest moment to date?
Winning a bagful of Nourish awards is pretty high up the list (along with a Great Taste Award albeit blasting our recent investment raise by over 60% within our first year was mind-blowing.
Describe a Take Stock loyalist.
We know we appeal to three very distinct consumer profiles:
- Everyday wellness millennial who understands only too well that modern, processed food, cuts too many corners in the name of convenience.
- +35 ‘food is medicine’ devotee who understands that nutrient-dense food made the right way can tackle many modern-day ailments (IBS, menopause.....)
- The knowledgeable home chef who simply refuses to settle for 2nd best ingredients.
Describe a brand you admire and why?
Lucky Saint – they are changing perceptions in their category as the first widely available draft non-alcoholic beer. Their company culture is incredible and lazer focus, all focused around one single first class product.
Best advice for fellow founders?
Don’t try and do too many things at once. Do one thing and do it well. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
