There’s nothing nutty about our client’s Covid success

Nutfreeliving Marketplace Ltd, a new customer at the Waterhouse Business Centre, is an inspiring example of a business that was able to thrive throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. We spoke to owner, Angela Waters, about her story, what her experience has been and how she has settled in to the Waterhouse Business Centre .

Origins of Nutfreeliving Marketplace Ltd

Deciding to no longer live in fear after her daughter developed a severe nut allergy, Angela decided to act and educate herself on allergens to find a solution that would not only benefit her family, but also other people living with these common lifestyle conditions.

“After my daughter was diagnosed with being severely allergic to nuts it was horrible, as I would always worry what she was eating for years, as it could kill her – and you can’t always trust how food is labelled,” Angela said. “So, I started turning to different forums on Facebook, which gave me a lot of advice.

“I started doing a lot of my own research into everyday food products, where I would contact the companies to find out whether or not there could be any traces of nuts in their range as well as looking into nut-free vegan products.”

“Starting to educate myself more and more, I set up my own Facebook group to post food items in that I knew were definitely nut free, to help other people manage their own allergies. After a while I had people contacting me, saying ‘why don’t you start your own business selling these products’ – so, I finally plucked up the courage and did it and I am so glad I did, I love it!”

Settling into our Waterhouse Location

With the growth of Angela’s business increasing more than initially expected, she was outgrowing her space at home. She’s now over the moon that she can finally

separate work from home and is loving her new location at the Waterhouse Business Centre.

“I was growing so quickly that I just didn’t have the space at home to work efficiently anymore. I saw someone else in a similar field to me using an office here at Waterhouse and thought that would work perfectly for me.

“The location is ideal. It’s only a 7-minute drive, so it’s very convenient, and also means I am no longer just spending all day in my house; I’m able to have a change of scenery, which is important.

“Being at Waterhouse also means I’m able to be surrounded by my stock, which helps me get creative when thinking of new ideas for the business – I really do love it here!”

Adapting to Covid-19 demands

Nutfree Living was one of the lucky businesses that was able to find a silver lining through the pandemic, with sales rocketing during this time.

“ The company went online in January 2020 and a few weeks later Covid-19 hit… I was very fortunate that I benefitted from this, as I had a lot of people contacting me asking if I had different types of allergen free food due to a shortage in supermarkets, from people bulk buying. I was able to source these products by contacting the companies I had previously spoken to for my Facebook page, and they were more than happy to work with me, which was amazing.

“As the word got around, people started to buy in bulk from me instead and I started growing very quickly. I couldn’t believe it really.”

“Christmas was especially busy for me, as I was able to source Nut free advent calendars (which can be very hard to find in your local supermarkets!)”

Successes since she has settled in

With the popularity of her new business and the flexibility of her new space at the Waterhouse Business Centre, Angela has been able to become an established retailer.

“I started off with 90% of my orders being click and collect but due to the popularity of the business, I have been able to open up my own shop at the Waterhouse Business centre. This was always a dream of mine, so the fact it is now reality, it’s crazy!”

“Being able to talk to customers in person has been great, this has allowed me to introduce them to new forums to help them live with their allergies as well as being able to give them advice on different products that have helped my family, it has been really rewarding.”

Future visions

Angela has big plans for the future and we can’t wait to watch her flourish!

“My youngest daughter is great at baking, so one day we hope to open a shop together – something like that would be really great!”

Our customer’s story is an inspiration for how following your passion can lead to new business success – despite any obstacles in the way. We look forward to supporting their growth in the next year and beyond.

To find out how Capital Space could benefit your growing business,
call 0800 107 4667 or email info@capitalspace.co.uk

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Chelmsford
Located just a 10 minutes walk from Chelmsford Train Station, Waterhouse Business Centre offers self-contained office suites, studios to let, commercial workshop space and light industrial units, providing a broad range of high quality workspace with practical business support packages.

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