What could a ravenous squirrel enjoy more than a freshly fallen acorn?
One answer could lie with a Crathes based business that’s creating natural, award-winning and TV appearing nut butters.
Hungry Squirrel started life in owner Susan Yule’s home kitchen four years ago, along with her business partner Hazel Farquhar.
Susan originally thought up recipes to create natural, healthier alternatives to peanut butter – as well as her kids’ Nutella cravings – which she became intolerant to.
Since then however, Susan has gone solo with the business and continues to create a wide range of moreish nut butters.
From almond espresso to cookie dough cashew, its vegan-friendly, refined sugar free and palm oil free products appeal on a number of levels.
Hungry Squirrel now works with manufacturers across the UK from its Aberdeenshire hub and shows no signs of stopping its progress any time soon.
“I suppose it all kind of happened quite organically,” Susan recalls upon starting the business.
“Hazel was with me in the business for the first year and we trialled products on friends and family before going to some of the farmer’s markets in the Aberdeen area.
“Things have really just built from there.”
Potential
Having witnessed a local appetite for nut butters, Susan quickly began to think further ahead with the business’s potential.
“Originally, I studied art,” she says.
“Then I kind of just fell into an IT career, where I stayed for about 20 years.
“It was a good career, but I didn’t feel pretty fulfilled in my job.
“That’s why I was looking for a new business idea that had a little bit of creativity with and also something that would fit in my family life with my kids.”
Learning
By 2019, Susan’s now solo venture moved premises out of her kitchen and into a larger site in Crathes where it remains today.
Cautious not to bite off more than she could chew, her patient but determined approach has allowed her to learn new skills and build her business’s profile with the support of local organisations.
“I’ve learned so many things in terms of running a business,” Susan says.
“Marketing, social media, these kinds of things I’ve had to learn as I’ve went along.
I like challenges and learning new things – there’s never a dull moment.
“I also came across the local organisation Opportunity North East (ONE) online when I started the business and made contact with the team in their Food & Drink sector.
“They’ve been very supportive throughout my business journey and are such an asset to our region.”
Quality
Hungry Squirrel currently has a range of ten nut butter flavours to choose from in its online store and several local retailers including Nature’s Larder and Refillosophy in Aberdeen.
Finding recipe inspirations from social media and from major nut butter sellers in the US and Scandinavia, Susan describes her products as being “simple, tasty, natural and healthy.”
But one of Susan’s biggest critics hasn’t been fully persuaded just yet.
“My son, hmm, he’s not such a nut butter lover unfortunately!” she laughs.
“I haven’t managed to quite turn him yet, it’s a work in progress.
“But I want to have the best quality products I can.
“I don’t skimp on ingredients and everything is made in small batches so I have complete control with what’s going in.
“People often find a few different flavours that they love which leads on to repeat orders online of buying six or more jars at a time.”
Recognition
Award wins have also been coming in thick and fast for the nut butter business.
From BBC Good Food (2017) to Scotland Food & Drink Excellence (2018) and Great Taste (2020), Hungry Squirrel’s nut butters are hitting all the right spots.
“It gives you a boost and encourages you to know that you’re doing something right,” says Susan.
But one of its biggest scoops came from a somewhat last-minute appearance on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen earlier this year.
“I got a call two days before the show on Saturday asking if I would be interested in sending some products down for the programme,” Susan explains.
“They had the singer Anne-Marie down to do a vegan Burns night theme for her being vegan, so they found me and had Anne-Marie trying some of the products.
“She really liked them, I think, which was great and the online sales went through the roof after that.”
Opportunity
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Hungry Squirrel has gone from strength to strength.
It may have missed a number local farmers markets recently, but its ability to adapt to online sales has certainly worked in its favour.
A flurry of new wholesale opportunities have risen in recent months and now Susan has her eyes set on taking Hungry Squirrel across the pond.
“I’ve got a contact in America who’s looking to distribute my nut butters there which is a really big deal,” says Susan.
“He happened to come across my nut butters in a shop in the Ballater area one day.
“When he went back home, he contacted me to say that he loved them and that there was nothing like that in the US at the moment.
“I’ve now actually been across to the US and talked about how it can happen.
“Around 90% of the US population have nut butter in their homes which makes for huge sales potential.
“If I can even dip a toe in that market, it’d be a great opportunity.
Building business networks has been key for Hungry Squirrel since its inception.
But at its core, Susan’s focus and passion has continued to push things forward.
“I guess that I am very determined,” she says.
“I have my own way of thinking about and doing things.
“I love all these opportunities and connections; it’s just a case of following them and seeing what happens.
“Who knows? It might work it might not. But it’s all part of the fun just doing it.”
A round of questions with Susan Yule of Hungry Squirrel…
What’s one item you’ll always have in your store cupboard?
Cinnamon.
Best food and drink pairing?
Cheese and wine.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what three things would be there with you?
My phone, a jar of nut butter and hmm… what could I not live without? My cat – don’t tell my kids I said that!
You have to serve your favourite superhero or celebrity a drink. Who is it and what do you serve them?
Thor (Chris Elmsworth) and I’d serve him a pint of lager.
Any secret tips of the trade you’d care to share?
My tip to anyone would be is that if you have a dream or something that you want to do in life, then just go for it and take the risk. We’ve only got one chance at it and even if it doesn’t work out, at least you’ve tried and you don’t grow old regretting things you’ve never done.
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