Women in Business: Sisters from Nenagh make and sell plant-based treats

Eliza and Evie Ward run a plant-based food business called Nutshed.

The sisters from Nenagh work together to make and sell plant-based treats and speciality peanut butter.

They grew up working in their family’s specialty food shop, Country Choice.

“We always found ways to team up, whether that’s cleaning tables in Country Choice or keeping Evie company in the long hours while she was baking and making things,” said Eliza.

Both Eliza and Evie studied culinary arts, with Eliza studying in CIT Cork and Evie in GMIT Galway.
In 2013/2014, the sisters started a market stall at the Milk Market in Limerick on Saturday mornings.

They initially sold a small number of plant-based products, including their popular date and peanut butter balls and granola.

“We were kind of a little like a personal plant-based food discovery ourselves. We were living together, so we were exploring different ways of eating, and Evie is always like cooking and baking in the kitchen, so we were on a little plant-based food journey ourselves,” said Eliza.

There was wholesale interest in the sister’s products, and they hit the road to sell to cafés and shops in Dublin.

Evie is the chef, and Eliza manages the business side.

Even though Evie and Eliza have gravitated to separate parts of the business, they say they complement each other and love working together.

“I think the family dynamic adds to the challenge, but for us, it adds a layer of support and trust, and no matter how bad things get or how stressful things might be, it’s a family member you have with you. They always have your best interest at heart,” said Evie

One day while Evie was cooking, Eliza tried some of the peanut butter and suggested they sell that.
“Yeah, we would sell like a handful of jars at the market, but we didn’t have plans to produce it, you know, and Eliza was like, why are we not making jars of this?
“Why are we not selling this?” said Evie.
They started with two flavours and then expanded their range to six during the Covid-19 crisis.
“It completely changed how we did things [Covid-19] and how we ran and the shops we could reach, and now we have the wholesale range of plant-based treats and our range of peanut butters as well, so it’s loads of fun,” said Evie. Now Nutshed products are available in just under 600 shops all over Ireland.

The Nutshed team has grown from just Eliza and Evie to a team of eight based in the Stafford Street Business Centre in Nenagh.

“We have loads of fun, and we love coming to work, and it’s a real team effort.

“Everyone comes in on a Monday, and we have a big task to accomplish for the week, and everyone just comes together, and we get it done; it’s really enjoyable,” said Eliza.

Even though their business has grown significantly since 2014, Eliza and Evie are committed to making the best products possible.

They do all their production on-site with 60 hours a week just roasting peanuts.

“It’s that attention to detail and care that we just never really compromised on, just it’s a slower process and a bigger task.

“There are not that many producers of peanut butter in the country, and to have that undertaking of the roast is a really big commitment, but I think it’s what makes our peanut butter that little bit more special,” said Eliza.