Founder of Free-From Brand Challenged Her Staff To 'Be Allergic' For The Month And We Are 100% Here For It
Once known as the ‘allergy girl’, Julianne Ponan, the CEO of free-from snack brand Creative Nature Superfoods and International Speaker and Campaigner around Allergy and Anaphylaxis Awareness set about changing the narrative and creating products that were not only free from the common 14 allergens, but didn’t lack in taste or quality and I’d say… she has more than succeeded - but lucky for us - she’s not stopping any time soon.
Julianne Ponan by Anna Rachel Photography
Born with severe allergies to life-threatening allergens: peanuts, tree-nuts, sesame seeds, lentils, chickpeas and even strong perfumed skin care products, Ponan has always had to be careful about what she puts in and on her body. She’s had to take extra precautions that others subconsciously take for granted each day. Which is why she has challenged her entire team at Creative Nature to play ‘Allergy’ for the month. This simple act may seem silly and on course a little, er - sensitive, but it’s all about creating a space where her team are aware of the daily inhibitions a vast majority of the public and their consumer audience have to suffer from or deal with the deadly consequences. “I’ve have people comment in the past saying ‘you don’t look like you have an allergy’” I’ve lived with an allergy my entire life but even I don’t know what a person with allergies is supposed to look like - and additional comments such as here, “it’s only a little bit, it won’t hurt you”. So for the entire month of May I challenged my team to ‘be allergic’ for the month - like me. I felt it was a way for them to have some inkling of what its like to always have to be so careful of what [you] consume’. Her staff took a step out of Ponan’s recipe book and delivered, but not without truly understanding what the challenges were going to be: '“I’ve found this [so far] really difficult and being a vegetarian I found it even harder - said Ellie Wilkins who looks after Creative Nature’s design and marketing. Trudi Austin, Head of Sales, thought turning online would prove easier than shopping in store. “I did the logical thing of using the free from filters to avoid allergens - but not all of them work (filtering milk-free gave me pizza with cheese on it) my shop took me a whole lot longer than it would normally!” and Dale Ashman in Business Development expressed the same challenges and concerns “I’m always in a rush and don’t leave myself time to prepare and read labels. I grabbed a sandwich without realising it had egg in - luckily I have some Creative Nature products to keep me full on my journey” instead. This was expressed across the board of staff “I’m genuinely very glad to be working in the Creative Nature Office where there were plenty of… snacks around, because I don’t know what I would have done without them” finalised Ellie who knows that what her boss is doing is more for the greater good than just a monthly target to hit. “It’s about educating those around you… let others ask questions and help others to help you - then they, in turn, will be more educated when(or if) they meet someone else with your condition”. Ponan states. Just by opening up that simple conversation you’re allowing those who don’t suffer be able to support those that are.
@thecleantribe Creative Nature Superfoods Gnawbles
Creative Nature was set up out of need, desire and purpose. Ponan wanted to showcase that allergy-free food wasn’t something to shy away from; something to be embarrassed about, but in fact could be a truly delicious product that the whole family could enjoy, regardless of their dietary problems, restraints or preferences. “I was always known as 'the allergy girl’ who had to sit at ‘the allergy table’ at school all by myself. I hated being segregated and that [awful] feeling is what pushed me to create a brand that enables everyone to eat at the same table and enjoy delicious without-foods” Ponan states who vividly remembers supermarkets not catering for the free-from sector as well as it does today. “Going to the supermarkets I would constantly stuggle with finding something healthier that was free-from my allergies and at Birthday Parties - I could either not go, or would never be able to have [anything to] eat - as my mum would say it’s just not worth the risk” which she knows is true after suffering multiple anaphylaxis shocks during her childhood; her first as just a young toddler.
Sick of being defined and identified by her allergies, Creative Nature was soon born and Julianne took back the control her allergens had taken from her. “Coeliac disease and food allergies as a whole are on the increase, in both children and adults - it’s that simple” she states. In fact 1 in 100 people in the UK is estimated to have Coeliac Disease, alone - according to a recent study by Coeliac UK - with a shocking statistic that only 30% of these have been diagnosed and an estimated half a million people in the UK have the condition unknowingly - or more than likely, misdiagnosed. It’s a common trait for gut health conditions. Something I’m, like Julianne are all too aware of, as someone who has suffered with gluten issues for a large portion of my adult life. Which is why companies like Creative Nature are not only needed on the supermarket shelves as an easily accessible product but to also be raising awareness around the often isolating conditions that can have as bad of an impact on their mental health as it can on their physical.
Julianne Ponan by Anna Rachel Photography
Having companies that are able to cater for all means that you’re less likely to be “singled out” at dinner parties, picnics, or even just a casual catch up between friends. A natter around a CN Gnwable is a powerful thing. Trust me.
But it’s not been an easy journey for Ponan, who has made the process look entirely effortless and streamlined, with an array of awards neatly tucked into her belt. “I’ve had multiple problems around acceptance of me: as a fairly young woman, and a woman with a BAME heritage. This has manifested itself in various ways from getting funding for investment, being told to ‘bring a man’ [onboard] as it ‘would play better’ to being called, a ‘little' girl’ - however these problems are far too common in any starting or continuing brand, even in today’s day and age - but add in the additional obstacles - all 14 of them - and you could be looking at a recipe for disaster. “It’s been at times, a life-threatening journey - but wonderful all wrapped into one” and luckily for Julianne; for thousands of happy customers - placing myself at the very top of that list, she managed to overcome with time, commitment and persistence. “The highs have always outweighed the lows, because I believe in what I do” Ponan finishes with. “I don’t just want change for myself, I want it for others. I’m prepared to be part of that change - are you?'“