Manchester mum secures supermarket listing for meal business Kiddyum

Frozen children’s meal company Kiddyum has secured a new deal with national supermarket chain Co-op Food.

The listing is the third signed with a major supermarket in the two years since its launch, following supply agreements with Ocado and Sainsbury’s.

Kiddyum, founded by former chartered surveyor Jayne Hynes, provides meals designed for youngsters aged one to four.

Each meal is made from natural ingredients and contains no artificial flavours, colours, preservatives or GM ingredients.

The business started when Jayne, a busy working mum of two, found that she could not buy pre-cooked frozen mini meals in the shops.

To turn her idea into a business, Jayne entered it into StartUp Britain’s Dragons’ Den-style ‘Pitch-up with Sainsbury’s’ competition. Kiddyum was chosen and, in August 2015, the firm saw its products made available across 320 Sainsbury’s stores.

Jayne said: “We are really excited to be launching nationally in The Co-operative. The Co-op are not only a phenomenal ethical fit for us, they are based right here in Manchester, near Kiddyum HQ and enjoy exactly the right customer profile for our brand.

“In under two years, Kiddyum has managed to secure national contracts in Sainsbury’s, Ocado and The Cooperative.”

She added: “We have further listings in the pipeline and more exciting news to be announced in the next few months.”

Kiddyum is now looking to unlock further growth by raising £350k of investment through crowdfunding website Crowdcube. If successful, the cash will be used to secure further retail listings, expand into overseas markets and develop new products.