That’s dough business boy!

What did you do during the Covid-19 lockdown? Well, not to make you feel bad but one secondary school student was busy launching his own business!

Tim O’Driscoll capitalised on school closures and the lockdown to launch a new food company, Fastnet Foods.

With baking products in demand during the Covid-19 crisis, the 16 year old seized the opportunity to launch his baking business. Based in Skibbereen, the concept for Fastnet Foods grew originally from a home economics project at school when Tim studied the cost and potential waste when buying ingredients for baking recipes.

He began working on the business during school holidays and in his free time, conducting market research, testing recipes and engaging with the authorities in relation to health and safety.

In recent months, with additional time out of school due to the virus, Tim accelerated his business planning. This included branding, packaging, product labelling and legal requirements so that he could go to market at the ideal time for consumers who want to bake without complicated recipes, ingredient shortages or high costs.

Tim said: “We sold 1,000 mixes in the first ten days through a network of SuperValu stores across West Cork when we launched. It’s been a really busy time for food startups, and with customer feedback and demand, we are confident and ready now to scale to meet the national market. We are also selling our baking mixes online for those concerned about shopping instore and for everyday convenience also,” he added.

Fastnet Foods is the second food company that Tim has founded. When he was ten years old, he established an ice-cream business which operated in West Cork food markets and sporting events in Munster.