We’ve some exciting news for the health-conscious community of Cork. Bean Brownie Company, which began as a market stand, will open a bakeshop in Ballinlough this week!
Frustrated with the lack of healthy snacks available on the go, Sarah Sexton, set out to create a tasty range of handmade, healthy baked goods. While on maternity leave back in 2014, Sarah began to play around with recipes and soon after the Bean Brownie Company was born. Their range of healthy baked goods have fast become a favourite at the markets in Mahon Point and Douglas Village.
“The idea was borne out of necessity really. My husband Alan and I needed healthier, tastier snacks to have on-the-go to support our busy lives as full-time working parents. Meeting friends for coffees meant eating processed scones, day trips in the car meant petrol station food, stopping off for a smoothie or a flapjack meant consuming crazy amounts of sugar. Even if I did find a ‘health bar’, the taste and texture were not good, the price tag was enormous, and more often than not, said ‘health bar’ had probably been shipped from Australia or the US,” explained Sarah, a qualified personal trainer and health enthusiast.
The Bakeshop menu will include their market favourites, along with a range of chilled desserts; a large selection of vegan friendly options; Bean Brownie bread loaves; breakfast pots; oat waffles and a new savory baked menu. They will also have some fitness-focused snacks for customers that will be coming post-workout, or needing snacks that are higher in protein. All goods will be handmade in store.
Ingredients are sourced, whenever possible, through the local farmers’ market and their coffee is from the Golden Bean in East Cork. They have also made the conscious decision to go 100% compostable with their packaging and are working with local company Down2Earth Materials to achieve this.
Their loyal customer base includes a mix of millennials, athletes, vegans, ‘free from’ and gluten-free consumers, busy professionals and parents like themselves who live life on-the-go.
The café will be open on August 24 at 12a Ballinlough Road, Ballinlough from 7:30am to 4pm Monday to Friday, with a view to extending its opening hours in 2019.
