Story
Susan had always wanted to have her own business, but it took her until her 50’s, before she was finally willing to take that all-important leap of faith. The ‘will I, won’t I’ quandry finally came to a head when her youngest son became vegan and she struggled to find nutritious, tasty food that excited Henry’s taste buds whilst hitting all-important ‘nutritional hurdles.’ Digging around scrutinising countless back-of-pack ingredient decks and nutritional charts, it soon became glaringly obvious to Susan that so many of the purported ‘healthier living’ heroes declarations being claimed by others were a little light on the facts when it came to their nutritional prowess and clean deck claims.
Susan knew she could do better by selling simple, nutritious food that people could trust to support their daily healthier living aspirations; snacks that offered just the right mix of ‘the pep’ and taste, ‘the lekker’.
Juliette, Susan’s sister-in-law and close friend was also looking for a change of direction and so together they huddled over mixing bowls and ovens to come up with something a little different from the norm.
As novices into the world of food & drink, and with a global pandemic lurking in the shadows, the ‘early years’ were full of unexpected ‘twists and turns.
Inevitably, the life of an entrepreneur is not for everyone, and after 3 years Juliette took the decision to step back so that Susan could continue to pursue her dream.
With a few years industry knowledge under her belt, coupled with some fantastic support from her team, Susan remains very excited about the long and winding road that lies in front of her.
Now, more than ever consumers are prioritising good health and the wider planet, and Susan believes Pep & Lekker’s seed snacks are perfectly placed to play their part in the blossoming health and wellness debate.
Pep & Lekker is a Great Taste, Nourish & Women’s Health award winner and has been shortlisted for the Quality Food Awards and Great British Food Awards.
Please find links to a few Pep & Lekker articles:
https://mumsclub.co.uk/qa-susan-gafsen-of-pep-lekker
https://smallbusinesscharter.org/business-advice/i-wished-id-known-i-set/
https://www.talentedladiesclub.com/articles/interview-with-susan-gafsen-co-founder-of-pep-lekker/
https://buxtonthreetwo.com/blog/buxton-interviews-pep-and-lekker/