Cork, 15 June 2020: A transition year student has capitalized on school closures and the lockdown to launch a new food company, Fastnet Foods. With baking products in demand during the Covid-19 crisis, sixteen-year old Tim O’Driscoll seized the opportunity to launch his baking mix business, which provides consumers with a cost-effective, easy and fun way to bake delicious homemade recipes from brown bread to chocolate cupcakes and more.
Based in Skibbereen, West Cork, the concept for Fastnet Foods grew originally from a school Home Economics project, in which O’Driscoll saw 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 regarding food produce. In recent months, with additional time out of school due to the corona virus, O’Driscoll accelerated his business planning, branding, packaging, product labelling and legal requirements so he could go to market at the ideal time for consumers who want to bake without complicated recipes, ingredient shortages or high costs. Fastnet Foods offers all-in-one baking mixes, with the simple addition of water or butter.