Name: Pura Panela
Based: Sheffield
Website: www.purapanela.com
Pura Panela distributes dehydrated organic sugar cane juice from Colombia, with no added chemicals or additives. It is a natural nutritional sweetener and food, a source of antioxidants, protein, vitamins and essential minerals.
At the beginning of the business we just wanted to sell bags of Pura Panela to enable people to make their own healthier food and drinks with them. But recently we realised that selling the drinks ready-made has a significant impact in revenue.
At food markets we used to give away Agua Panela Limon y Canela (Panela water with lime and cinnamon) and Café Campesino (Coffee with Panela) for free to promote the business. However, recently we decided to change the strategy and start charging for the drinks. The result was very positive – we sold out in two hours the first time we did it.
Now we are confident enough to approach several independent coffee shops asking to include the drinks in their menus. We know it really works and represents a significant revenue stream.
Lately, we have been developing a ready-made Café Campesino and bottled cold Agua Panela Limon for sports. This development represents a significant growth in the business, giving us a much wider market and revenue scope.
Natalia Welch is the founder of Pura Panela
