Reza Hakim
Oliver’s Cupboard is the new baby food brand on the block that offers a unique purpose.
Founder, Sadia Ahmed, envisions breaking barriers for British Asian and minority ethnic communities, seeking to make diversity inclusion at the forefront within the baby food market.
Sadia, a London-based businesswoman & mother, sees her ingenuity and success stem from the story of her late grandmother. Her grandmother suffered trauma when having to travel to Dhaka, Bangladesh to give birth to her mother.
The then male figureheads of her household suggested to her grandmother to leave her son behind against her will. He then, unfortunately, passed away at the mere age of 6 before having the chance to reunite.
This caused ripples of anguish within the family, to which her grandmother broke away from the typical stereotype that females should remain quiet rather than become outspoken when voices are unheard. Her backstory is truly one to inspire.
Sadia, who left her role as a Negligence Lawyer to work full-time to make her vision a reality, is also an avid reader of thought-provoking ethnic minority authors that support female empowerment.
In interviews, she has mentioned that the need for her brand came at the right time. In a world where lack of diversity and representation within a multitude of industries is still at an all-time low.
She advocates for women empowerment and for British Asian and minority ethnic females across the nation to have the same equality, in any industry, as their counterparts. Her drive and resilience to make a change is an inspirational feat.
The entrepreneurial mother found a significant gap in the market when she took a shopping trip to her local supermarket for her son as he required the transition to baby-led first foods. To her surprise, she found that existing products didn’t reflect the multitudes of cultures we have within the UK today.
Being a South-Asian mother, her findings concluded to an array of bland ingredients that resulted in her feeling as if her child wasn’t catered for. She went on to say: “I felt segregated, almost as if I didn’t fit into the world when looking at food placed on the baby food aisle. I decided to make a change”.
The fact that her son and many other children had been under-represented for so long was a turning point for her. In her mind and the thoughts of millions of others, the need for this brand was absolutely vital. This is where Oliver’s Cupboard was born.
Sadia also shows gratitude to her lack of parental nurturing for giving her a purpose in life. Being the head of the house to 3 younger siblings allowed her to acknowledge that her tribulations shaped her into who she is today.
Oliver’s Cupboard empowers all communities across the UK (with a bigger emphasis on families of colour) by offering parents diverse and inclusive products to an otherwise limited and dreary baby food industry.
The brand hopes to pave a way for others to become inspired and follow suit. To journey along the same path and break away from having to put up with generic product types that don’t cater to under-served markets.
Likewise, the current state of the baby food market shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. Rather, it should focus on the brilliant diverse consumers that have a problem with existing product offerings with brands placing emphasis on having their pain points solved.
Oliver’s Cupboard aspires to answer these issues. To give parents from all cultures and countries, access to diverse baby food that takes them back home without having to book a flight ticket.
What’s more, is that the product range is entirely Halal and Sadia emphasises creating the nation’s favourite diverse baby products for baby weaning first foods. Her inclusive-forward brand is definitely one to watch and has already made a wave of progress despite pending launch.
After securing a handful of successful contracts, Oliver’s Cupboard is now stocked at Ocado this month. Be sure to check out the unique baby food range here!
