There’s a growing appetite for low-carb and ketogenic diets among fitness enthusiasts.
A brief 10-minute scroll through TikTok’s ‘For You’ page reveals numerous athletes and personal trainers embracing a high-protein, high-fat lifestyle, denouncing one-third of the holy macro trinity.
The results are often impressive. Low-carb diets are praised for their effectiveness in weight loss, supported by studies highlighting their positive impact on hormonal balance, increased satiety, and lowered blood sugar and insulin levels.
However, when it comes to diets, there’s a common disparity between our cravings and the knowledge of what we should be eating.
For those aiming to curb the carbs, the mental struggle tends to revolve around a singular spongy obstacle: bread.
Whether it’s a slice of toast as you’re heading out the door in the mornings or a grab-and-go sandwich, bread is the Achilles’ heel for many well-intentioned folks.
While there are low-carb options available, they often come with the drawback of being dry and mealy, requiring three times the effort to chew and, up until now, haven’t quite hit the mark.
Andy Welch, founder of SRSLY Low Carb, searched far and wide for a tasty, wholesome low-carb bread that could satisfy his seemingly simple craving for a healthy sandwich.
Frustrated by his efforts, Andy embarked on the entrepreneurial path that savvy business minds often take when identifying a market gap: he created his own solution.
His vision was a healthy, freshly baked alternative to trump the half-baked ideas he’d encountered online.
With success in creating his ideal bread, Andy’s vision expanded beyond a simple sandwich. He aspired to develop a diverse range of low-carb foods, each balancing nutrition and flavour.
Now boasting a well-stocked pantry, SRSLY Low Carb offers everything from pizzas and ready meals to sweet treats and condiments. You could say it’s the best thing since sliced bread.
As part of our founders series, we sat down with Andy to discuss drastic career changes, extreme fitness challenges, industry bugbears and much more.
The Birth Of SRSLY Low Carb
While Andy dedicated the majority of his professional life to what he describes as an unfulfilling role in the corporate world, he discovered an escape through fitness, competing as an avid runner and triathlete.
But it wasn’t until a serious health scare prompted a reevaluation of his lifestyle that the initial spark for a low-carb empire ignited, as he explains.
“I collapsed on a plane journey home which was the moment I finally recognised that my current work/life balance wasn’t sustainable.
“I was already an avid runner and triathlete but wanted to push myself harder still as part of my all-important recuperation. Completing an Iron Man became my mission, which is when I started investigating healthier eating regimes.
“Low carb made perfect sense and yet I simply couldn’t curb my bread yearnings. Incumbent keto breads were horrific, which is when I had my lightbulb moment.”
Converting that ‘eureka moment’ into a concrete brand has not been without its challenges, though. While all indicators suggest an imminent boom in keto and low-carb diets, Andy’s vision has been met with a sluggish response from major retailers.
“There have been many hiccups along the way,” he added.
“Probably our biggest issue was chasing the supermarket dream when it really wasn’t ready for us. We spent a lot of money gearing up for a bricks-and-mortar supermarket assault but their commitment is half-hearted and inconsistent.
“With so many markets (our B2C/online heartlands, food service & hospitality and overseas interest) tuned into the low carb opportunity, I now wish we hadn’t expended quite so much time, money and energy trying to make supermarkets see what was beyond their ambition.
“Keto and low carb are the most Googled dietary terms in the world and yet supermarkets remain stubbornly in the slow lane, packing out their free-from fixture that supports 2-4% of the UK population whilst ignoring the uncomfortable truth that 30% of the UK population are already clinically obese, with a further 37% on the cusp.”
One evident aspect of Andy’s mission is his determination to position SRSLY as an authentic health product, rather than one that merely claims to be.
What he describes as ‘brand skullduggery’ is his top pet peeve in an industry he believes is rife with falsehoods.
He said: “The number of brands professing to be healthy when in truth their ingredient decks are little more than a chemistry set of e-numbers, cheap Chinese ingredients, needless sugars and lazy fillers really bothers me.”
By all accounts, his commitment to delivering genuine results for customers is proving to be a rewarding endeavour.
“My favourite job role is telling the tale,” he added.
“We are changing lives! 80% of our loyalists track us down having committed to losing significant weight whilst an overlapping 50% are seeking to bring their Type 2 diabetes under control.
“The fact that we recently secured an NHS central contract after an exhaustive examination of our nutritional credentials shows that keto is gaining momentum all the time as a common sense food movement capable of tackling the unfurling obesity epidemic.”
Financing SRSLY
Let’s delve into the figures, and by figures, I’m referring to macros.
Each of SRSLY’s prodigiously plump seeded loaves offers a miserly fraction of the carbs generated by its everyday counterparts, returning just 5.9g of net carbs per 100g. In contrast, comparable breads contain 45/55g of carbs for the same quantity.
Andy selected the flagship seeded loaf as his favourite from the brand’s offerings but admitted it was a tough decision, with the low-carb pizzas coming in a close second.
Scaling SRSLY’s offerings to the point where both Andy and his customers have an abundance of choices hasn’t been possible without substantial financial investment.
Detailing just how much has gone into building the brand, Andy said: “Initially bootstrapping courtesy of the Bank of Welch. In 2022, we were lucky enough to secure a £500k loan from the East of England regional loan scheme.
“This cash injection allowed us to extend our team to meet growing demand and increase our portfolio into new categories like jam, condiments and ready meals, whilst improving our warehousing and distribution capabilities and refreshing our packaging and brand identity.
“In October, we concluded a Seedrs funding raise, which surpassed its original target by some 37% (raising £274,000), a positive endorsement that is enabling us to build upon our export capabilities and extend our product reach into pasta, naan bread and a couple of other, yet-to-be-disclosed, daily essentials.”
It’s clear developing new products is at the forefront of Andy’s plan for SRSLY. Asked whether anything fresh was imminent, he teased: “Oh, we always have stuff in the pipeline! From a bread perspective, we’re hellbent on creating the perfect, low-carb garlic bread whilst extending our ready meal angle offer to a compelling Spag Bol.
“The incumbent kinds of pasta within low carb are often gritty, grainy and light in appetite appeal, so we’re determined to buck the trend and create something that stands the test of time.”
Questions with Andy Welch
Now we’ve set the scene, I think it’s time you heard more from the man with big plans.
Describe your perfect customer in 5 words
Inquisitive, health-conscious, open-minded, foodie & hungry.
What’s Your Favourite Product That You Sell?
Not an easy call! Our low-carb pizzas are moving mountains at the moment (esp 3 Cheese & Pesto and Spicy Chicken). However, as someone who began a low-carb business, because I couldn’t square my commitment to a healthier living regime with a deep-seated appreciation of bread, I’m going to have to say our flagship seeded loaf
What does a typical day look like?
MAD! 100mph and rarely time to catch breath which is, to be honest how we like it.
Pre SRSLY what was your working life like? What job were you doing?
An unhappy blue-chip corporate bod working with FTSE 250 clients, eeking out a soulless, albeit financially rewarding career.
If you could own any other health fitness brand what would it be and why?
The landscape is forever changing but at this moment I like the idea of Purition, which is a quality British-made meal replacement shake made from crushed seeds and nuts and not the usual blends of nasty, impossible-to-decipher powders that bear little or no resemblance to real food.
The main piece of positive advice you’ve ever received?
Never lose heart! Any new business will face numerous ‘squeaky seat’ moments, it’s really how you deal with them that separates the good from the really great. Also, embrace your differences. I am dyslexic and have for the most part seen this perceived weakness as a strength because it means I think a little differently to the masses.
Proudest Moments?
Too many to mention: topping Amazon’s low-carb bread charts, securing an NHS central contract, winning our 1st USA export order or our long overdue brand identity makeover and winning the Food & Drink Federation’s Emerging SME Brand prize.
Your big break moment that took your business to the next level?
COVID showed us and many other brands that B2C is the perfect level-playing field where an active David can out-think and manoeuvre a lazy, set-in-its-ways Goliath.
Where can SRSLY be bought?
Amazon and our extensive online shop provide the full 360-degree SRSLY experience.
Anything else you feel our readership should know?
There’s more protein in our low-carb pizza than a similarly sized steak, that’s worth thinking about! Authentic low-carb food isn’t about fostering overpriced ‘fancy dan’ food fads. Today, it’s about replicating simple, day-to-day calories with only a fraction of the unwelcome calories and carbs!
