A sweet idea - Ballina athlete launches innovative new product

A well-known Ballina sportsman has launched an innovative new line of jelly sweets that are low in sugar and calories and high in protein.

Mark Birrane has played League of Ireland football and helped Ballina Stephenites to claim their first Moclair Cup in 17 years. He has now officially launched Nutri Jellies, which he is struggling to keep on the shelves, such is the demand for this new product.

It was quite a journey for Mark from League of Ireland football to entrepreneurship and taking on the giants of the confectionary world from his family's spare bedroom.

As a talented young athlete, Mark made the decision to focus more on soccer than Gaelic football got his start in the underage League of Ireland with Sligo Rovers before advancing to the senior ranks with Athlone Town. He completed his Leaving Cert at St Muredach’s College, undertook the FAI ETB course in Castlebar with Leo Tierney and then ended up attending Carlow IT.

“It was one of the best sports colleges in terms of facilities and that convinced me to go there. I wasn’t certain at first but I came back after Christmas and slowly got into it and started learning more about new topics.

“One of these was the business side of things. I was still playing with Athlone Town and things were going really well but then I picked up an injury and ended up being out a lot longer than I thought.”

Not a man for sitting around idle, Mark got to thinking and came up with the concept that would become Nutri Jellies.

“I had this idea for starting my own business and an idea I thought had potential and one I could make work. I focused more on business and specialised on that rather than sport in my final year.

“I wasn’t enjoying playing as much as I had been before so I decided to take a period away from playing to try and see how this business would go. I threw myself into it not knowing where to start and where to look and what it would involve.”

With Nutri Jellies, Mark, who is a trained nutritionist, saw a niche and an opportunity to offer something that wasn’t already on the market.

“The whole idea came out of something I wanted myself. I saw a product that wasn’t on the market that should be on the market.

“As a nutritionist myself, I would always look for healthier options and they’re helpful for people to have something that feels like a treat but doesn’t have all the calories.

“I have a sweet tooth but at the same time, I want to be putting good stuff into my body.”

Mark said he was overwhelmed and surprised by the reaction to the product and the successful launch that saw him sell out of Nutri Jellies online.

“It has been absolutely crazy. Since I revealed the product, people have been very supportive in Ballina and all over Ireland.

“It is a daunting thing starting your own business and putting it out there. We put out the product at 7 o’clock the first night and immediately the phone started hopping and I realised it was from all the orders coming through and we sold out of everything in 45 minutes.

“Now it is about assessing demand, managing stock and meeting demand. It is a good challenge to have,” he said.

Mark said his ambition is to launch a full range of products and said it is an exciting challenge to go up against confectionery giants like Haribo.

“Working out of a spare bedroom in my house, going up against high-sugar sweets. There’s something about the challenge of that. The chances of success are slim and there’s something really exciting about that.

“You see these other brands and they have more resources, five or six people on social media and finance and I have to do it all myself. It is not going to be easy but taking on challenges is always a good thing to do.”

Since making the decision to pursue his own business, Mark said it has been really special for him to be able to get back to playing Gaelic football with his local club, Ballina Stephenites, once more.

“I played a lot more than I anticipated in those big games. It has been unbelievable, there’s a really special group there and a great group of guys.

“I’ve really appreciated playing with guys you’ve known all your life, guys who are from down the road. Your grandparents knew their grandparents, there’s something special in that you miss when you’re playing with a League of Ireland club and everyone is playing for a contract.”