350: 'How my son's allergies led to an unexpected career in food'

<div>Sometimes the best ideas are born out of necessity, and that is exactly what happened for Jessica Harris, Founder of <a href="https://www.hungrylittlebandits.com/">Little Bandits</a>.<br> <br> Her journey into the food industry began when her son was diagnosed with a severe allergy to cow's milk.<br> <br> She had never worked with food before but was driven to create her own products after being disappointed with the free-from range that was on offer for children at the time.<br> <br> In this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series, recorded in front of a live audience at our <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/live-event-series-careers/">Inspiring Careers in Food</a> event, Jessica tells us she was driven by a feeling that she did not want her son to feel excluded.<br> <br> <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/article/the-ultimate-guide-to-setting-up-your-food-drinks-brand/">The ultimate guide to setting up your food and drinks brand<br> </a><br> Little Bandits makes yoghurts which are free from the top 14 allergens, low in sugar, and free from additives.<br> <br> But Jessica says it is not just about making free-from products, her aim has always been to make them tasty and convenient.<br> <br> One of the big challenges was making sure the yoghurts were available in supermarkets, so parents could buy them as part of the weekly shop.<br> <br> Listen to the full episode to find out how she got the business off the ground, and how she managed to beat cancer and raise a child all at the same time.<br> <br> <strong>Useful organisations mentioned in the episode:<br> </strong><br> <a href="https://www.breadandjamfest.com/">Bread and Jam</a> - a community of emerging UK food and drink brands<br> <br> <a href="https://bigideaventures.com/">Big Idea Ventures</a> - a venture capital fund supporting start-ups<br> <br> <strong>Jessica Harris, Chief Bandit and Founder, Little Bandits<br> </strong><br> Jess formerly worked in the international development sector directly raising and managing income of over £80