UK BRAND REVIEW: Creative Nature & Gnawbles
The brand is free of the top 14 allergens. There are products that have pea protein in. Please be sure to read labels every time before consuming any products.
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I am not sure that I have ever come across a brand like this one. Every step of the way they focus on precision, care, joy, and safety to make these products, from the marketing to the gnawbles, everything is done with the consumers in mind.
I am going to take it back to when I first came across this brand. It was 2017 at the Allergy-Free From Show. This was my first time attending, and I was just looking for anything nut-free and safe for me. I detailed my experiences in a blog, which you can find here but, cut a long story short I was quite unimpressed with the lack of nut-free items they had (it has gotten much better since and I still love attending). However, I did come across a brand called Creative Nature which said they were nut safe. I was ecstatic. When I asked about the products, because I have a nut allergy, I was ushered to their owner, Julianne. She was super sweet and explained that she too had anaphylaxis and that is why this brand means so much. I asked her why she had a peanut bar when the brand was nut-free. She said that a lot of people love peanuts, including her partner, and she wanted to have the brand be for everyone, including the allergy community. I was amazed by what she was doing, but in 2017, I was still sceptical about brands, and the nut-free warnings - and on top of it, I was nervous about the cross-contamination aspect, so I thanked her and went on my way - but I never forgot that encounter. Since then, they have stopped producing the peanut bars and are COMPLETELY nut-free.
Fast forward to the beginning of 2020, isolation. I have found that a lot of people became more active on Instagram during this quarantine. That is when I discovered this brand again, and let me tell you, I was very late to the party. What Julianne and her team have been doing these last three years is incredible. Rebranding, new amazing products, focusing on telling Julianne’s story and so much more. This is brand isn’t just catered to allergies but everyone is enjoying it. It is a company for the people but anyone who has allergies can feel safe eating it too.
Like I said at the start, this brand is something special. When I reached out to Julianne it was on the basis of one allergy reactor to another. I found it so brave of her to share her story and become the face of the company, its not common for CEOs to be doing the day-to-day and reaching out to their customers. I found what they were doing so inspiring for the allergy community, and helping families and children.
There was a lot of hype around their release of the new Gnawbles range. I was very excited. A play on Maltesers but free of the top 14 common allergens. Upon my further inspection, I saw that some of the products contained pea protein (I have anaphylaxis to peas). I reached out and explained, that whilst I love the brand and everything they stood for, I was worried about the cross-contamination. I would continue to support the products because they are actually changing lives. I sent over my list of allergens as well, so she got the picture of what I am dealing with. I was stunned by the response; Julianne has pretty much the same allergen list. She explained how careful they are about cross-contamination, not just from the allergens they are free from but the products they create. I also know that Bella from The beautiful mind of Isabella, spoke to her on the phone and she felt safe to eat the products as well. I think that because I know that their founder and CEO has anaphylaxis too, and understands our struggles with food, I have confidence in the brand.
Now for the taste. Creative Nature has quite a lot of products. Too many- I haven’t eaten all of them but here is the list. You can purchase them from their website, and there are limited ranges in Tesco, Holland & Barrett, Amazon and plenty more stores (but it is always helpful to buy directly from the source).
Credit - Creative Nature Instagram
Protein crunch BARS
Apple Pie
Cacao Orange
Raw fruit OATIES
Goji Goodness
Carrot Cake (This is one I really want to try)
BAKING MIXES
Cocao rich chocolate cake
Chia & cocao choc chip brownie
Chocolate chip muffin
Banana bread (A favourite amongst everyone)
Organic chia & mulberry muffin
Gluten-free all-purpose flour
Corn bread (Great for Americans living in the UK)
SUPERFOODS
Chia seeds
Hemp protein powder
Goji berries
Organic New Zealand barley grass
Raw cocao nibs
Raw cacao
Pure ancient Andean maca powder
Raw superseeds (shelled hemp seeds)
Pink Himalayan crystal salt
Raw super greens (Spirulina)
Apricot kernels
MAGIBLES
Brilliant orange cocao crispy protein
Super salted caramel crispy protein
Cheezy choc hazelNOT light & crunchy (FAVORITE)
Creamy Mylk chocolate light & crunchy
Shareable super salted caramel (no pea protein)
Sealable cheeky choc hazelNOT (more in the pack)
They have bundles of products as well if you feel like trying different things!
I did say they had a lot of products in their brand, that’s why they can cater to everyone. They want their products to be '“healthy, as well as tasty”. They produce their products from high-quality ingredients so that the customer feels the benefits of their products, without all the nasties. Julianne understands the struggle of having life-threatening allergies and not being able to enjoy wholesome, healthy products on the market. She was tired of trying, so she made her own. Since then, Creative Nature has turned into a shining light in the UK & European allergy world. The company has grown so much over the last 3 years, but it all started in 2012. It has been a long uphill battle for her and her partner, but I am sure it is paying off now. After many awards for the company and for Julianne (Forbes 30 under 30!), this brand is one to watch, and I am so glad to be fighting in their corner!
When people, brands, and companies are innovative it usually attracts a lot of criticism. I can see online that some say that these people aren’t doing enough, or if they can’t eat the products then what is the point of saying it is safe for everyone. My stance is, if people are providing safety for the majority of people and try hard to make a change for people with allergies, then they have my respect. Yes, I can’t have everything in their range, but if you see the children and adults who can have it, especially children who have never been able to try these products, ie. Maltesers, cake or anything else, but they can have Creative Nature, why wouldn’t you want that? We are all doing the best we can to make the world a safer place for allergy reactors, and with companies like this, we are getting so much closer!
My mum and I are such massive fans of Maltesers, and we can say ,hands down, we prefer GNAWBLES!
