Cork-based protein snacks company is eyeing up international sales from the get-go

Category: Consumer & Lifestyle

Sarah Sexton and Jayne Ronayne are friends and cofounders of Oac, a recently launched Cork-based protein snacks company.

For both it’s their second foray into the start-up world. Sexton founded and ran food company Bean Brownie for almost a decade while Ronayne cofounded and subsequently sold software company Talivest to an Australian buyer in 2022.

Neither founder is the type to sit around twiddling their thumbs, and during a discussion about what they might do next, the conversation turned to snacks. They identified a gap in the market for a product that provided a sizeable hit of protein, tasted like a treat, and wasn’t loaded with ultraprocessed ingredients. From there the idea for Oac gathered momentum. Product development began last April and the company’s first products launched in October.

Rising costs and labour shortages had forced Sexton to close her cafe and wholesale bakery in 2023. While the business was shuttered, there was a steady stream of inquiries from former customers wanting to buy or get the recipe for Sexton’s protein snacks. That demand provided the inspiration for what has since become Oac’s five-flavour line-up, including chocolate chip and crunchy peanut butter, each delivering 10 grammes of protein per ball.

Protein snacks are not new, but they’re growing in popularity, and the founders are targeting a specific niche: buyers aged 30 and over who are prepared to pay for a premium product.

“Our differentiation lies in brand tone, ingredient quality and our direct relationship with customers. We knew what we wanted from a functional snack ourselves, so we were our own first customers,” Sexton says.

“Many high-protein snacks are positioned around performance or gym culture with aggressive branding and highly processed ingredients. That’s not our market. We’re about pleasure with purpose using minimal wholesome ingredients. Our customers are those looking for a nutritious snack but with an elevated flavour profile that doesn’t taste like a supplement. And, when they flip the back of the packet, they’re not looking at a long list of fillers and additives.”

Food start-ups typically fall into two categories: small to medium-sized producers with local distribution, and those focused on international markets from the outset. The potential rewards are much greater with the international model, but so too are the set-up costs. Investment to date in Oac, which is firmly focused on scale and speedy international growth, is running at about €150,000, primarily self-funded.

Creating an international food business is an ambitious goal, but Sexton is familiar with markets, margins, distribution and consumer behaviour having worked for Musgraves and Ballymaloe Foods in supply and logistics roles before starting her own business.

That experience added to what she describes as “the limits of traditional food models” encouraged the founders to launch Oac as a digital-first business, with an easy-to-use subscription model at its core. Other sales channels, including distribution through high-end food stores and corporates providing snacks for employees, have followed later.

“From my own food background, I understood the constraints involved in the time-consuming process of getting an idea from a product concept on to the shelf and keeping it there,” Sexton says. “Jane being a tech person is used to fast-paced development, so she applied the same principal to Oac. We pushed the traditional retail boundaries by going digital-first. This meant we could move much faster and at scale. Our products went from development to sale in six months. That’s really fast for a new consumer food product.”

The start-up’s products are being made by a family-owned company in the UK, and Sexton says it was a wrench to relinquish production to someone else.

“I was used to having complete control over the food I produced but that really wasn’t an option on this occasion,” she says. “We went up and down the country trying to find an Irish manufacturer but it’s difficult to find someone willing to work with peanuts, as very often their customers want their products made in a peanut-free environment. Pretty much as soon as we mentioned peanuts, the answer was no. Fortunately, we had great help from Teagasc and Enterprise Ireland in identifying and connecting us with potential manufacturers.”

While Sexton was already familiar with many aspects of the food sector, she recognised that producing and selling in volume was a different ball game, where mistakes could be made. To avoid potential pitfalls the founders tapped into the expertise of both food and manufacturing mentors.

“We’ve been supported by food manufacturing consultant Gavin Sherry, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the food sector, and by sales and branding expert Liam Ryan who has brought a huge amount of experience from the CPG (consumer packaged goods) retail space. This has been invaluable,” Sexton says.

“Our work with Liam was partly funded by Enterprise Ireland (who also chipped in with innovation vouchers) and it’s great to see them appreciating the need for a start-up to get guidance on branding from seasoned experts as well as support for new product development.”

Oac is on course to turn over about €500,000 in 2026. The company now employs four people and plans to begin seeking investment in Q3. “Learning when to move fast and when to slow down has been the hardest part of setting up the business,” Sexton says. “Food is emotional and trust-based, so every decision carries weight. We’ve had to build with care while still keeping momentum, which has been a constant but valuable tension.”