Father-of-two Adam Womersley developed Potina, a high-fibre, no added sugar, plant-based milk.
Adam developed Potina, which is named after the Roman Goddess of Weaning, after learning that many children in the UK consume double the recommended amount of sugar.
Adam said: “I already knew about plant-based products as I used to be a commercial director at Alpro.
“But when I visited the Eden Project in Cornwall and learned more about the environment, it spurred me on to develop my own brand.
“British kids are also consuming way too many artificial sweeteners and not enough fibre.”
It took over three years of detailed research and planning to bring Potina to life, but Adam was supported at every stage by Better’s’ Business Start-Up team at Bromley Central Library.
He was a regular user of the library’s business lounge for meetings and working but was thrilled last year when he won the ‘Start-Up Pitch’ competition, receiving a much-needed £2,000 prize.
He added: “That was a real confidence-boost.
“I’ve also found their workshops on things like social media and raising investments really useful.
“One that was particularly helpful was a session called ‘Lean Canvas’ – this is a way of condensing a complex business-plan onto a single piece of paper.
“I’ve also been greatly helped by their mentoring sessions each quarter.
“We’ve got these amazing business resources on our doorstep but not everyone knows about them.”
Bromley Libraries and the Business Start-Up services are run by charitable social enterprise GLL under the ‘Better’ brand.
Supporting local communities is an important part of the organisation’s ethos.
Adam has also been giving away free samples of his plant-based milk alternative this week at ‘Better’ leisure centres in Camden, Waltham Forest and Greenwich.
Chandra Sharma, one of the business managers at Bromley Library who has been supporting Adam with his plans, said, “We’re delighted that Potina has made it to a major supermarket.
“Adam has shown real dedication and has worked so hard to get to this point.
“We’re proud to have helped him on his way and look forward to watching his business develop and grow and assisting him with his future plans.”
