Launched in Liverpool in 2018 by two brothers, Nutry Nuts offers a range of protein snacks and has seen significant growth after securing investment via Gateway Angels. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool protein snacks venture Nutry Nuts says the investment from business angels has helped take the business onto a new level.
Nutry Nuts was founded in 2018 by Slovakian brothers Tamas and Mario Niszler. They had observed that while many nutritional snacks advertise their high protein content, this is often accompanied by a less healthy high sugar content.
They took the traditional peanut butter cup and created a nutritious, protein-rich snack that is low in sugar content without compromising taste.
Products were sold online and through selected retail and distribution partners, including Amazon. They were vegan-friendly, gluten free and contained no palm oil.
Following the success of its original product, the company secured a £70,000 loan from NPIF – BFS & MSIF Microfinance, managed by River Capital in partnership with GC Business Finance and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.
Shortly after, the brothers also started working with the team at Gateway Angels, a division of Merseyside Special Investment Fund, of which River Capital is also a division.
Angel investors are typically wealthy individuals who provide capital for early-stage businesses or start-ups, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. Founded in 2018, Gateway works to connect angels with businesses that have growth potential.
Mario Niszler of Nutry Nuts said: “Peter Bibby played a huge role in helping turn our product into a true business. While he wasn’t an equity investor, he supported us with loans that enabled our production runs and really accelerated our growth.
“Thanks to that support, we scaled from around eight pallets per production to 166 pallets more recently. Beyond the financial help, Peter has been an incredible mentor. I’ve learned so much from him—not just about business, but also about perspective, professionalism, and life in general.
“His impact has been genuinely invaluable, and getting to work with him has been a very humbling experience.”
“On top of that, the energy Tamas and I bring as brothers, I believe, is something really special—we’ve believed in this from day one and always felt we had something big in our hands,” added Mario.
“Pairing that with packaging that truly stands out on the shelves helped make the opportunity clear and compelling for investors.”
Thanks to the support of its angel investors Nutry Nuts has been able to launch new products including its Protein White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, as well as its first vegan product—Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.
Mario explained: “Expanding into these new flavours allowed us to offer more variety to our customers, which naturally brought in more business and helped boost our revenue.
“We haven’t actively pursued further investment, as we’ve chosen to focus on loans that we feel comfortable with and can use very deliberately to support our growth.
“This approach has worked really well for us so far and has allowed us to scale in a way that feels sustainable and controlled.”
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Katie Nicholson, investment director of Gateway Angels, told LBN: “Nutry Nuts offers an excellent illustration of the value of angel investing. Often even the best start-up ventures need that little bit of outside support and guidance to really fulfil their potential.
“Angel investment isn’t just about the money, as important as that is. It is also about tapping into the knowledge and expertise of entrepreneurs and experienced individuals who have been there and done it and can help people avoid some of the pitfalls.”