A Gloucestershire ‘free-from’ snacks business has won its first supermarket listing after a £3,000 investment from the council.

Primal Joy Foods now supplies Whole Foods Supermarket, after money from the Food Grants scheme from Stroud District Council allowed the business to invest in equipment to increase production capacity.

The business has also managed to move into a small business unit, after working from a home kitchen.

Sarah Mace, Primal Joy Foods founder, said: “This is a huge step forward for the business – the investment from the council was vital to take the business to the next level and perfect timing.

“As well as Whole Foods Market, we supply local health food shops in Nailsworth: Shiny Goodness and Green Spirit. We are also a Stroudco Food Hub supplier and two national online retailers, Perfectly Paleo and Be Primal UK, also sell our snacks. Because we can now produce more, we’ve also been able to get out and about at food fairs with our fabulous new packaging.”

The business won the breakfast category in the FreeFrom Food Awards in 2014 for its Cinnamon Nut Crunch.

Stroud District Council launched the £100,000 Food Grants investment scheme to help stimulate the local economy as part of its jobs and growth agenda.