A Perthshire-based wellness business is planning to expand across the UK after the owners received specialist support from Business Gateway.

Husband and wife, Paul and Tara Scott, founded Enriched Being in 2023. Tara is a qualified nutrition coach and Paul has a background in biology and aquaculture, having recently earned a Diploma in Biomedicine as a refresher for going into the business.

Tara first discovered the health benefits of microgreens after facing some health challenges in her thirties. She radically altered her diet to include microgreens and noticed huge improvements.

Microgreens are tender, young shoots of various vegetable or herb plants which are harvested at an early stage of growth. Despite their small size, they are full of flavour and packed with nutrients, with up to 40 times as many nutrients as adult plants. Incorporating microgreens into your diet is said to help boost your immune system, support digestion and enhance overall wellbeing.

Through Enriched Being, Tara and Paul harness these health benefits by offering fresh microgreens, which can be added to most meals, whether added to a sandwich, a soup, a salad or in pesto. The couple supplies their products to several Scottish hotels, including Andy Murray’s Cromlix Hotel, Kinloch House Hotel and Cairn Lodge Hotel.

The duo will soon be selling a new signature product, Big Shot, a 30ml cold-pressed microgreen shot designed to deliver a powerful burst of nutrition in a single sip. Each bottle contains a whole punnet of fresh microgreens, naturally fermented to unlock nutrients, improve absorption and last longer. These are made with all natural products and come in glass bottles to ensure freshness for longer.

They currently hand-deliver the freshly harvested microgreens to local chefs and consumers to ensure maximum freshness and quality. These have a two week shelf-life, meaning the customers have all had to be local. However, with Big Shot the couple is able to expand the reach thanks to it’s naturally longer shelf life of around 30 days. This means Big Shot can be posted across the UK, making the powerful benefits of microgreens more accessible than ever.

Tara and Paul are also exploring other options to expand their reach even further.

Although Tara and Paul had business experience, they had never worked in the food industry before, so approached Business Gateway for support in 2024. Their Business Gateway adviser, Michelle Maddox, provided one-to-one support, shared market insights and was able to help the pair understand food safety regulations.

Michelle also supported with funding applications, which has recently resulted in a Beyond Scotland Grant. This grant provides specific support to businesses to enable them to expand into new markets overseas or into other parts of the UK.

Thanks to support from Business Gateway, Tara and Paul successfully applied for Futures4All funding, which is going towards a new staff member who works eight hours per week to help with harvesting.

Enriched Being was also a regional winner at the Scottish EDGE Awards, where they received a £10,000 grant.

Tara Scott, co-owner of Enriched Being, said:

“Running a business is always full on, especially when you're growing something from the ground up – literally! Moving into the food and drink industry has been a steep learning curve, even with our previous business experience."

“The support we've had from Business Gateway has been a game-changer, from helping us understand food safety regulations to giving us insight into the market and helping us with funding applications. We've also loved connecting with other local producers through events and the Perthshire community. It's been so valuable to learn from others who are on a similar journey.”

Michelle Maddox, Business Gateway adviser, said:

“Tara and Paul have shown incredible passion and dedication in building Enriched Being Microgreens. They came to us with a clear vision, and it’s been a pleasure to support them as they’ve grown their business. We’ve worked closely together to help them take the next steps. I’m excited to see how their innovative products continue to make an impact across Scotland and beyond.”