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Product: Xcarb
Company: Xcarb
Launch date: July 2004

Entrepreneurial newcomer Xcarb’s range of low-carb foods is aimed at the reportedly three million people in the UK who follow a low-carb diet but have struggled to maintain the lifestyle because of the lack of products available from their local supermarkets.

The line-up is a mixture of sweets and savoury meals and includes a range of 10 chilled one-serving ready meals - a first for the UK market, according to Xcarb, which was set up last year by ex-Sainsbury buyer Dave Marshall.

“Having followed a low-carb diet myself, I found it really difficult to maintain because of the lack of options available.

“I missed the convenience of being able to buy what I wanted,” says Marshall, the managing director. “I also found that cost was an issue as I found myself purchasing expensive foods to substitute the lack of dietary staples, or so-called filler foods such as bread and pasta.”

Marshall predicts that Xcarb’s range will create a turnover of no less than £10m in the coming year.

“With three million people living a low-carb lifestyle and 30% of people in the UK obese, we believe that £10m is not only achievable but if anything conservative,” he says.

The range includes nearly 50 products and is claimed to be the first complete range of low-carb products in the UK with something for every part of the day - from breakfast through to lunch and tea and snacking in-between.