Magical idea gets the juices flowing for Glasgow entrepreneur

Feb 5 2009 By Peter Carroll

Catherine Walker, Little Bird Brands

A SCOTSTOUN mum is about to take supermarket shelves by storm by launching her own brand of children's juice.

Single mum Catherine Walker, 47, formed her own city-based company Little Bird Brands in 2006 to give youngsters a healthy alternative to popular soft drinks loaded with unhealthy additives.

Nutritional therapist Catherine came up with the idea for her brand, Magic Fruit Potions, when she gave birth prematurely to her son in 2001.

While her son, who was 15 weeks early and suffering from a serious infection that nearly killed him, recovered in a hospital maternity unit, Catherine wanted to make sure she prepared healthy foods and drinks to help him survive and thrive.

She said: "I was shocked to see how limited the choice was for nutritious drinks for children - particulary kid's juices, where using potentially-damaging additives is common.

"So I decided there and then to create my own range of healthy drinks."

Catherine's idea was to make Magic Fruit Potions look and taste even better than the additive-packed drinks, while ensuring they were both healthy and nutritious.

Instead of using artificial sweeteners like those used to sweeten many drinks, Catherine's brand uses real sugar.

She explained: "I realise I'm bucking the trend, but research shows that the safety of sweeteners is questionable and I'm simply not prepared to take any chances with my child's health.

"Sugar is naturally occurring in most foods and, so long as it is used in moderation, is harmless. Meanwhile many of the current health problems, like childhood obesity, have arisen since we began using artificial additives and switched from naturally prepared foods.

"I'd be very suspect of any food or drink that proclaims to be 'sugar free'. If they don't contain sugar or fructose then they almost certainly contain sweeteners, which many companies use because they're the cheapest way to sweeten their products - not because they are good for our kids."

To find out more about the drinks brand visit the website: www.magicfruitpotions.co.uk