Maria Betts’ passion for cooking goes back to her childhood in Wicklow.

“My family had a tea room in a guest house and an antiques shop. Our house constantly smelt of homemade scones, biscuits and breads,” says Maria.

And while Maria has worked in many areas, including everything from retail to executive coaching, she finally returned to her first love with the launch of her gluten-free granola brand, Maria Lucia Bakes.

The idea was born in the summer of 2013 when Maria’s friend stayed with her for a couple of days.

“She is gluten intolerant so finding recipes for her was not the easiest. I thought, right, you’ve set me a challenge,” recalls Maria. “For breakfast, my friend tried my granola that contained gluten-free oats. She raved about it – she felt like she was eating real food again.”

And so, Maria Lucia Bakes was born.

Next stop was Bord Bia, who supplied Maria with an endless amount of information on the demand for gluten-free food.

“The demand for gluten-free food is growing every year, but the cereal side of things hasn’t quite reached that point,” explains Maria.

She first started to sell her granola product at local farmers’ markets and then targeted health stores. But the turning point was taking part in the SuperValu Food Academy course.

“Halfway through the course, we had to do a Dragon’s Den-style presentation to people from Musgrave. The experience and advice we were given was excellent,” says Maria, whose granola is now stocked in SuperValu stores nationwide. Maria produces three different types of gluten-free granola, using almost 50% gluten-free oats, rapeseed oil, dried fruit, coconut, pumpkin and chia seeds, to make it high in fibre and low in salt and sugar. The original flavour – cashew, almond and cinnamon granola – won a Great Taste award in 2014.

“The granola is delicious with yoghurt, on top of porridge or baked in bread,” adds Maria.

For further information and stockists, visit www.marialuciabakes.com.