Climate Hero – Sarah Dougan, Grown Up Foods Ltd trading as Slange Var

Name: Sarah Dougan

Company: Grown Up Foods Ltd trading as Slange Var

Job Title: Founder and Managing Director

Matched with school: Glasgow Gaelic School

How I chose this career path:

Slange Var was the solution to the problem of ‘wine o’clock’; the glass of wine that marks the end of the working day. Alas the indulgent treat led to an expanded waistline and a prolonged quest to find a luxury low calorie drink. There were so many sugary drinks on the market that I decided to create my own recipe: honey, lime, ginger, cider vinegar and water. The recipe proved popular with friends and local cafes, so I obtained a grant to create a commercial product.

Slange Var is the phonetic spelling of the Gaelic toast for ‘Cheers, to your health.’ The drink is a toast to our fellow drinkers as well as the health of the planet through our involvement in seed-planting projects in the UK and overseas. Last year we had a highly successful project with the Biodiversity Officer for Argyll and Bute Council who distributed our wildflower seeds to 31 primary schools. The seeds will grow into garden areas that will give the pupils a working laboratory for their studies in biodiversity. The positive feedback from the project prompted my application for the Climate Heroes programme.

Slange Var has now won several international awards and is exported to the United States.

Why Climate Heroes is important to me:

I see Climate Heroes as a constructive approach to tackling the climate crisis. The collaboration between public sector organisations and the private sector pools an invaluable source of expertise that will create career opportunities for young people.

Website: www.slangevar.com

Discover more about the My Climate Path Initiative. If you would like to join Sarah and many others, please email us at myclimatepath@glasgowchamberofcommerce.com