A bowl of Treasured Morning cereal might look unassuming, but it packs a punch like nothing else. In fact, just a third of a cup of the Taranaki breakfast superfood is the nutritional equivalent to two eggs, and can fuel your entire morning.
Founder Liz O’Callaghan came up with the inspiration for Treasured Morning when she was on her own health journey. She wanted to lose weight and was told to get more protein into her diet. But cooking eggs took time every morning and the cereal and muesli she found just didn’t cut it.
So she started making her own. In consultation with a food technologist, she came up with a recipe using the most protein-rich foods she could find: almonds, chia seeds, hemp hearts and hemp protein powder.
She initially used free range egg whites, but was forced into using hemp at the onset of the national egg shortage last year. It was perhaps the best thing that could have happened.
“Hemp is a good source of protein”, Liz says. “A lot of protein powders can be hard to digest, but hemp protein really isn’t. It’s plant-based, which people love, it has all of the nine essential amino acids, it’s high in fibre, it’s really good for joints and inflammation, and it’s grown here in New Zealand.”
The reason serving sizes are so small is because the ingredients are small. Liz says nothing out there matches Treasured Morning for nutrition, protein and taste.
“I ended up losing 20kgs by incorporating more protein, which helped kill cravings and assist me to make better food and lifestyle choices.”
Soon, she was delivering zip-lock bags of home-made cereal to her gym buddies. In 2021, she took the leap and made Treasured Morning her main focus.
“I initially thought it would be for gym-goers or people like me wanting to lose weight…but actually, I find mostly it’s people who want to look after their bodies and fill them with really quality ingredients.
“It’s a lifestyle product too. It’s about valuing yourself, taking the time in the morning to set yourself up for the day and enjoying the morning. What follows on is creating amazing habits that create a fulfilled life, and I find that really resonates with people.”
Liz makes Treasured Morning from her home-based commercial kitchen in New Plymouth, and is on the lookout for local stockists. For business or customer enquiries, head to treasuredmorning.co.nz