"Developing chronic fatigue forced me to leave my job in early 2013. Looking back now, falling sick gave me a golden opportunity to move in a new direction, and the idea of producing a healthy, highly satisfying, nutrient-dense snack occurred to me.
Being part of the CrossFit community was definitely a motivator, too. I was surrounded by people who take their health very seriously, and had noticed a distinct lack of savoury snack options that complemented a clean-eating lifestyle.
"Deciding to test the waters, I made a batch of crackling and carted it along to my CrossFit gym for a trial. The uptake was huge, my coach smashed about half a kilo of crackling in the 20 minutes we stood chatting. He encouraged me to make more, and before I knew it, I had orders coming from every direction. The uptake from the fitness community and also healthy eaters in general was immense."
THE PRODUCT
"It all starts with the best oven-baked free-range pork rind. The rind is hand-cut and baked until it is perfectly crisp, then coated in a special blend of organic spices. We offer three flavours in the range: Au Naturel, lightly seasoned with Himalayan pink salt, Hot & Spicy, and a Moroccan-spiced option.
As an artisan product, no two batches look identical, but they will taste equally delicious. My customers love its traditional, home-cooked feel. It has high-decibel crunch and is perfectly salty and savoury. Pork crackling is an incredibly emotional, nostalgic food - people's eyes light up when I tell them what I make."
Available in two sizes, $14-$18 from libbysporkcrack.com
- VIVA
