It’s raining cats, dogs– and other household pets – when Irish Country Living calls Dr Suraya Diaz in Ballinasloe, Co Galway. Surely, we ask, she must miss the sunshine of her native Portugal on days like these?

“But here we have greener grass,” she counters, “you can’t have everything!”

Well that’s true. And it certainly seems to be that the west of Ireland has proved fertile ground for Suraya’s business, after launching her own line of health food products last year.

Originally from Lisbon, Suraya describes herself as a “very curious” person since childhood, which drew her towards a career in science; initially completing a degree in biochemistry and biology, followed by a master’s in clinical microbiology, and a PhD in molecular biology and biochemistry in the UK.

“I was always very interested in the mechanisms of diseases, particularly infections, and how parasites and bacteria and viruses will make us sick,” she says of her career path, which saw her work as a researcher and lecturer in the areas of molecular structure, cancer and infectious diseases in several academic institutions, including the Francis Crick Institute and University of Exeter in the UK, before moving to Ireland in 2014 to work at the Centre of Chromosome Biology at NUI Galway.

That said, she always had an interest in complementary medicine as well, studying to become a certified nutritionist, naturopath and medicinal herbalist in her spare time before setting up her own consultancy.

Something she struggled with, however, was finding local organic products to recommend

While her background is in conventional medicine and she believes in its importance, she thinks that “good health and wellbeing” are also influenced by many factors, such as diet, lifestyle and environment.

So for instance, if a client presented with a skin condition, allergy or stress, she would see if the issue could be addressed from a holistic perspective eg developing a nutrition plan, looking at their sleep patterns, exercise etc.

Something she struggled with, however, was finding local organic products to recommend, so she decided to take the next step, and with the support of Enterprise Ireland through the New Frontiers programme, as well as Galway Local Enterprise Office, launched her “Dr Suraya Diaz” line in 2019.

The extensive range includes certified organic food products, probiotic drinks, herbal teas and supplements, such as her “super-boost green” smoothie-ready blend, her unique combined kefir and kombucha drink for digestion or her liquid vitamin C supplement. All products are “guaranteed Irish”, vegan, gluten-free, and have been reviewed, approved and registered under the Health Products Regulatory Agency (HPRA) and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). A line of organic certified cosmetics is now in the works.

My skills as a biochemist really helped me to design the manufacturing facilities

All the products have been developed by Suraya and are produced in Ballinasloe. While difficult to grow many of the raw materials in Ireland, where possible, she uses Irish ingredients eg organic apple cider vinegar, seaweed, onions and garlic, and she plans to grow more of her own herbs for the range, as she has access to a certified organic field and greenhouse on her partner’s farm. Using eco-packaging from compostable and recyclable materials is also very important to her.

She estimates that she has invested €200,000 herself (excluding grant aid) in setting up the business to date, but that her scientific training served her well when setting up two fully functioning manufacturing labs and a factory shop in the converted gate lodge at Castleffrench.

“My skills as a biochemist really helped me to design the manufacturing facilities that I have now and to purchase the equipment that I needed,” says Suraya, who currently employs two people in production and is soon to hire somebody for sales and marketing; an area she feels is a big challenge.

“Marketing is a science itself,” she says. That said, as well as selling direct at her factory shop, on her website and in selected health food shops and pharmacies in Ireland, she is also exporting some products to the UK and US through Amazon and is soon to start selling into Spain and Germany.

And she is confident that Ireland is the best place to build her brand; little wonder then that she doesn’t mind the rain.

For more information, visit www.drsurayadiaz.com

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