Jacked up on plant power! Entrepreneur Gursharan Singh makes magical meat-free meals from a protein-packed fruit

From: North India, living in Ireland since 2001.

Bright idea: Gursharan and his business partner, Binu Varghese, want to introduce us to the jackfruit. “It’s high in fibre, low in sugar and full of vitamins. When it’s cooked, the taste and texture is like pulled pork.” It comes from Southern India, is spiky on the outside and is the size of a large watermelon. This is the main ingredient in their new chilled dinners — Jacked-Up. The range has Tex-Mex, Indian Curry, Naked and Pulled BBQ.

A fresh challenge: “The young jackfruits are cleaned in India, frozen and then imported to Ireland where they are cooked in our kitchens.” It sounds like a lot of work, but Singh believes in it. Besides, he saw a gap in the market and is ambitious. So many people are becoming vegetarian and vegan.

The right time: Married with two children, he runs a vast ethnic supermarket in Clondalkin but he is hungry for this new business to work. “It’s tough going, especially as we started during Covid-19. People can’t do tastings. But I’m at the age where I have the energy. I enjoy the challenge.”

Branching out: This year they did the SuperValu Food Academy Programme and Jacked-Up products are on sale there. “We want to go mainstream.”

See jackedup.ie