Grain Stories: Meet Baker Girl Karen on a one woman mission to rid the world of IBS
The Grain Store Founder Anni Townend with Karen O’Donoghue
In this second edition of Grain Stories, we talk to Karen O’Donoghue owner of the Happy Tummy Co in East Sussex, which supplies delicious bread to The Grain Store Lewes.
Karen discusses her love of fresh-cooked bread, getting geeky with fermentation and why she’s trying to rid the world of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) one loaf at a time. We also reveal how you can take part in her new online course, Bread Fundamentals.
A childhood battling IBS
Karen, who grew up on a farm in Ireland, has always had a thing for bread. However, as a chronic sufferer of IBS, she knew first-hand that gluten and wheat can sometimes be a recipe for disaster.
Having spent most of her life battling with severe digestive problems, it was at the age of 24 that Karen finally made a discovery that would quite literally change her life.
She became a self-confessed “science geek” fermenting different seeds in her London apartment and acquiring as much knowledge as possible about IBS, which is said to affect 33% of the UK population at some time in their lives. She began relentlessly researching and testing recipes through a detailed process of trial and error alongside detailed scientific analysis.
The early seeds of an idea
“I discovered Teff (a small, gluten-free grain is a species of lovegrass native to Ethiopia) about 10 years ago when I was looking for grain solutions for my IBS symptoms. It is the oldest grass in the world and the first cereal ever planted for human consumption,” she explains.
Teff, which has a long list of health benefits, was the missing part of the puzzle and the ingredient that led Karen to “good gut health” - for the first time in her life. However, solving her own problems wasn’t enough and Karen knew she needed to help others suffering from IBS.
Initially, she launched a subscription service delivering her slow-fermented bread across the UK and Ireland. Demand came thick and fast and she clearly needed a way to reach more people. That is where The Happy Tummy Co. Bakery School was born, launching in Hackney, London in 2014.
Rising interest from around the world
In 2019, The Happy Tummy Co. Bakery School expanded from Hackney to Lewes where Karen now lives, enjoying the nature and outdoorsy life which she dearly cherishes.
The school has also recently evolved to deliver a new online course: Bread Fundamentals which launched in May. The course could not have come at a better time, responding both to the growing global demand for IBS-friendly products, but also in light of Covid-19 and social distancing which is taking education online.
“I have been beyond delighted to welcome students from all over the world,” Karen explains. “From America to Australia to Latvia to closer to home here in the UK, Scotland and Ireland.
“I've been wondering why I didn't do this sooner as for so long I've had requests to do this. It feels good to be finally doing it and to be on the mission. I want to keep that as a vocal point for what I am about, what I am trying to achieve.”
For Karen, that mission is clear - to rid the world of IBS.
A golden endorsement
If the feedback from The Happy Tummy Co. customer and students, is anything to go by, Karen is on-track to succeed with her mission - already helping people to realise life changing success.
She reveals: “Already, this course has relieved all students of their IBS symptoms. I've got loads of students who've been following a gluten-free diet for years and they are now eating ancient wheat grain with massively positive effects. To say I am delirious would be an understatement. I'm absolutely buzzing.”
Among her promoters are A-list Hollywood superstars like actor Goldie Hawn, who said: "I'm so happy with The Happy Tummy Co. I can’t handle it!! It’s amazing, so good that I can’t stop eating it! My son Wyatt too! Already imagining my last piece! :("
No wonder Karen is ecstatic, endorsements don’t come more golden than that.
Find out more about Bread Fundamentals
Bread Fundamentals can be started anytime and once you subscribe, the content is yours for life. To find out more visit the Happy Tummy Co website.
And for those visiting The Grain Store Lewes, you will also be able to sample some of Karen’s delicious bread in your welcome basket.
Full interview with Karen O’Donoghue
In April, The Grain Store Founder Anni Townend talked to Karen as part of her Leaders in Conversation podcast series. Karen talks about the power of collaborating with others to inspire and help people to enjoy better gut health through learning how to eat functionally and for pleasure.
About Grain Stories
Grain Stories is a new online feature where we put a spotlight on the people, places and tales linked to The Grain Store and our home in East Sussex. From inspirational stories in the community to diving into the rich history of the South Downs Way, we want to celebrate this beautiful corner of the world and the people that make it special.