From Rock Bottom to 8 Million Meals: How Entrepreneur's Pivot Resulted in Scotland’s Fastest-Growing Food Brand

At one point, Donnie Maclean was broke, back living with his mum, and wondering if he’d have to give up on his dream. Fast forward to today, and his company Eat Balanced is serving over 8 million meals a year — recently named Scotland’s Fastest Growing Food & Drink Brand.

It’s one of the most powerful examples of resilience and the power of the pivot in business.

Donnie’s mission was simple but ambitious: to make healthy eating accessible, even through something as unexpected as pizza. Working with Professor Mike Lean, one of the UK’s top nutritionists, he created the world’s first nutritionally balanced pizza — using seaweed instead of salt, cutting sugar and fat, and adding vital nutrients.

It caught global headlines and landed listings with Sainsbury’s and ASDA. But behind the buzz, the numbers didn’t stack up. Competing in the frozen pizza aisle was brutal, and while parents liked the idea, the market wasn’t quite ready for it.

When the business hit rock bottom, Donnie hit rock bottom too. He moved back in with his mum, living on fumes with barely enough money to put petrol in his car.

Years of work, investment and belief seemed to have vanished overnight. But instead of walking away, he made a decision that would change everything. During supermarket tastings, he noticed who was really eating the pizzas — kids. Parents weren’t buying them because they were healthy; they were buying them because their children liked them.

That was the lightbulb moment. If kids are going to eat pizza anyway, why not make it better for them — without them even realising it?

That insight changed everything. Donnie reimagined Eat Balanced not as a retail brand, but as a mission-driven company to improve children’s health. He shifted focus from supermarkets to schools, reformulating recipes to meet strict nutritional standards. Councils started buying in. Schools started serving it. Kids kept eating it. And a brand once fighting for shelf space became a quiet revolution in school canteens.

Today, Eat Balanced delivers millions of healthier meals every year and works with partners nationwide to reformulate foods for better nutrition. The company’s growth isn’t just commercial — it’s social. It’s improving the health of the next generation without ever compromising on taste.

Read more about Eat Balanced here: https://www.eatbalanced.com/

WHAT DONNIE SAY'S ABOUT US:

“Not your typical PR. They go way beyond coverage — diving deep into strategy, joining the dots between PR, social, video production and storytelling. They helped us refine our message, create powerful content, and position Eat Balanced as Scotland’s fastest-growing food and drink brand". eal partner, not just a PR.”