Tyrone natural energy food brand seeks investment on Dragons Den — a founder’s bid to scale
In Omagh, County Tyrone, Laura Murphy, founder of Oatco Superfuel, is preparing to appear on dragons den this week. The Ulster Bank Accelerator participant will use the moment to seek strategic investment to accelerate growth, expand distribution and scale the business across the UK, Ireland and beyond.
What will Laura Murphy pitch on Dragons Den?
Laura Murphy will present Oatco Superfuel’s vision for on-the-go snacking built around Irish oats and a flagship product called Super Bites Energy Balls. Her pitch outlines a plan to secure strategic investment to accelerate growth, expand distribution and scale the business across the UK, Ireland and beyond. The Dragons panel for the episode includes Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Touker Suleyman and Steven Bartlett, with guest Dragon Jenna Meek.
Murphy has positioned the product as functional nutrition for busy lifestyles, saying the snacks are designed to fuel activity while supporting gut health and helping to manage cravings. Looking back on the experience of filming, Laura Murphy said: “I am still so proud to have been featured on this series of Dragons’ Den and I can’t wait now for the episode to air. It will be really special to watch it with some of the people who have been so pivotal to Oatco Superfuel’s journey and successes so far and while it feels like a defining moment for the brand, we are just getting started.
“My mission has always been to build something bigger than a snack brand. I am so focused on creating a community and a movement around natural energy and functional nutrition. I feel genuinely grateful that taking part in this programme has given us the platform and profile we need to accelerate our growth. ”
How is Oatco Superfuel already growing?
The appearance on dragons den comes during a period of rapid expansion. Since launching two years ago, Oatco Superfuel has secured a major retail deal with Barista Bar in Northern Ireland, placing its signature Super Bites in more than 450 Barista Bar locations across SPAR, EUROSPAR, VIVO and VIVOXTRA stores. The products are also available in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland through selection for the Grow with Aldi scheme supporting artisan producers across more than 160 supermarkets.
Additional listings include inclusion in a Meal Deal “Grab and Go” range in stores operated by Tesco Northern Ireland and a new distribution arrangement with Diverse Fine Food of Taunton, which will make the snacks available to specialist retailers across parts of England. Those retail relationships underline the case Murphy will make for investment: proof of demand, established wholesale routes and a product framed around locally sourced ingredients and sustainable growth.
The company remains a current participant in the Ulster Bank Accelerator Programme, and the wider accelerator community will mark the television appearance with a special watch party. Colleagues, friends, family and members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem will gather to view the episode together. After the broadcast, Laura Murphy will take part in a Q& A with John Ferris, accelerator lead at Ulster Bank, to reflect on the experience of filming the programme.
For Murphy and her team, the pitch is both a fundraising moment and a test of narrative: can a Tyrone start-up translate local sourcing and functional nutrition into a growth story that convinces investors to back scale and wider distribution? The retail wins to date give her tangible leverage; the Dragons’ reaction will determine the next chapter.
Back in Omagh, the watch party and the planned Q& A will fold the national broadcast back into the community that helped build the brand. Murphy’s final reflection on taking part captures the mix of gratitude and unfinished business: “I feel genuinely grateful that taking part in this programme has given us the platform and profile we need to accelerate our growth. ”
