A decade ago, a new mum in Grosuplje, a small town just south of Ljubljana, came up with the idea of making the healthy and nutritious food she was preparing for her kids available to other people. She started a business called Barbio's, which today offers a wide range of additive-free products.

Her first product was Biogetta, a mix of fresh vegetables from Slovenian farms and the hand-harvested sea salt from Piran packed in a jar, which can be used as a healthy seasoning option. Barbara Meža says her grandma used to make a similar mix, which is where her idea came from.

Today, Biogetta is her company's top-selling product and is also available on store shelves of two major grocery chains in Slovenia. Since its inception in 2013, the company has developed a whole range of new products.

One of their lines is naturally fermented spreads made from wild plants such as dandelion, wild garlic and nettle. They also make pulse pastas, made from red lentils, peas and black beans, and spreads made of Slovenian honey, spices and walnuts, cranberries, blueberries or beetroot.

Meža is especially proud of her pulse pasta range, which won one of the awards for the most innovative food products from the Slovenian Nutrition Institute this year.

"All our products are additive-free, of high quality and made of organic ingredients, most of which are sources from Slovenian organic farms," Barbara Meža has told the STA. "The only exception is honey, where we prefer to use the Slovenian honey over imported organic honey."

Having one employee and an annual turnover of €70,000, Barbio's is only present in Slovenia for the time being. Abroad they have established a partnership with a company in Romania but in the future they would like to enter other European markets as well.

Most of their products are sold through their online store biogetta.si, but are also available at some organic food stores and the two grocery chains in Slovenia.

The industry is highly competitive, which makes it hard to make a breakthrough. "We have built up our profile, but it's still very hard to make it to store shelves. Luckily, the trend toward home-made, natural products is on our side and we're happy when the customers recognise our hard work too," Meža says.

She believes a direct contact with the customer is important so the company is present at various themed events and fairs. "Our products are quite specific and it is very important to explain the customer the advantages they offer."

People are increasingly conscious of the food they eat, in particular because the industrially processed food is low on nutritional value. "Our products are truly made to nourish not just fill your stomach," says the entrepreneur.

Still, busy lifestyles force many people to make do with ready-made food products. For them Barbio's has developed a highly nutritional Fast Food lunch. Made of pasta and naturally fermented spreads, it can be prepared in a matter of five minutes.