About Us

Hey, Ren here - nurse, midwife, mum of 3 epic boys + founder of Lila Jasmine.

After more than a decade of working in healthcare I yearned for a creative change, Jeremy + I purchased a retail business in late 2018 + then went on to found what you see now - a brand focused on nourishing families with 4th trimester education + milk support lactation bars.

We had our first son in 2010, I was working as a paediatric nurse + about to start my second year of midwifery training. I naively thought I was well prepared for motherhood but when Eli was placed on my chest the enormity struck me, I looked at Jeremy + said..."what on earth do we do now?". I've since found a passion in raising awareness on the importance of the 4th trimester + spend a lot of my time better preparing women for it.  

After I'd given birth to our third son a friend dropped a care package at our front door - delicious raw muesli bars beautifully bundled in a box with a pretty ribbon. The gesture pierced my grateful heart + the convenience of the bars fuelled my busy body. I ate those bars in the car for breakfast when I did the school run, at 4pm when lunch had been forgotten + at 2am while up breastfeeding. 

Inspiration struck in a hot pool as it often does for Jeremy + I, creatively sparked by the memory of the muesli bars I'd been gifted - Lila Jasmine was born. We know how busy new mums are + we set out to offer a nutritious snack that could be eaten on-the-go, one with a great nutritional profile that actually tasted good. Together with food technologists we've created a range of dairy free lactation bars made from ingredients traditionally known for their galactagogue properties. We now offer a gorgeous version that is beautifully made, ready to gift or to be eaten anywhere, anytime!

I'm who you'll see + hear from most but it's very much a family effort. Jeremy who was once the baker continues to be the ideas extraordinaire while our 3 wild but wonderful sons cheer us on from the sidelines [and sneak bars from the stock pile]. We may have hung up our aprons so a boutique manufacturer here in New Zealand can keep you well stocked in your favourite flavours year round, everything else Lila Jasmine is still us.  

Renata Lardelli - Founder, Nurse, Midwife + Mum to Eli, Sebastian + Xavier