Ella Mills, known for her plant-based nutrition brand Deliciously Ella, openly acknowledges that she anticipated criticisms of being a “nepo baby” when she launched her business.

At 34, Mills is the great-granddaughter of the late Lord Alan Sainsbury, who once chaired the prominent Sainsbury’s supermarket chain. Her father, Shaun Woodward, is a former cabinet minister.

In 2012, Mills, along with her husband and business partner Matthew Mills, founded Deliciously Ella. The brand, which features a plant-based recipe app, reported impressive sales of £24 million in its most recent financial year before its acquisition by the Swiss food company Hero Group in September.

Despite her family’s legacy, Mills insists that her success stems from her own efforts. She stated, “I was determined to establish Deliciously Ella independently. Journalists were quick to connect the dots, and I regretted that soon after,” she shared in an interview with Good Housekeeping UK.

“I knew that people would perceive me as a nepo baby, but to sell 100 million products isn’t a result of Sainsbury’s going public decades ago. However, that connection did fuel a desire in me to carve out a distinctly different path, much like my great-grandfather did,” she added.

Mills has been recognized as a leader in the “clean eating” movement, although she faced considerable criticism for her gluten, meat, and dairy-free recipes in the mid-2010s.

Renowned chef Nigella Lawson commented to the BBC that the concept of clean eating often implies that other eating styles are somehow “dirty or shameful.”

Mills remarked, “The backlash originated more from traditional media rather than social media. I acknowledge that a notable number of people do not appreciate my approach.”

She further acknowledged, “Having a public platform means sharing your thoughts with the world, and in return, the world is entitled to express its views. “

The idea for Deliciously Ella emerged after Mills was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) in 2011, a condition characterized by a rapid increase in heart rate upon standing. She asserts that modifying her diet allowed her to discontinue all medications that she was expected to take for life within two years.

Last year’s sale of her company included the Deliciously Ella app, which offers users access to over 2,000 recipes, along with its range of branded products, such as snack bars and chocolate-covered nuts, available in UK supermarkets, as well as their manufacturing facility in Milton Keynes. The terms of the sale have not been disclosed.

Mills emphasized, “Every recommendation I make is based on evidence. It’s not about following trends or fads. Changing my diet transformed my life.”

She continued, “There’s a peculiar, almost ironic contrast: as public health declines, the wellness industry expands, becoming noisier, more complicated, and increasingly niche.”

Mills’ husband, Matthew, is the son of the late Tessa Jowell, a former Labour cabinet minister. In earlier discussions, the couple highlighted that despite their “privileged” backgrounds, they received no familial assistance—financially or otherwise—in building their business.

“I understand why people make that assumption,” Mills reflected, “We have both lived privileged lives. Yet, in reality, we’ve constructed this business from the ground up, brick by brick.”

For further insights, readers can consult the full interview featured in Good Housekeeping UK’s July issue, available from June 29.