Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast

Launching a new product is risky, especially in snacking.

In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Louise, Founder of Popcorn Kitchen, to unpack the real story behind the launch of Crunch Corn - from spotting white space in the savoury snacking market to building momentum in Q1 and beyond.

This is a founder-level conversation about innovation, timing, and what actually matters when you’re expanding into a new category, without losing what made your brand successful in the first place.

Here’s what we cover:

1. How a trip to Seville inspired Crunch Corn, and why big, bold, savoury snacks were the opportunity.
2. Entering a new snacking category when your brand is known for gifting and sweet popcorn.
3. Consumer insight over hype: why size, crunch and flavour clarity mattered more than trends.
4. Early launch feedback from farm shops, pubs and DTC, and what surprised Louise most
5. Retail vs DTC strategy and how Popcorn Kitchen approached distribution
6. The power of tastings, real-time feedback, and learning fast
7. Hot take: why most brands launch new products at the wrong time

If you’re a food & drink founder planning a launch, expanding your range, or thinking about how to grow beyond your core bestseller, this episode is packed with honest insight and real-world lessons.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

1. Follow @popcornkitchen and explore Crunch Corn
2. Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for digital marketing strategies, templates, and support
3. Want tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with Kate
4. Follow @kwmarketinguk for food & drink marketing insights, email tips & digital strategy

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a founder who’s planning a product launch this year 🔥

January is loud. Predictions. Hot takes. New “rules” every week.

But heading into 2026, what we’re seeing across food & drink brands isn’t noise - it’s pressure.

Pressure to grow. Pressure to be everywhere. Pressure from founders who’ve done the “right” things… and still aren’t seeing the results.

So in this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, we're cutting through the chaos to share what we see first-hand inside real food & drink businesses - what’s actually working now, what’s quietly stopped working, and how smart brands are building stronger foundations for 2026 and beyond.

This is a no-fluff Marketing Mastery episode focused on quality growth, not loud growth.

1. Why paid ads are no longer a safety net in 2026, and what food brands need in place before spending a pound
2. The shift from loud growth to quality growth, and why traffic, reach, and virality don’t equal profit
3. How email marketing becomes your strongest revenue channel through retention, lifetime value, and post-purchase journeys
4. Why trust is now a performance metric, not a brand “nice to have”
5. What trust looks like in practice: founder-led content, organic social, stories, and smarter influencer use

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by platforms, trends, and advice, and want clarity on where to focus your energy in 2026, this is the episode for you.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

1. Read our 2026 Marketing Trends blog!
2. Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for TikTok strategies, templates, and content ideas
3. Want tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with Kate
4. Follow @kwmarketinguk for TikTok, content, and food & drink marketing tips

If this episode inspired you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder - we love seeing how you’re fuelling your growth 🔥

Taking on the giants of big food isn’t easy… but that’s exactly what Paul Brown did.

In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Paul Brown, founder of BOL Foods, to unpack how he turned bold decisions into one of the most exciting growth stories in food & drink.

Here’s what we cover:

1. The BOL origin story - where it all started, the mission behind the brand, and the pivotal moment that led to going fully plant-based
2. Repositioning the brand overnight - the decision to remove all meat, fish, and dairy, how the team responded, and why bold moves matter
3. Scaling with values intact - growing fast without losing authenticity, becoming an “energised lifestyle brand,” and keeping purpose and profitability aligned
4. The rise of Power Shakes - spotting the nutritionally complete meal trend early and building a category-leading range
5. Disrupting big food - why BOL is still growing while the wider plant-based category declines, and what other brands are getting wrong
6. UPFs & consumer trust - Paul’s stance on ultra-processed foods and how BOL balances convenience with clean, whole ingredients
7. Hot takes from the founder’s seat - the moments where risk turned into game-changing reward, and what every founder can learn from them

If you’re building a food & drink brand that wants to innovate, stand out, and scale with integrity… this episode is one you’ll want to take notes on.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

1. Learn more about BOL Foods
2. Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for digital marketing strategies, templates, and support
3. Want tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with Kate
4. Follow @kwmarketinguk for food & drink marketing insights, email tips & digital strategy

If this episode inspired you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder - it helps us fuel even more foodies 🔥

TikTok isn’t about going viral anymore... it’s about creating content that sells.

In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Laura and Phoebe to break down the TikTok Formula that food & drink brands are using right now to build reach, community, and revenue.

Here’s what we cover:

• Why TikTok still wins for food brands: discovery, community, authenticity, and why follower growth no longer matters
• The winning content formula (HOOK → VALUE → PROOF → CTA) and how to structure videos that actually convert
• Entertainment Score: why entertaining content generates 4.5x more reach and outperforms traditional product push videos
• What to post (and how often) without burning out - from lo-fi content to batching, content pillars, and keyword-first captions
• Hashtags are dead: how TikTok’s search-first algorithm actually works in 2025 & beyond
• Turning views into revenue: TikTok Shop, linking strategies, pixels, and creator partnerships that drive 3x more views
• Our hot takes: real campaigns from real food brands that generated actual sales (not just likes)

If you’ve been trying to figure out why your TikTok isn’t converting or how to use it to grow your food brand... this episode is a must-listen!

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for TikTok strategies, templates, and content ideas
• Want tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with Kate
• Follow @kwmarketinguk for TikTok, content and food & drink marketing tips

If this episode inspired you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder - we love seeing how you’re fuelling your growth 🔥

Mission isn’t just a buzzword - it’s the backbone of great marketing.

In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Amy from Hunter & Gather about building a purpose-led brand that drives genuine community and commercial results.

Here’s what we cover:

• The Hunter & Gather story: from education-first platform to avocado mayo & oil, and a cross-category range
• How to turn values into packaging, storytelling, and campaigns that convert
• The commercial power of purpose: loyalty, community, and margin upsides
• Community in action: the Hunter & Gather “Tribe” shaping products and advocacy
• Scaling authentically: team of 30, quarterly self-reflection, and navigating investment
• Omnichannel done right: website, Amazon, Tesco, Holland & Barrett, Boots
• Hot take: the challenger campaign that pulled millions of views (and a cease & desist)

If you’ve ever wondered how to turn “purpose” into a true growth driver, this conversation is a must-listen.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Learn more about Hunter & Gather
• Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly support hub for growing your food brand with purpose
• Want tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with Kate
• Follow @kwmarketinguk for more food & drink marketing tips

If this episode inspired you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder - we love seeing how you’re fuelling your growth 🔥

Scaling can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to drain your budget.

In this team episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate, Laura and Phoebe break down how food & drink brands can scale smart when cash is tight. From lo-fi content that outperforms polish to ads that convert on small budgets and email as the highest-ROI channel, this is a no-fluff guide to scaling sustainably.

Here’s what we cover:

• Why costs (CPC, CPL, CAC) are rising and how to prioritise spend wisely
• Real content that converts: UGC, behind-the-scenes, and factory tours
• Why you should never turn off marketing - only optimise it
• How to run ads that don’t blow the budget (start small → test → scale)
• Why boosting posts aren't the same as ads
• Email as your growth engine: pop-ups, competitions, and VIP segmentation
• Design hacks for higher deliverability (build for images-off, clear CTAs)
• How to plan your scaling strategy (forecast back, keep it simple)
• Why your DTC growth fuels wholesale + retail wins

If you’re scaling on a shoestring, this episode gives you a clear, no-fluff roadmap to keep momentum without overspending.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Download our free guide: The Email Playbook - How one food & drink brand made £56.7K in email sales (with no extra ad spend!)
• Want tailored support? Book a Strategy Call with Kate
• Join the Food Marketing Club for weekly support, resources & live training

If this episode resonated, subscribe, leave a review, and tag @kwmarketinguk - we love seeing how you’re fuelling your growth 🔥

From cocktails mixed by the sea to navigating the highs and lows of scaling, Tim & Ria’s story is proof that you don’t need all the answers to grow a brand with heart.

In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Tim and Ria, co-founders of Bar Buoy Cocktails, proudly crafted on the Devon coast. We dig into provenance, quality, seasonality, and the reality of learning as you go when building a drinks brand.

Here’s what we cover:

• The spark behind Bar Buoy and why it all started with Margarita Fridays!
• How provenance, quality ingredients, and the South West coast shape their brand
• The realities of growth - from bottling in their kitchen to scaling production and launching cans
• Why seasonality impacts everything (and why Q4 prep always feels like a sprint)
• The biggest lessons they’d share with other founders still figuring things out

If you’ve ever felt like you’re building a food or drink brand without a polished playbook, this conversation will resonate. Tim & Ria show that values, persistence, and learning on the job can be just as powerful as strategy.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Explore Bar Buoy Cocktails and follow their journey @bar_buoy
• Download our free guide: The Email Playbook – How one food & drink brand made £56.7K in email sales (with no extra ad spend!)
• Want tailored support? Book a Strategy Call with Kate
• Join the Food Marketing Club for weekly support, resources & live training

If this episode resonated, hit subscribe, leave a review, and tag @kwmarketinguk – we love seeing how you’re fuelling your growth!

Q4 is here, and it can make or break your year.

In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate, Laura, and Phoebe unpack the real tactics we’re using with food & drink brands right now to drive Christmas sales, protect margins, and finish 2025 strong. From planning last delivery dates to building bundles, structuring ads that convert, and levelling up email and website performance - this is your no-fluff Q4 playbook.

Here’s what we cover:

• How to plan your Q4 strategy from your last delivery date
• The offers that actually work: bundles, free delivery, and gifting ideas
• Website fixes to increase conversion rate and AOV
• How to structure ads for discovery → consideration → conversion
• Why email and automations should underpin everything
• Creating hype through VIP-first launches and early access campaigns
• Standing out in a crowded feed (authentic storytelling + brand tone)
• Black Friday vs. Green Friday: how to stay profitable and on-brand
• What to measure daily: revenue first, list growth second

If you’re feeling behind, this episode will help you make confident, data-backed decisions to end the year on a high.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Download our free guide: The Email Playbook – How one food & drink brand made £56.7K in email sales (with no extra ad spend!)
• Want tailored support? Book a Strategy Call with Kate
• Join the Food Marketing Club for weekly support, resources & live training

If this episode helped you prep for your biggest quarter yet, hit subscribe, leave a review, and tag @kwmarketinguk - we love seeing how you’re fuelling your Q4 growth 🎄

Q4 can make or break a brand, and for The Cornish Cheese Co, it was the turning point.

In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Ben Stansfield, who has just gone all in on running the business full-time after their most successful Christmas yet.

Here’s what we cover:

• The Q4 campaign that turned handmade cheese into record-breaking sales
• How email & Meta ads worked together to fuel growth
• What it takes to scale when every product is still made by hand
• The mindset shift of going full-time in the business
• Why balancing brand values with growth has been key to success
• Ben’s biggest surprise lesson from Q4 2024 and how it’s shaping his 2025 strategy

If you’re sitting on the edge of your next big move, this episode will give you the clarity and motivation to go all in.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Download our free guide: The Email Playbook – How one food & drink brand made £56.7K in email sales (with no extra ad spend!)
• Want tailored support? Book a Strategy Call with Kate
• Join the Food Marketing Club for weekly support, trend updates & content prompts

If this episode resonated, hit subscribe and tag us @kwmarketinguk - we love seeing how you’re fuelling your growth.

Paid ads! Love them or loathe them, they’re still one of the fastest ways to grow your food brand... but only if you do them right.

In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate is joined by Laura and Phoebe to cut through the noise and share the paid social strategies that are really working in 2025. From common mistakes to winning formulas and budget hacks, this is the no-fluff guide you need before diving into Meta ads.

Here’s what we cover:

• The mistakes food brands make that waste budget (spending too much too fast, ignoring creative testing, skipping retargeting)
• Why UGC-style ads and “real” content are beating polished campaigns every time
• The minimum spend you need to see results — and when it’s time to scale
• The lever strategy for Q4: how to go all in when your ads are working
• Why your email list might just be your most powerful paid ads tool
• The best formats to test (stories, reels, carousels) and how to stop Meta auto-generating ugly versions of your creatives

If you’ve been burning money on Meta ads or aren’t sure where to start, this episode will give you clarity, confidence, and a few “aha!” moments to fuel your next campaign.

• Download our free guide: The Email Playbook - How one food & drink brand made £56.7K in email sales (with no extra ad spend!)
• Want help with your ad strategy? Book a Strategy Call with Kate
• Join the Food Marketing Club for weekly support, trend updates & content prompts

If this episode gave you an aha moment about your paid ads, hit subscribe and tag us @kwmarketinguk – we love seeing how you’re fuelling your growth!