Getting to Grow

Join me as I dive into the inspiring journey of Lucy Busk, co-founder of Nice Wines! From her early days in the on-the-go breakfast industry to the exciting launch of Nice Wines, Lucy shares the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, offering a candid look at the challenges of getting the sales wheel turning and navigating the constant firefighting that comes with building a business from the ground up.

Lucy takes us behind the scenes of disrupting the wine industry, revealing how she and her team have crafted a brand that’s not only inclusive and fun but also functional. With a keen eye for branding—like the iconic pink boiler suits worn by the Nice Wines team, which I LOVE—she demonstrates the power of creating a strong, recognisable identity.

As a working mom and female founder in the traditionally male-dominated wine industry, Lucy opens up about the unique challenges she’s faced and the triumphs she’s achieved along the way. She emphasises the importance of building a supportive, values-driven team that prioritises direct feedback, agility, and employee well-being.

In this episode, Lucy also shares the growth strategies that have propelled Nice Wines forward, from expanding product offerings to entering new markets. She discusses the pressing need for sustainability and diversity in the wine industry, imparting valuable lessons she’s learned throughout her entrepreneurial journey.

Tune in to discover how Lucy Busk is shaking up the wine world with innovation, passion, and an unwavering commitment to her brand’s vision.

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Olly Hiscocks, was a young optimistic olive lover who wanted to rejuvenate the world of olives with new flavours, colour and character. He began marinating olives in his kitchen (to his parents' dismay) and selling them at farmers markets.

Please follow @gettingtogrow on Instagram & if you like the episode then please do give it 5 stars!

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Oli, Alex and Johnny from These Days Sprits discuss their journey in creating a wine-based spritz brand, wanting to reframe and redefine the spritz category, making it more accessible and approachable. They focused on creating a brand identity that is colourful, fun, and uses normal words! (Alcohol can be stuffy!)

They wanted to bring spritz into the craft beer space and serve it on tap to drive consideration and make it more desirable. They also talk about the challenges of production and the importance of having a brand home, which is their bar, to validate their idea and showcase the spritz experience.

The conversation revolves around the challenges and successes of launching a spritz brand and the importance of creating a unique and accessible drinking experience.

They discuss the validation they received from customers and the need to break the perception that spritz is only a summer drink. They also touch on the importance of marketing, collaboration, and sustainability. The future plans include expanding distribution, opening more bars, and focusing on spritz on tap.

Please follow @gettingtogrow on Instagram & if you like the episode then please do give it 5 stars!

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Annie, co-founder of Spoon Cereals, shares the story of how the brand started and grew in the FMCG industry. The conversation covers topics such as the early days of the brand, the challenges of scaling production, differentiation in a competitive market, brand values and mission, working with retailers, and the power of partnerships and collaborations. In this conversation, Annie discusses the development of their new product, ManiLife granola, and the importance of working closely with ingredient suppliers.

She also shares her experiences as a female founder and the challenges she has faced. Annie highlights the significance of building a strong community and engaging with customers for product development. She also reveals future plans for Spoon, including expanding into new flavours and categories, and exploring international markets.

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Eoin Keenan, founder of Goodrays, shares his journey in the CBD and medical cannabis industry and the development of his brand. He discusses the importance of sleep and mental wellbeing, as well as the need for science-backed CBD products. Keenan emphasizes the value of building a community around the brand and creating spaces and events for education and support. He also talks about the challenges of entering the CBD market and differentiating his products from competitors. The development of Goodrays's CBD drinks is highlighted, with a focus on unique flavour and accessible pricing. In this conversation, We discuss the confusion and misconceptions surrounding CBD and its differences from marijuana.

Takeaways

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On episode 42 of Getting To Grow, I sat down with Harry Mayhew - Co-founder of Ember Snacks🎙👂 😀

Jack and Harry are two brothers who grew up mucking in on the family farm in Suffolk. Raised on real nutrition and hearty meals, they wouldn’t have their biltong any other way.

When they founded their snack company Ember, one thing was for sure: factory farming was giving meat a bad name, and they wanted that to change.

Having both competed in triathlons such as Ironman, they soon realised that biltong made for a great snack during training. But with these air-dried strips of beef and other meats originating in South African countries, the selection on offer in the UK was seriously lacking.

Using their farming experience, and desire to create a product that's healthy, and good for the planet, they launched their range of British biltong.

To find out more at visit  www.embersnacks.com

and follow them on Instagram @embersnacks

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a like and a review as it really helps support what I do.

Make sure to follow @gettingtogrow on Instagram

See you guys next time!

Zoe

On episode 40 of Getting To Grow, I sat down with Jon Walsh - Co-founder and CEO of Bio & Me 🎙👂 😀

Founded by Dr Megan Rossi (The Gut Health Doctor) and Jon Walsh, Bio&Me is the UK’s first dedicated gut health food brand backed by credible science.

Bio&Me brings clarity and credibility to the world of gut health and is the only brand that carries the prestigious ‘Good for your Gut’ health claim, due to the EFSA-approved ingredients used!

With a focus on Delicious Diversity, in November 2019 Bio&Me launched its first range of gut-loving granolas containing 15 of your recommended 30 weekly diverse plant-based foods and prebiotic* fibres to help your mighty microbes thrive.  Following on from the success of the granolas, the brand launched its gut-loving porridges and muesli in January 2021, further establishing its credibility in the cereals’ aisle.  With a passion for creating accessible, great tasting, natural gut-health products, recent product launches from Bio&Me sees the brand in a strong position in the chilled category with its range of four, delicious prebiotic* gut-loving yoghurts, containing over 700 billion live and active cultures and the on-the-go market, with their ‘just add water’ plant-based porridge pots.  After all, they’re on a mission to help make looking after your gut deliciously easy!

To find out more at visit  www.bioandme.co.uk

and follow them on Instagram @bioandmeuk

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a like and a review as it really helps support what I do. 

Make sure to follow @gettingtogrow on Instagram

See you guys next time!

Zoe 

On episode 40 of Getting To Grow, I sat down with Ivo Devereux - Co-founder of Sapling Spirits 🎙👂 😀

Sapling Spirits are the world’s first climate positive British-made spirits brand. They uses local ingredients to reduce transport emission, and the brand produces both Vodka and a London Dry Gin range and for every bottle sold a tree is planted. Sapling Spirits was co-founded by Ed Faulkner and Ivo Devereux after unveiling a gap in the market for sustainable drinks, their mission is threefold: creating best in class spirits, leading the way on sustainability and injecting some fun into the sustainability conversation.

They began by tree-planting projects in Scotland and really struggled to get volunteers from the local area and beyond. They decided to start a small music festival with cocktail bars and realised they could get a much bigger and more diverse group of people involved in sustainability by offering them something fun to do alongside it. They started planting a tree for every bottle at the bar so that their drinks fitted the ethos of the festival – that was where it all started!

To find out more, visit https://saplingspirits.com/

and follow them on Instagram @saplingspirits

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a like and a review as it really helps support what I do. 

Make sure to follow @gettingtogrow on Instagram

See you guys next time!

Zoe 

On episode 39 of Getting To Grow, I sat down with Sarah Wasserman - Director of Food for Mallow & Mildreds 🎙👂 😀

Sarah Wasserman AKA the Queen of vegan cooking!

Sarah moved to London to study art and supported herself by working as a chef. She came to Mildred’s when she was a student at the Royal Academy of Arts and gradually, the skills she learned in art school to develop and defend ideas married with her work in the kitchen.

She has gone up the ranks massively and has been a kitchen manager, head of pastry, head of central kitchen, development chef and author of two cookbooks with Mildred’s: mildreds the cookbook and mildreds vegan cookbook, in which she shares some of her ideas to help you create inventive plant-based food at home. Sarah’s passion and knowledge for plant based food is unparalleled, bringing you a unique, beautifully crafted menu which shapes the mallow experience.

“My favourite thing is when someone tells me they’ve brought a non-vegetarian person to the restaurant and that they couldn’t believe how much they enjoyed the food.”

To find out more, visit https://www.mildreds.co.uk/ and follow them on Instagram @mildredsresturants

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a like and a review as it really helps support what I do. 

Make sure to follow @gettingtogrow on Instagram

See you guys next time!

Zoe