Suffocating rain slowly screamed down just before Christmas.

Hunkered at a bus stop in Islington. Hiding.

Gorging on chocolate bars to escape gut-wrenching pain.

At the final minute, OLLY’s lost HUGE sums of funding

A signed-sealed-delivered-I’m-Yours deal...GONE.

KAPOOCH.

“Let’s sack it off” “Find another job” menaced through Olly’s mind.

But, like, all great leaders,

Sergeant Snack-a-nator came back stomping

OLLY’s won listings: Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Ryanair, Morrisson’s Easy Jet

Feel like quitting? This is for you.

ON THE MENU:

1. How To Deal with Losing Huge Amounts of Funding When They Pull the Whole Deal: One Step at a Time, One Step Forward

2. How To Create build a culture based on trust - "If you want your business looked after, look after the people, who look after the business"

3. How OLLY’s inspire and mobilise a team to inspire customers to Feed Your Feel Good

4. Why Brand Always wins in crowded categories - “A brand is a moat that starves off competition"

5. How OLLY’s found the Blue Oceans where no one was Swimming: Combine Two Categories - Healthy Delicious

Full episode goes live MONDAY 8AM.

Can’t wait till then? Search Hungry. on Spotify and Apple

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Pressure. Perfection.

Stress. Suffering.

Teamwork. Trust.

Authentic Creativity.

Delicious leadership lessons bubble in the kitchen and spill in the board room.

Leading a brigade of chefs or challenger brands are the same.

The latest guests on HUNGRY. are James Cochran and Dan Henry.

James’ career sparkles:

- Worked under Bret Graham at The Ledbury, taking it from a 1 to 2 Michelin Star * - becoming the 11th best restaurant in the world.

- Head Chef of The Harwood Arms, London’s ONLY Michelin Star pub.

- James and Dan, co-founded the restaurants 12.51 and Around The Cluck.

- Creating an INSANE Scotch Bonnet Jam product with the legends Pam Digva and James Digva - listed in 500+ Sainsbury's stores.

The biggest lesson?

The Art of Simplicity.

Humans convolute EVERYTHING, adding more and more.

BUT.

The best strategy?

SIMPLICITY.

Our conversation rifled home a quote I love: SLOW IS SMOOTH. SMOOTH IS FAST.

Slowing down allows, Simplification.

Simplicity = Speed.

ON THE MENU:

1. HOW TO FIND YOUR AUTHENTIC EDGE IN CROWDED CATEGORIES: FIND YOUR SOULS’ STORY + EMBRACE ROUGH AND READY

2. WHY GREAT PRODUCT *ALWAYS* TRUMPS SEXY PACKAGING OR PRODUCT: BE FASTIDIOUS WITH YOUR PRODUCT

3. WHY BRANDS MUST MAKE THEIR *WHY* AND PRODUCT *UNIVERSAL* - THE DANGERS OF BEING “TOO NICHE”

4. *THE* LEADERSHIPS LESSONS FROM MICHELIN STAR KITCHENS: HIGH STANDARDS + RESILIENCE + TRUST + REDUCE YOUR EGO = PERFECTION

5. THE ART OF SIMPLICITY: WHAT DEADWEIGHT CAN YOU *SUBTRACT* FROM YOUR BUSINESS OR LIFE

🤝 Let's Connect!

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"Rockstar Entrepreneur" is the BIGGEST load of tripe.

Instagram added a vacant veneer

A razzle-dazzle romanticism to entrepreneurship.

Fake Gnashers. Faux Gold.

“Swipe Up for my course on How I Sold 500,000 Bits-of-Coin from the Homebase car park”

"YOOO’ flying PJ” - on photoshop in their PJ’s waiting for Lasagne and Garlic bread to *bing*

People pine to be a Pearly White founder.

The issue?

Completely false expectations.

Simon Chard, described the journey as “Being chained to a speed boat, flying through a storm”

Simon is co-founder of PÄRLA and the latest guest on HUNGRY.

PARLA’S INSANE rapid success: won listings at Sainsbury's’s, Waitrose & Partners, Boots UK, Ocado Group.

Our conversation, peels back the veneer of their success, surgically digging into the hard truths.

Sleepless nights, stoicism, resilience, maniacal drive.

ON THE MENU: 

1. HOW TO WIN A SAINSBURY’S LISTING WITH NO PRIOR FMCG EXPERIENCE - KNOW YOUR MARGINS (GM1, GM2, GM3) + “WHAT DOES THE RETAILER WANT? > WHAT DO WE WANT?” 

2. HOW TO TURN YOUR INSECURITIES INTO A SUPER POWER: SAY YES TO EVERYTHING IN YOUR 20’S DEVELOP A MANIACAL OBSESSION 

3. WHY FOOD AND DRINK BRANDS MUST THINK ABOUT THE *BRAND ICON* AT HOME NOT JUST ON THE SHELF

4. HOW STOICISM REMOVES THE STRESS AND WORRY OF THE FOUNDERS JOURNEY: “A BRAVE MAN DIES ONCE, A COWARD DIES A THOUSAND TIMES” 

5. WHY KINDNESS IF THE FOUNDATION OF CONFIDENCE AND HOW TO USE IT AS A SUPER POWER

Fully eppy live Monday

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HANDS DOWN my favourite day of the year. 

Even tops when I got a pair of Heeleys (with green lights) for my 25th. 

Summer yawns, the sun shudders in the high blue skies like a white marble. 

Meatopia an unctuous utopia of unreal grub. 

A bacchanalian flame-soaked meteorite of food, fire and booze. 

This Little Piggy went Tobacco Docks, “Me, Eat” - stuffing my face, Notorious P.I.G. style. 

Washed down gallons of Beer, the colour of Autumn, cold like Winter, tastes like Spring. 

A Notorious B.I.G line up - Ottolenghi, Fergus Henderson, Richard Turner.

The latest guest on the pod, is Mat Kemp co-founder MEATOPIA. 

There are SO many delicious lessons in here, that you'll never find in a banal business book.

ON THE MENU: 

1. HOW TO TAKE AN NACENT CONCEPT FROM 0 - 1 - RELENTLESSLY USE YOUR NETWORK, BEG, STEEL, BORROW ADVICE FROM PEOPLE. 

2. HOW TO KEEP THE FOUNDERS MAGIC ALIVE AS YOU SCALE: DEFINE YOUR CORE VALUES + GREAT BRANDS ARE BUILT BY WHAT THEY SAY “NO" TO. 

3. WHY YOU MUST FALL IN LOVE WITH THE JOURNEY AND BE HAPPY TO BE “PISS POOR” AND “CLING ON” 

4. HOW TO ATTRACT INVESTORS/CHEFS TO YOUR BUSINESS IDEA OR DREAM - SHOW THE VALUE OF BRAND DEPTH AND THE 5 YEAR JOURNEY 

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Riverford, desperately needed consumers to understand their “WHY".

But How?

Enter Perry Haydn Taylor Hayden Taylor.

Perry and Riverford Organic Farmers's founder, Guy Singh-Watson escaped the brash, banal board room.

They went surfing in Devon.

Under boundless blue skies, sat on a rock, watching the rolling glittering waves.

Salty sea air greased their conversation, Perry dug deep.

Deep

Deep

Deeper

Riverford’s WHY?

"Solving Greed"

Next,

Perry and big fish, conjured Riverford’s delicious slogan “LIVE LIFE ON THE VEG”

Brands are human connections.

Your “WHY” is the bridge connecting consumer soul with your brand.

So excited to welcome back the utter legend Perry Haydn Taylor to the pod! 

Perry and big fish® are behind a bevy of brands - Gü Puds, Boden, Riverford Organic Farmers, Clipper Tea , Freddie's Flowers Dorset Cereals

Perry N’ Pope Part Deux - hope you enjoy x

ON THE MENU: 

1. WHY FOOD AND DRINK FOUNDERS MUST DREAM BIG. DIVE DEEP. SWIM FAST IN THE RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF BETTER

2. WHY FOOD AND DRINK BRANDS MUST STOP SPENDING MONEY ON CONSUMER RESEARCH REPORTS - “GET OUT OUT OF THE BOARD ROOM” 

3. HOW RIVERFORD GOT CONSUMERS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR WHY - “WHY DO YOU GET OUT OF BED?” “WHAT PROBLEM DO YOU SOLVE” - 

4. WHY BRANDS MUST PROLIFICALLY PUSH THEIR “BENEFITS” NOT “FEATURES” TO STAND OUT IN CROWDED CATEGORIES

🤝 Let's Connect!

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I always dreamt of this marriage.

In 2020, the first time, my Frodo-saucisson-fingers slapped the record button.

I dreamed of marrying an O.G challenger with a buccaneering brand with bigger-than-BIG dreams.

Keir Carnie, Edward Williams and Jamie Laing are THE puuurrrrfect trio.

Ed and Jamie, co-founders of Candy Kittens

Gourmet sweets tickle my inner-glutton glutton into gleeful bliss.

CK's gargantuan success: won listings at Sainsbury's’s, Waitrose & Partners, Ocado Group, Whole Foods Market.

In 2021, Jamie and Ed founded TUCK SHOP.

TUCK SHOP galvanises the next swath of rambunctious twinkle-eyed challengers.

My broski, Keir Carnie, Nuud | Plastic Free Gum, is their first brand.

Nuud are chewing up the chewing gum category.

Stripping it bare of it’s plastic-ridden-clobber, revealing the naked truths. 

Our episode is a jam-packed bag of gourmet wisdom.

WARNING: Chew Slowly 

ON THE MENU: 

1. WHY NAVITY IS A SUPER POWER: "NEVER FOLLOW LOGIC, OTHERWISE YOU’LL END UP IN THE SAME PLACE AS EVERYONE ELSE."

2. WHY EARLY STAGE BRANDS MUST BE PROFESSIONAL AND FOCUS ON THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU BIGGER THAN YOU ARE 

3. WHY FOOD AND DRINK BRANDS MUST REALISE THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A “BRAND” VS. “BUSINESS” DECISION - KATIE CLAPHAM 

4. WHAT IS A BRAND - "A BRAND IS WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT YOU, WHEN YOU’RE NOT IN THE ROOM"

5. HOW TO HANDLE THE TUMULTUOUS FOUNDERS JOURNEY AND THE UPS AND DOWN - "ALWAYS ASK, SO WHAT?” 

Eppy goes love Monday 8am. 

Cannae wait til then? 

Other episodes in the comments below. 

Have a wonderful weekend!!

🤝 Let's Connect!

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STOP thinking like a Challenger Brand, please.

Zipping n’ zinging through the Challenger zeitgeist is a David vs. Goliath mentality.

Post BrewDog, challenger brands act like Punk Bands.

Minor Figures took a screw-that view and forged a new path.

They act like a FUNK BAND.

Stuart Forsyth, taught me: "We play our groove and let our people come dancing”

Mind-bendingly banging products.

Weird. Lurid. Wonderful.

Avant-garde, chilled-contrarians fusing music, coffee and art.

Cult-like evangelists, venerate the brand, blotching their body with Minor Figure tattoos.

Minor Figures won listings at: Waitrose & Partners, Tesco, Morrisons, Coles Group

Our conversation unshackled my noggin from the challenger-thinking straight-jacket.

My mind grooved into new forests of curiosity like a randy Truffle Pig.

Grab yourself a strong coffee, allow your mind to meander.

ON THE MENU:

1. WHY FOOD AND DRINK FOUNDER’S MUST "BITE OFF MORE THAN THEY CAN CHEW THEN CHEW LIKE HELL"

2. WHY FOOD AND DRINK BRANDS MUST THINK LIKE “FUNK BANDS” NOT “PUNK BRANDS” - TO AUTHENTICALLY STAND OUT IN CATEGORIES

3. WHY SMASHING IT IN TWO CHANNELS IS THE PREREQUISITE BUILDING A LIFESTYLE BRAND

4. WHY FOOD AND DRINK FOUNDERS MUST FALL IN LOVE WITH OBSTACLES AND CHOOSE YOUR STRUGGLE. = “I GET TO FACE THIS CHALLENGE” VS. “I HAVE TO FACE THIS CHALLENGE”

5. HOW FOOD AND DRINK FOUNDER CAN SEPARATE THEIR BUSINESS WORTH FROM THEIR SELF WORTH - “WHAT IF IT ALL ENDED TOMORROW? ”

Big thanks to Ben Vear for sorting this out.

Fully eppy goes live Monday 8am.

Cannae’ wait till then?

Other episodes in comments below.

#fmcg #podcast #challengerbrand #cpg #coffee

🤝 Let's Connect!

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HOW SEEDLIP PIONEERED THE LOW-TO-NO CATEGORY AND WON LISTINGS AT WAITROSE, M&S, OCADO AND MICHELIN STAR RESTAURANTS - BEN BRANSON  

This conversation CHANGED EVERYTHING.  

Ben taught me, NATURE IS EVERYTHING.  

Hold ya horses -  

You may think, 

I’m slipping into a pair of Tom’s, carousing through Tooting Bec, fondling Daphodiles, listening to Tame Impala (sounds banging tbf)  

It’s NOT.  

Nature and the founders journey are inextricably intertwined.  

Nature, like start ups: Pain and Chaos wield Flourishing Growth.  

Nature, like start ups: CONSTANT CHANGE, the seasons and the journey are in flux, Good, Bad and Ugly.  

Nature is where founders find thunderous creative-dynamite to blisteringly disrupt categories.  

Nature is ego-dissolving, perspective-altering - allowing founders to detach EGO from BRAND.  

Seedlip had rip-roaring flourishing success, single-handily pioneering  Low To No Category.  

• Won a Gold Medal at The Chelsea Flower Show  
• Sold 3000 Units in Selfridges in 3 weeks.  
• Won  listings at Ocado, M&S, Daylesford, Waitrose, Tesco, Whole Foods Market  
• Work with an illustrious list of Michelin Star restaurants.  

By far one of my favourite convo’s so far.  

Implore you listen to this puppy in a park or or woods or garden, let the hot sun tickle the nape of your neck.  

ON THE MENU:  

1. WHY *NATURE IS EVERYTHING* AND NATURE'S PARALLELS  WITH THE ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY: PROGRESS, PAIN, CHAOS, GROWTH, FLOURISHING  

2. WHY BEING YOUR OWN WORST CRITIC IS EMPOWERING - NOTHING ANYONE SAYS ABOUT YOU/OR YOUR BRAND CAN HURT YOU  

3. WHY HIRING A CORPORATE M.D. IS DANGEROUS FOR CHALLENGER BRANDS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT 

4. SEEDLIP'S HIRING PROCESS TO ATTRACT GREAT TALENT THAT ARE THE *RIGHT CULTURAL FIT* - SEEDLIPS SEVEN PSYCHO TESTING QUESTIONS  

5. THE SEEDLIP STRATEGY TO BUILD BRAND AWARENESS ON A TINY BUDGET - THE BRAND TOUCH POINT IS EVERYTHING.  

6. WHY YOU MUST LOOK *OUTSIDE* FOOD AND DRINK TO CREAT ORIGINAL IDEAS + NOTHING IS EVER TRULY ORIGINAL  

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If Willy Wonker chinned a few shandy’s and fornicated with Lego Land.

Their love child?

Pleesecakes.

Scrolling through their Insta, irreverent and utterly unctuous.

Cathedrals of Cheese cake, coquettish and magnificent, doused in delicious decoration.

Mind-bendingly banging.

Pleese Me, Pleese Me, Pleese Me - Teeeasee me babyyy, Til’ I lose control

My Childhood-Curiosity carouses with my Dad-Bod gluttony.

Pleeeeeese Sir, Gimme Mo’, MO

BUT.

Peel behind the pleasing veneer and meet their founder, Joe Moruzzi

Joe has thunderous-tenacity bubbling in his bones and transforms Fear from Foe to Friend.

Joe’s built a DIE-HARD community of Pleesecake fans.

- Won listings at Ocado Group, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh
- Made cakes for the Queen and whole bevy of celebrities.
- Pivoted their business Cheese Cake model to create Freeze Cakes
- Been on live TV with Holly Willoughby and Phil Schofield and entered the Dragons Den.

Our conversation is for anyone wading through repugnant-gloomy puddles of self-doubt, imposter syndrome and fear.

ON THE MENU:

1. WHY FOOD AND DRINK FOUNDERS MUST SAY NO TO MAJOR SUPERMARKETS - THE OPPORTUNITY MUST BE WIN-WIN

2. HOW FOOD AND DRINK FOUNDERS CAN TURN FEAR INTO THEIR FREIND - EMBRACE THE FEAR AS EXCITEMENT

3. WHY FOOD AND DRINK FOUNDERS MUST FALL IN LOVE WITH BAD DAYS TO APPRECIATE GOOD DAYS - GOOD DAYS. BAD DAYS MINDSET.

4. KEY LESSONS IN BUILDING A SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING FROM JOE WICKS: GREAT CONTENT WILL ALWAYS BE FOUND + AUTHENTICITY

5. HOW TO PIVOT YOUR INITIAL PRODUCT TO FIND THE PRODUCT-MARKET-FIT PANACEA: LOOK FOR THE SIGNALS

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An electric pudding of nerves - pacing and pacing and pacing.

Foiled in ferocious imposter syndrome.

Barrages of self-doubt pinged and zinged around my nut like furious pinballs.

"My first EVER DRAGON on the poddy!??!”

“I CANNAE do this, Dan-ae?!"

Sarah Willingham's career sparkles:

- Head of International Expansion at PizzaExpress and Planet Hollywood

- Bought, built and sold the UK’s largest chain of Indian Restaurants, Bombay Bicycle Club

- 2015 - 2017: Sarah was a Dragon alongside Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Nick Jenkins

- Founded and floated Nightcap PLC with net sales of £15.5 million in their FIRST YEAR (The London Cocktail Club)

- Investor and chair at TONKOTSU (best ramen this side of Japan) and The Craft Gin Club

My goal?

Peel back the veneer of Sarah's conglomerate business success. 

Sarah is warm, kind, extremely balanced human being.

Apres our convo, 

Utterly bamboozled, brain bulged and bubbled with life-changing-wisdom. 

ON THE MENU:

1. WHY FOOD AND DRINK FOUNDERS WILL FIND THEIR BUSINESS MODEL BY DOING: TAKE ACTION. TAKE ACTION.

2. WHY FOOD AND DRINK FOUNDERS *MUST TAKE HOLIDAYS* - ALL YOUR BEST IDEAS COME ON WEEK THREE OF A HOLIDAY

3. WHY FOUNDERS MUST DITCH THE *CAREER PATH* AND BUILD THEIR OWN *LIFE PIE CHART*

4. WHY ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS ARE THE FOUNDATIONS OF STRATEGY:

- WHAT DOES GREAT LOOK LIKE? 
- IF SOMEONE GAVE YOU A MILLION POUNDS TODAY. WHERE WOULD YOU SPEND IT? 
- DOES THIS ACTUALLY MOVE THE NEEDLE?
- DO MORE OF THE SAME. 

5. WHY FOUNDERS *SHOULDN’T RAISE* UNTIL THEY CREATED SHARE HOLDER VALUE: JUST SELL. SELL. SELL 

🤝 Let's Connect!

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