HUNGRY.

From bricks through the window in 1960s Skelmersdale to queues around the block in Liverpool, this is a story of immigrant hunger, insecurity, obsession with standards — and building something that blesses a city. Dan sits down with Nisha Katona — founder of Mowgli Street Food — the woman who turned authentic Indian home cooking into the first national Indian street food chain in Britain. 

Nisha breaks down why Mowgli was never meant to be a “curry house,” why Hindu home cooking avoids garlic and onion at lunch, and how sitting outside Greggs watching men in high-vis jackets shaped her pricing strategy.

We talk about scale, magic, heart, delivery, Empire, authenticity, Nando’s, Greggs, and why growth should never be something you’re ashamed of.

This is a masterclass in building a restaurant brand with soul — and keeping that soul intact across 27 sites.

If you care about food, cities, entrepreneurship, culture — or how to turn anxiety into momentum — this one’s special.

ON THE MENU:
00:00 Intro
00:54 Is Nisha a Workaholic?
02:54 Does Scale Kill Magic in Restaurants?
03:13 Treating Every Restaurant Like Your Child
04:26 Why She Decorated Mowgli to Fail
07:29 The First National Indian Street Food Chain
08:44 Curry House vs Authentic Indian Home Cooking
11:54 The Four Pillars of Building a Restaurant Brand
25:47 Researching Demand Before Opening a Restaurant
26:33 Pricing for Men in High-Vis Jackets
27:14 Chicken Tikka Masala & Britain’s National Dish
32:27 Why Mowgli Finally Launched Delivery
35:28 Temple Daal: Authentic Indian Home Food
41:40 Why Scale Doesn’t Kill Magic
43:18 Why She Backed Uber Eats in the North
44:46 Why Restaurant & Delivery Can Coexist
45:51 Restaurants Are Like Cinema for Your Tastebuds
59:45 Immigrant Parents, £2 in Their Pocket
01:00:50 Growing Up With Racism in 1960s Britain
01:27:00 Why She Refuses to Overbuild
01:30:48 The £35k vs £285k London Rent Decision

This week on Hungry, the founders behind SULT — the electrolyte brand turning “unhinged luxury” into a cultural movement.

From building a status-driven brand that people actually want to post on Instagram, to rewriting the rules of marketing in the age of TikTok and YouTube, this is a masterclass in modern brand-building.

We get into why unpredictability creates obsession, why most brands overcomplicate business, and how SULT uses storytelling, sex appeal, humor, and world-building to stand out in a saturated wellness market.

We talk Better & Wetter campaigns, Margot Robbie-style bath content, Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, Vivienne Westwood fashion shows, F1 boxes, Michelin-star storytelling hooks — and why the first three seconds of your content might be everything.

If you’re building a brand, running a food or drink business, or trying to crack YouTube, this episode is packed with practical insight and uncomfortable truths.

This isn’t just about electrolytes.

It’s about status, culture, identity — and making something people feel part of.

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ON THE MENU
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• The Wellness Culture Backlash
• Making Electrolytes Sexy
• Consistency vs Quality on Social
• Social Media Is Your CV
• What Is “Unhinged Luxury”?
• Unpredictability Creates Obsession
• The £15K Acoustics Lesson
• The Iceberg of Content Creation
• Why We Can’t Crack YouTube
• From Empty Restaurant to Michelin Hook
• The Hardest Thing: Having a Point of View
• Why Status Beats Shelf Space
• Do You Fit at Vivienne Westwood or F1?
• Why Rhode (Hailey Bieber) Wins
• Business Is Just X to Y
• Make Brands Simple Again
• The 3-Second Attention Economy
• Ignore Traditional Marketing Rules

00:00 Intro
00:01 Milly’s Eating Disorder & Recovery
00:05 Toxic Wellness & Running Culture
00:09 SULT’s "Not That Deep" Philosophy
00:14 Netflix-ification of Brand Building
00:19 Ignoring Experts & Taking Risks
00:24 "Unhinged Luxury" & Storytelling
00:30 Scaling in Public vs Building in Public
00:34 The Whiteboard Content Strategy
00:42 How to Write Viral Hooks
00:46 Organic Growth vs Paid Ads
00:56 The Brooklyn Beckham Story
01:00 Choosing Brand Colors & Standing Out
01:06 Why They Ignore Business Advice
01:08 The Power of Anti-Selling
01:13 Building a Tribe & Status
01:15 Learning from Rhode & Anti-Trends
01:17 Dealing with Copycats
01:20 Embracing Chaos in Business
01:22 Co-Founder Dynamics & Conflict
01:28 The Simon Squibb Story
01:33 Simplifying Business & Branding
01:37 How the Co-Founders Met
01:39 Why Launch an Electrolyte Brand?
01:45 The 4 Pillars of Marketing
01:53 Launching in Boots & Retail Strategy
01:58 Financial Transparency & Investors

Most companies bet everything on one big launch.
Doug Lamont thinks that’s how you kill growth.

In this clip, the former CEO of Tony's Chocolonely and Innocent Drinks breaks down a radically different way to scale — one built on rolling innovation, layered bets, and removing fear from failure.

Instead of over-researching, over-launching, and over-spending, Doug explains why the smartest brands:

- test cheaply
- back winners late
- kill losers fast

and never rely on a single “big idea” to carry the business

From product launches to international expansion, this is a masterclass in how real growth actually happens — especially from £100m → £500m+.

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📱 ON THE MENU
===============

🎯 Why “the one big thing” strategy usually fails
🔥 Rolling innovation vs over-researched launches
🧠 Removing fear from failure inside big organisations
📦 Why marketing can’t save products that don’t sell
🌍 How country expansion really works (3–5 year bets)
💰 When to actually turn on the marketing spend
⚖️ Small and medium bets vs betting the house

"Brand is the intangible layer that sits atop any business... and floods it with color and emotion." Tobey Duncan, CSO of Uncommon Creative Studio, joins Dan Pope to dismantle the fluff surrounding modern marketing. They explore "Purpose 2.0," why brands need enemies, and how to turn consumer tension into cultural fame. From the genius of Bold Bean Co to the audacity of Oasis, this episode is a masterclass in building brands that actually matter.

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:04 Why Creativity Requires Dissatisfaction
00:02:40 London vs. Sydney: Creative Differences
00:06:10 Defining Brand Strategy & The "Intangible Layer"
00:10:06 Why Brands Must Claim a Role in Culture
00:11:48 The Evolution of Brand Purpose (Purpose 2.0)
00:15:05 Fixing Consumer Problems vs. Fixing Brands
00:19:32 Case Study: Bold Bean Co's Brand Strategy
00:28:02 Strategy vs. Tactics: How They Work Together
00:33:19 Case Study: The Ordinary & Skincare "Guff"
00:42:43 B&Q Case Study: From Chores to Change
00:47:38 The Power of Finding Consumer Tension
00:51:44 British Airways: Exporting Originality
00:53:15 Why London is a Creative Powerhouse
01:03:09 What Brands Can Learn From Bands (Oasis)
01:06:25 Rational, Emotional, and Fame-Based Comms
01:09:20 PerfectTed & Leveraging Cultural Heat
01:12:44 Why You Should Set Strategy Once & Not Pivot
01:26:17 The Brand OS Framework: 5 Key Inquiries
01:32:04 Guinness: Breaking Category Codes
01:44:07 Marketing Planning: The "Jobs to Be Done" Framework
01:55:24 The Crisis in Modern Brand Building

📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 
🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out 

This week we have a throwback to an incredible convo with the co-founder of TRIP, Olivia Ferdi.

It’s what every wonderful guest on the poddy teaches me.

TRIP ripped up the rule book.
Definition of outlier.

TRIP is for everyone and anyone, anywhere, anytime and everywhere.

TRIP is a coffee replacement. Booze replacement. Cocktail mixer. Meal Deal enhancer. Grab & Go.

All charged with a beautiful mission: Be Kind to your Mind.

Won listings at Co-op Sainsbury's, Waitrose & Partners, @Annabel’s, Soho House & Co

ON THE MENU:

1. Why your brand must be chameleon to be a truly omni-channel brand – lessons from Annabel’s, Mayfair and Co-Op.

2. Why your brand should act as a PROMPT to unlock an emotion in people – TRIP own “Be Kind to Your Mind”

3. How TRIP won a Bill’s listing in 4 weeks – when one door shuts, open a window. Be fluid.

4. How to repurpose your brand and shelf space to unlock more occasions = more consumption = more £ wonga.

5. How TRIP raised £10 million quid – do you really need presentation a deck?

6. Why founders must actually seek and embrace stress it’s a gateway forward.

Every top food and drink founder reads our Newsletter - why wouldn't you? 

https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/

Watch the full shabang on Youtube -  https://www.youtube.com/@HungryFMCG/videos

Let’s link up on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/

Stalk me on Insta- https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/ 
This episode originally aired in June, 2023.

Jon Walsh pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to scale a challenger FMCG brand without drinking your own Kool-Aid. From tying purpose to exit strategy, to why profit is a prerequisite (not a betrayal), to the tiny commercial decisions that quietly unlock big growth, this is a grounded, no-nonsense breakdown of taking Bio&Me from £2m to £20m. Heavy on real-world trade-offs, buyer reality, margins, packaging, people, and founder intensity — light on startup theatre. A sharp, practical listen for anyone trying to build something durable. 

=============== 🍽️ ON THE MENU ===============

🎯 Why purpose and exit strategy aren’t opposites
💰 How building for valuation actually sharpens purpose
🧬 Turning gut health science into a real brand advantage
📈 Scaling from £2m to £20m without losing the plot
👥 Letting go of knowing everything — and why that’s progress
🤝 Delegation, trust, and building a team that outgrows the founder
📊 Why sustainable profit matters more than growth theatre
⚖️ The delicate dance between growth and EBITDA
🏭 Co-manufacturers: the hidden risk-takers founders forget
🔍 Finding margin through nuance, not hacks
📉 Promotions, pricing, shrinkflation, and honest trade-offs
🛒 Why proximity to purchase beats flashy brand spend
🧠 Innovating close to the core — and when to break the rule
🥣 Going cross-category without killing valuation
🧪 Science + taste: why health food must still be delicious
🏬 How retailers really think about challenger brands
🧑‍💼 Buyers, rangers, merchandisers — who actually holds power
📦 Packaging as your most important marketing asset
📐 The big rocks vs the pebbles of scaling a brand
💥 The hardest decisions founders avoid: people and partners
😬 Breaking up with early suppliers as you scale
🕰️ The intensity myth: what “hard work” really looks like
🚫 Why work–life balance is mostly bullshit at £20m
❌ The biggest mistakes made on the way up
🧭 What didn’t change from £2m to £20m — and why that matters
🛍️ Why retailers aren’t the enemy (and never were)
🔮 How thinking about exit quietly shapes every decision today

Whether you’re building an FMCG brand, advising founders, or navigating the jump from scrappy startup to serious scale, this episode is a masterclass in commercial realism, leadership maturity, and doing the unglamorous work that actually compounds.

==============================================

TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 Why Purpose and Valuation Reinforce Each Other
00:01:43 What Bio&Me Actually Is (and Why It Exists)
00:02:28 Gut Health as a Real Commercial Advantage
00:03:18 From £2m to £20m: Understanding Run Rate
00:04:40 Letting Go of Knowing Everything
00:05:20 Delegation, Trust, and Growing a Leadership Team
00:06:46 Why Profit Is Non-Negotiable
00:07:25 The Delicate Dance Between Growth and EBITDA
00:07:54 Funding Losses by Selling Equity
00:08:18 Moving Into Profit — and Team Buy-In
00:09:16 How Bio&Me Actually Became Profitable
00:10:19 Co-Manufacturers Take the Biggest Early Risks
00:11:25 Promotions, Pricing, and Margin Finesse
00:12:33 Shrinkflation, Transparency, and Consumer Trust
00:13:59 Honest Marketing Beats Clever Marketing
00:15:18 Relentless Cost Discipline as You Scale
00:16:47 Team Size Myths and the Shoreditch Trap
00:18:10 The Hires That Really Moved the Needle
00:19:11 Innovate Close to the Core
00:20:22 When (and Why) to Go Cross-Category
00:21:24 Gut Health Science: Fibre vs Fermentation
00:22:52 Purpose as a Filter for Expansion
00:24:03 How to Be Meaningfully Better Than Competitors
00:26:17 The Reality of Managing Multiple Categories
00:27:12 Why This Is a Golden Age for Challenger Brands
00:29:10 Coopetition and Founder Generosity
00:31:03 The Three Big Growth Levers to £20m
00:32:29 Proximity to Purchase Beats Brand Hype
00:33:20 In-Store Marketing That Actually Works
00:34:29 Building vs Maintaining a Brand
00:36:40 Understanding Buyers, Ranging, and Power
00:38:51 Packaging as Your Best Marketing Asset
00:40:30 The Hardest Decisions Are About People
00:41:27 Breaking Up With Early Partners
00:43:17 Why Scaling Is Intensely Hard
00:44:10 The Work-Life Balance Myth
00:45:42 Competition as Fuel
00:47:34 Buyer Needs vs Consumer Needs
00:49:16 The Biggest Mistakes on the Way Up
00:50:33 Under-Investing in Marketing
00:51:32 Waiting Too Long to Hire
00:52:42 What Changed — and What Didn’t — at £20m
00:54:00 Why Retailers Aren’t the Enemy
00:55:42 How Exit Thinking Shapes Decisions Today

📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 
🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out