People Doing Things

Introducing Caspar Rose. Foodie, Spin Instructor, charity advocate and founder of The Wellness Food Group (TWFG) - a merger between Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen. Two function-first meal prep businesses who've paired up to co-create a healthier nation through convenience and personalised nutrition with more lined up to join their house of brands in the next 12 months.

Caspar leads Fresh Fitness Food, a tech-first, personalised meal delivery service, after having worked as a chef at a number of Michelin Star restaurants in both Sydney and London. During his time as a sous chef at Gordon Ramsay's Maze, the business launched, taking orders over phone, prepared from his Notting Hill flat. In 2015, Fresh Fitness Food started scaling. They now deliver over 100,000 meals each month across the UK and have invested £2mn in their technology platform that makes it all happen.

TWFG is set to turnover £12M+ in 2023, with a projected revenue of £50M by 2025. But it's not all spreadsheets and P&L's for Caspar. When he's not in the boardroom he's busy optimising things in their new kitchens or instructing in a Ride Republic spin studio.

In this episode we talk about the power of knowing your audience, the dynamics of a merger, and how they're equal parts food brand and tech business.

Enjoy.

Say hello to Amelia Christie-Miller. She's the happy go lucky founder of Bold Bean Co, on a mission to make you as obsessed with beans as she is. But here's the thing. These beans aren't just any beans. These are chef approved, top of the range, foodie favourites - meaning you can give Heinz the can and explore a whole new world of protein rich legumes.

She first discovered beans while she was on an Erasmus exchange in Spain. One morning, like most students, she was too hungover to go shopping and instead took a jar of creamy heirloom butterbean out of the fridge. They were so tasty they transformed her perspective on beans, helping her reappraise their dusty reputation.

After graduating, she had a brief stint working for Gail's Bakery in London, before moving into food technology with Foodchain, a start-up working in sustainable produce where she became convinced that beans were the answer to so many of our food system issues. It was not until she was furloughed at the start of the pandemic that she decided to turn her passion for beans into a business.

In this episode we talk about boldly going where no bean has gone before, growing organically, her tastemaker strategy working with chefs and foodies to spread the word and crowd-sroucing her values like a Gen-Zer.

Dig in.

Introducing David Begg. His career to date has been nothing short of illustrious. After studying engineering at Durham and Cambridge, he spent ten years in consulting before becoming one of the founding team members of Booking.com. He then went on to co-found Tom Dixon and education tech company Magic Town before finding his spiritual home in REAL Sparkling Tea.

According to the sommeliers at The Fat Duck, REAL is the 'finest non-alcoholic drink on the market'. Brewed with some of the most expensive teas in the world, REAL's impressive array of sparkling teas are more akin to a natural wine or a champagne than a soft drink. The complexity of the fermented drink is perfect for food pairings - cutting through fatty acids with tannins that help counteract sweet foods and a sweetness that softens salty and savoury meals.

It's taken the team over two years in the making to achieve the quality and consistency with their hard work being recognised by over 50 Michelin star restaurants including The Pig, La Gavroche and Clove Club, as well as stockists like Waitrose.

In this episode we talk about how a chance encounter with homebrewed kombucha has transformed into a multi-million pound opportunity, creating the UK's first standalone non-alcoholic Fermentery and where the palettes of top restaurateurs and sommeliers are taking us.

Cheers.

Joe Benn. Founder, advisor, connector, AND FMCG fanatic. He's had over a decade of experience working with fast growth disruptive businesses, including co-founding UGLY drinks back in 2015. UGLY was a truly original challenger brand that won fame and fortune across both the UK and in the US, rebranding sparkling water as the soda drink of choice, before others followed suit.

In 2020, Joe stepped away from the company, and has since gone on to advise a number of FMCG brands like allplants, Tenzing, Graze in the UK culminating in him recently launching Grwth Club, a platform designed to match startups with the right agencies and investors. Along with co-founder Jake Higgins, they utilise their extensive network and experience to match businesses with the best possible partners for your brand.

In this episode we'll talk about Joe's experience in the FMCG industry (past and present), where the market is heading for brands in this space and the need for his latest venture, Grwth Club (Grwth without the O).

Say hello to Dr. Will Breakey. A founder, foodie, doctor, plastic surgeon AND alchemedic condimist. He co-founded Dr Will’s back in 2015 with Josh Rose and Liam White. An interesting concoction of backgrounds - medicine, nightlife and investment banking. It turned out to be the recipe for success, becoming one of the UK’s fastest growing, all natural, condiment ranges. 

They started by giving Ketchup a much needed reformulation - switching up the 19 cubes of sugar, for 3 and half dates. The same sweet taste without refined sugar. From there they’ve taken the same approach to the rest of the condiment aisle, launching products like Beetroot Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, Classic Mayo, Spicy Mayo (my favourite), Vegan Mayo, Hot Sauce Sriracha as well as a number of dressings. The remit is simple. To make food better by making better foods. 

In this episode we talk about chipping away at the big H’s (Heinz and Hellman’s), raising £1.1mn in record speed during the pandemic and why he has no plans to give up his medical career.

Say hello to Hermione Underwood on the show today. A founder, serial entrepreneur, recovering workaholic and newly appointed CEO of J.S.Vitamins in the UK and Europe.

Starting off with LVMH in Australia, Hermione went on to start her own PR agency The H Collective. But that wasn't enough. This experience and network enabled her to co-found jewellery brand, a leather goods brand and a wine brand in fairly quick succession. Now she heads up J.S.Vitamins over here with a clear sense of purpose: to make J.S.Health a household name in the UK and Europe, just as it is in Australia.

One of the things I love about Hermione is that, despite her optimism, determination and candour, there are serious challenges that she's had to work hard to overcome. Layers, that the deeper you go, the more you uncover. Like facing burnout, recovering from long Covid, being abroad while your mum is facing chemo, different waves of therapy and, more recently, becoming a step-mum, getting pregnant and getting married.

In this episode we talk about trying to find the right balance between driving ambition and personal health, her role as CEO of J.S.Vitamins in the UK and how she's going to overcome her next adventure. Motherhood.

Enjoy.

Say hello to Deniz Ficicoglu. She co-runs BettaF!sh, heating up the alternative seafood space with a 100% plant-based tuna made from seaweed and fava beans. The Berlin startup is part of a growing fish-free category that netted $116mn in VC funding last year.

BettaF!sh kicked things off a year ago when they launched their three flagship TU-NAH Sandwiches across 4,000 ALDI stores in Germany. This was the largest launch the alt seafood category had ever experienced. They subsequently launched their next product, Pizza TU-NAH (a rogue choice for British taste buds, but a childhood staple in Germany). Since then, they have expanded their portfolio with more to come in 2023.

However, while those of us who've watched Seaspiracy will no doubt be cheering them on, for reducing bycatch and overfishing, the jury is still out as to whether plant-based fish will sink or swim.

In this episode we explore their love for seaweed, their vision of becoming a centre for R&D beyond seafood alternatives and the story so far.

Introducing George Frost. He runs Duppy Share, a London based, Caribbean born drinks business inspired by rum folklore.

A brand so synonymous with rum in the UK, that you'd be hard pressed to remember that they're only seven years old. No doubt you've tasted their blends of Jamaican and Barmudan rums, on the streets of Notting Hill carnival, mixed your own at a house party, or danced the night away with a raised, golden Duppy cup in your hand. (And if you haven't I'd recommend their 5 year old, oak aged blend to get you started).

But while the story of rum and the caribbean, is one of fun, excitement and a welcoming nature. George's story is one that is bittersweet. He lost his father aged 26 and his brother two years later. Realising how 'fragile' life is, he was inspired to take the leap to start Duppy Share, spurred on by his father's motto 'Never waste a second.'

In this episode we get up close and personal with George, delving into Duppy's origin story, his recent collaboration with grime artists Kano and of course the rum itself.

Introducing Digby Vollrath on the podcast. He co-runs Feast It, the UK's leading digital event marketplace, connecting party planners with over 1500 of the best suppliers, from food and drink, through to florists, photographers and marquees in just a few clicks.

Launched in 2017, on a mission to simplify organising events, they've become a go-to destination for weddings, corporate parties and festivals - working with the likes of Spotify, Soho House and Secret Cinema. They've also facilitated parties for Taylor Swift, Tom Cruise, Lewis Hamilton and Angelina Jolie.

Having been described as 'the Airbnb of the party food world' - they've revolutionised an industry that previously only really existed through word of mouth, yellow pages and behind the closed black books of event organisers. However, digitalisation is not the only string to their bow. A big part of what they do is curation. Only 1/20 supplier applications are successful ensuring that all their suppliers are top draw.

In this episode we talk about his tactics for getting started, whether he's a professional party planner's best friend or worst nightmare and what someone who helps facilitate thousands of parties a year does to switch off.

Introuding Huw and Becky, business partners and partner partners on the podcast. They run Paynter, a clothswear brand selling limited edition jackets, in batches, four times a year. Launched in 2019, each jacket is made-to-order, taking 6-8 weeks to be made, operating a no waste business model. But if you thought getting your hands on one of these jackets was easy. You'd be mistaken. Each batch is one of a kind from their initial chore jackets to later iterations using varying materials such as Japanese denim, Tiger Stripe camo, and Italian Corduroy. Despite having thousands of people on their waitlist, there are only a limited number of jackets available at each release, often selling out entire batches in a matter of minutes. Their PB is 120 seconds. In this episode we talk aboutgetting started, running a made-to-order business and where the world of fashion might be heading.