Today's guest is Mike Spurr, the R&D lead at The Good Pulse Co. A company specialising in plant-based cheese made from split peas.

Mike shares his journey from nearly 20 years at PepsiCo to the startup world, discussing the challenges and innovations in food science

The conversation delves into the importance of communication, curiosity, and the lessons learned from both successes and failures in R&D

Mike emphasises the need for boldness in asking questions and the value of understanding consumer needs in product development and his anecdotes are brilliant.

I LOVED this one!

As always, thanks for tuning in and let me know what you thought of this episode ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ or in the comments below!

Also, check out the ever growing ⁠Unfounders Song Selection ⁠playlist on Spotify.... it's WILD.

Ps - Have you got a guest you'd love to hear from? Submit a guest request form on our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Intro Jingle Credits to All Good Folks - Free Flowin' from ⁠⁠Uppbeat⁠

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Mike Spurr and The Good Pulse Co.

05:05 - Understanding P-Power Technology and Product Development

09:43 - Transition from Corporate to Startup: A Personal Journey

14:50 - Communication and Collaboration in Teams

17:25 - The Roots of Curiosity: From Childhood to Food Science

25:56 - Career Path: PepsiCo and Lessons Learned

31:12 - Investing in R&D for Better Products

36:29 - The Challenges of Big Corporations

42:45 - Learning from Tough Times

54:04 - People Development in Large Organizsations

57:40 -Advice for Aspiring R&D Professionals

Life's heavy enough... Your beer doesn't have to be!

Today's guest is Luke Chadwick - On Trade Manager at Local Beer

Local are on a mission to lighten up the beer industry with their award-winning, lower-calorie, floaty session pale ale

Luke made the move from banking to beer, stepping away from the corporate life at Santander and diving head first into the drink space.

He is SUPER passionate about the local pub community. From the landlords, the staff, the chefs, and of course the customers.

I loved digging into his journey as to where this passion stemmed from, his working journey and what made ultimately change direction to join the Local movement.

As always, thanks for tuning in and let me know what you thought of this episode ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ or in the comments below!

Also, check out the ever growing ⁠Unfounders Song Selection ⁠playlist on Spotify.... it's WILD.

Ps - Have you got a guest you'd love to hear from? Submit a guest request form on our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Intro Jingle Credits to All Good Folks - Free Flowin' from ⁠⁠Uppbeat⁠

Dean Wilson Hartles is the Director of Food & Drink Concessions at The Restaurant Group (TRG) and has been there for 11 years now.

In this conversation I loved digging in to how Dean fell into the world of cheffing by accident as a teenager just over some inspiring conversations with the chefs on his break.

How he worked his way up in the industry in various kitchens, working under the incredible Mark Hix. To eventually earning a 2 AA Rosette during his first year as Head Chef.

We talked about how special his time was working in the world's oldest museum kitchen at the V&A Museum and cooking for David Bowie.

What it's like to operate within food & drink at an airport, where people expect their food to be on the table within just 15 minutes!

Plus how they like to work with suppliers, franchise partners and SO much more.

As always, thanks for tuning in and let me know what you thought of this episode ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ or in the comments below!

Also, check out the ever growing ⁠Unfounders Song Selection ⁠playlist on Spotify.... it's WILD.

Ps - Have you got a guest you'd love to hear from? Submit a guest request form on our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Intro Jingle Credits to All Good Folks - Free Flowin' from ⁠⁠Uppbeat⁠

Today's guest is the wonderful ray of sunshine Lydia Granger - Content Marketing Manager at BOL Foods.

We are huge fans of the BOL range at home, from their soups and meal pots, to their new power shakes set to do big things in 2025.

Lydia went from studying art and language at University, into a few internships in design agencies.

From here she ended up in the world of FMCG and has been with BOL for nearly 4 years.

It was great to understand how her passions and skills turned into a career.

What her role as content marketing manager entails, and why she's all about building community.

As always, thanks for tuning in and let me know what you thought of this episode ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ or in the comments below!

Also, check out the ever growing ⁠Unfounders Song Selection ⁠playlist on Spotify.... it's WILD.

Ps - Have you got a guest you'd love to hear from? Submit a guest request form on our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Intro Jingle Credits to All Good Folks - Free Flowin' from ⁠⁠Uppbeat⁠

Today's guest is a biggie! ⁠Tom Forsythe⁠ was one of the brilliant people behind Sainsbury's Future Brands program, a pioneering program designed to help challenger brands thrive in retail.

He's now back in the world of challenger brands as the Managing Director at ⁠Good & Proper Tea⁠ along with founder and wife ⁠Emilie Holmes⁠.

In this conversation we dig into:

- Tom's early career experience at PwC

- Why accelerators & incubators are so important for the industry

- Potential watch outs brands need to be aware of when joining these programs

- What it's like to be back the other side as a challenger now battling it out in the sector against some big competition

- What Good & Proper Tea do differently to stand out, from events, to positioning, to sourcing etc

And SO much more...

As always, thanks for tuning in and let me know what you thought of this episode ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ or in the comments below!

Also, check out the ever growing ⁠Unfounders Song Selection ⁠playlist on Spotify.... it's WILD.

Ps - Have you got a guest you'd love to hear from? Submit a guest request form on our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Intro Jingle Credits to All Good Folks - Free Flowin' from ⁠⁠Uppbeat⁠

Today's guest is Jorge Longman - National Account Controller at the gut-health superstars Bio & Me.

I met Jorge at a YF course for category management last year and I KNEW I had to get him on.

He's a man who know's his stuff, and this conversation is rich with insights and tangible lessons for anyone working in the world of retail.

We dive into:

His first sales role at American Tobacco after moving away from the idea of being a PE Teacher.

Moving on to The Big Prawn Company and the lessons along the way.

Joining Natural Balance foods (TREK & NAKD) and starting to thrive in a food & drink brand he truly believed in.

The experience of working through a major acquisition by Lotus bakeries and the changes that caused.

And why Bio & Me is such an exciting brand to be a part of.

Plus SO much more.

As always, thanks for tuning in and let me know what you thought of this episode ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ or in the comments below!

Also, check out the ever growing Unfounders Song Selection playlist on Spotify.... it's WILD.

Ps - Have you got a guest you'd love to hear from? Submit a guest request form on our website ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

Intro Jingle Credits to All Good Folks - Free Flowin' from ⁠Uppbeat

Rosie Long is an FMCG superstar, with incredible experience in brands like Tea Pigs, Indie Bay and more.

She's now the Managing Director at Blue Turaco Coffee - But what makes their coffee so special? Well POWERFUL COFFEE = POWERFUL IMPACT

Blue Turaco is the first coffee brand in the UK that is owned by an African farmer - Wycliffe Sande.

We discuss his story of being a farmer & founder and why they're on a mission to champion robusta coffee.

How they support direct trade with small hold farmers in Uganda and why this level of transparency is the backbone to what they represent.

What’s it like having a founder out of the country for a third of the year?

Various lessons Rosie learnt from her time in the industry.

And so so much more!

As always, thanks for tuning in and let me know what you thought of this episode ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ or in the comments below!

Also, check out the ever growing Unfounders Song Selection playlist on Spotify.... it's WILD.

Ps - Have you got a guest you'd love to hear from? Submit a guest request form on our website ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

Intro Jingle Credits to All Good Folks - Free Flowin' from ⁠Uppbeat

Happy New Year! Today's guest is the charming Sam Johnstone - Commercial Manager at Living Things Soda.

In this episode we discuss fractional working, what that means, the pro's and cons and way's of making it work.

His time working for a number of amazing challenger brands like Minor Figures, Hunter & Gather, Eleat, Saved and more.

Why he's now gone back to working full time for just one brand.

And SO much more

As always, thanks for tuning in and let me know what you thought of this episode ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ or in the comments below!

Also, check out the ever growing Unfounders Song Selection playlist on Spotify.... it's WILD.

Ps - Have you got a guest you'd love to hear from? Submit a guest request form on our website ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

Intro Jingle Credits to All Good Folks - Free Flowin' from ⁠Uppbeat

This podcast was recorded on Jessamy’s last day as Country Manager at Karma Drinks - and it’s a beauty!

Jess is such a powerhouse in the FMCG world and she does it all with a smile.

We discuss her time at Popchips, working under our previous guest Ruth Fittock and what that whole experience was like.

Working her way up at Karma drinks across a 5 year career all the way to Country Manager.

Freelance consulting for brilliant brands like Everleaf and Arrowtown Drinks where she was involved in the latest gorgeous brand refresh.

The importance of mental health in the workplace and how to support founders as second in command.

Her catchphrase “If it’s not organised, then it’s not fun” 

And SO much more

Now going freelance, I have no doubt she’s going to continually add value and drive impact in the space. For now, enjoy the episode!

As always, thanks for tuning in and let me know what you thought of this episode ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ or in the comments below!

Ps - Have you got a guest you'd love to hear from?

Submit a guest request form on our website ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

New Intro Jingle Credits to All Good Folks - Free Flowin' from ⁠Uppbeat

How do you get people OBSESSED by beans? Well that's exactly what Bold Bean have done!

Today I am joined with Martha Jensen, the amazing Brand Manager at Bold Bean Co.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you have probably seen and heard all about them, with many celebrity admirers like Jordan North, Ottolenghi, Nigella and Tim Spector.

We dig into how they've built such an amazing brand

What it's like to work remotely and stay connected

How they continually engage their customers online, and via subscription

Her time working at the amazing SmartWorks charity and Rude Health

And SO much more

As always, thanks for tuning in and let me know what you thought of this episode ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ or in the comments below!

Ps - Have you got a guest you'd love to hear from?

Submit a guest request form on our website ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

New Intro Jingle Credits to All Good Folks - Free Flowin' from ⁠Uppbeat