Untold: Behind the Scenes in the UK Food & Drink Industry

Live episode recorded from Bread and Jam 2023.  We go behind the scenes with three unbelievable business leaders in the FMCG space.  We speak about:  The key watches of Burnout and how to deal with the symptoms Putting your self worth first   How to deal with a rapidly scaling business on a personal level  Direct feedback as a love language So much more! 

A must attend event for food and drink founders whatever stage of the journey! Use code Untold30 for 30% off tickets.  Bread and Jam is a feast of information. An electric buzz, a room filled with belief and opportunity! Some of the greatest heads in the FMCG startup world all together in festival over 2 days. it really is not to be missed. 

Join me in a captivating conversation with Nick , where he shares the remarkable tale of his entrepreneurial journey with Teo, co-founder. It all started when they met at the White Rabbit Pub in Oxford . Nick worked as a barman, and Teo's exceptional pizza-making skills caught his attention. Together, they saw an untapped market for vegan and free-from versions of Teo's irresistible pizzas. Scalin...

Discrimination and determination, confronting inequality in the world of FMCG  Listen to an eye-opening episode of *Untold podcast with the remarkable Segun Akinwoleola, founder of The Gym Kitchen. Segun's story shed light on the discrimination he's faced as a black entrepreneur, both in meetings with supermarkets and while seeking funding for his business. He emphasised the urgent need for a leve...

Join us as we delve into the world of wine and entrepreneurship with the incredible Jeremy May, co-founder of Nice Wine. Jeremy shares his invaluable insights on how to overcome obstacles, including the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Discover the power of honesty in effectively communicating with investors during uncertain times. Jeremy also emphasises the importance of e...

This episode of Untold was an extraordinary challenge, as I had the opportunity to interview an exceptional founder who also happens to be a dear friend of mine. David's candidness during our conversation was truly remarkable, as he openly shared how the unwavering determination to keep his business thriving during trying times, was deeply rooted in the profound grief he experienced during his you...

Leaving his secure job as an electrician, Adam Lyons pursued his passion for food, setting up a restaurant in York that specialised in mouth-watering vegan fried chicken. His plans were derailed by the pandemic, forcing the closure of his restaurant and placing his staff on furlough. However, Adam saw an opportunity amidst the challenges. Recognising the unwavering demand for his vegan fried chick...

Stu, the founder of ManiLife, escaped his accountancy job and moved to Argentina where he discovered his love for peanut butter. He took a leap of faith and started his own peanut butter business, ManiLife, which still uses peanuts sourced from the same estate today! Stu speaks openly about how his drive and passion soon became an overwhelming compulsion, ultimately leading to burn-out. He reflect...

Carl started Wholegood wholesale from an old disused bakery bootstrapped to 32 million. Carl opens up about his journey, why he stepped down from the CEO role, how the business doubled during covid and how he continues to find it difficult to switch off! 

Meenesh took an idea from a food trolley to being stocked in major retail distribution in the UK. We discuss the Multiple challenges that hit at once, how you actually close a business, dealing with a crippling health diagnosis and the magic of meditation! It's brave, inspiring and I was honoured to have a friend and fellow business owner on Untold. 

You have briefed your agency for a brand new pack design, had the over excited meeting speaking through it with them and then you wait.... Ever wondered what happens next, inside the room with the creatives! Faraz gets straight to it explaining the process from start to finish of packaging design and how to get the best out of agencies! 

James has worked with some of the biggest brands going and has built a social media following of over 565,000 followers. He has his own clothing range in Next, has featured in Men’s Health and GQ magazines, all whilst running the fitness app, The PWER. James shares his top tips for working with influencers, the strategy for success and how to build your social media community. He also goes into de...

*Untold live podcast to raise money for Movember! We go behind the scenes with Josh White co-founder of canO water, Harry Corin founder of Corin&Co and Teddie Levenfiche co-founder of Perfect Ted. Incredibly open and honest conversations about times that have had a real effect on their mental health, and unbelievably open chats about how they got through it.  

GLOBALLY WE LOSE A MAN TO SUICIDE EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY. What a horrific stat. LET'S TALK METAL HEALTH. Next week I would love for you to Join The Savourists LTD for our first ever *Untold Podcast live event. Doing our little bit to support Movember whose aim is to tackle head on Mental health and Suicide Prevention, Prostate and testicular cancer. we will be having an open and honest conversa...

Lottie Unwin founder of The Copy Club... Traditional FMCG marketing doesn't work for startups.  A great episode where we hear from Lottie on all sorts of topics but the headline and key learning is that traditional FMCG marketing is very different to what is needed in the startup world. 

Buying Director Planet Organic to Partner at Wonderland Ventures. Al has had a wonderful career in the health, wellbeing and sustainability space. 19 years at planet organic working his way to buying director. He has now set up Wonderland Ventures  - A growth and change consultancy for businesses whose brands operate in the health, wellbeing and sustainability spaces. A fascinating episode that to...

George Kruis has played 185 games for Saracens rugby team, won 45 England caps and is a British and Irish lion. An unbelievable career took him to Japan where alongside playing rugby he co-founded FourFive - Premium quality, independently tested CBD & Vitamin supplements. A wicked episode where George opens up about his experience playing rugby, retiring from rugby and running a business along...

Sara speaks openly about the experience of setting up her fantastic business Healthy Nibbles. The importance of setting Non Negotiable Values from the off - experience that was learnt the hard way.  From toxic employees, to the phenomenal growth they have seen and everything in-between! 

Jack opens up and speaks about the incredible growth Dash have seen over the last 5 years. Taking the business to 16 Million in retail sales over 5 years is remarkable growth. Jack opens up about the challenges of leading a high growth business on a personal level. Of course we couldn't not talk about the recent above the line campaign, Mr Nobergine taking a leading role in aiding the brand to go...

This week, we have a very exciting guest in Sam Akinluyi. Amongst being the UK&I MD for Innocent drinks, an advisor to Young Foodies and a veteran of the FMCG industry, Sam is a founding partner of the non-profit Psalt. Psalt works within retail to increase the uptake of talent from different backgrounds and under-represented communities. Sam shared anecdotes from the Add Psalt incubator progr...

Berczy Hard Seltzer Founders Nick Graham and Nick Johnson speak openly about navigating through Co-Founder troubles, building a new category and their imminent launch in to America. 

Dr Will, from Dr Wills speaks to us about how they landed some incredible distribution, had an investor lined up to complete their full round in one go, the investor then goes silent!.... A Tesco launch without the resources to support! How the team changed this around to have one of the most successful crowd funding campaigns going! As always we uncover the tough times and the effect on founder m...

In true Untold fashion we dive in to the Untold story of appearing on Dragons Den. We chat to Harry about his experience from setting up The Savourists to appearing BBC1 Dragons Den. The Low Times, the high times and the lessons learned along the way!

Great to welcome Kitty to Untold as the new Co-Host. Sad to see Mariana move on to focus her efforts elsewhere but excited to be back to it with Kitty. Preview to Harry's Experience on the Den too! 

In this episode we chat with Helena Hills from TrueStart Coffee about taking the difficult decision to redo a much loved product and rebrand completely. Helena talks openly about the emotional side of making difficult but necessary decisions.  Helena Hills is the co-founder of TrueStart Coffee, an ethical family business that exists to spread massive positive energy and make you feel amazing! They...