You, Me & CPG by Haines

Boxed wine is nothing new… but what Laura Riches is building with Laylo absolutely is.  She's stripping the format to its barebones, and rebuilding it in the image of something that challenges our innate perceptions of boxed wine. In this episode, Jamie Holtum sits down with the former Naked Wines marketing lead-turned-founder to unpack how she’s stripping friction out of the wine category wh...

Danone. Red Bull. Liquid Death. Karma Drinks… Ben Dando has seen the CPG drinks sector from every unfiltered angle.. En route, he’s picked up a truck-full of accolades, from Marketing Week’s Top 100 to THREE nominations for CEO of the Year. What Ben doesn’t know about drinks isn’t worth knowing. Where does a CPG superstar go after such a career? Goodrays - a company whose past success proves his k...

The energy drinks category has grown year-on-year for three decades. Red Bull and Monster have dictated play; their high-octane branding has written the rulebook for how energy drinks show up on shelf and in culture. But there’s a new wave of brands disrupting the category. Tenzing - like their Everest-conquering sherpa namesake – are pioneering a new route, leading the way in what is a burgeoning...

Only a few years ago, if you wanted wine on-the-go your options were limited to the semi-palatable 187ml PET plastic bottle or its unhelpful sibling, the pseudo-wine glass with a foil lid. Neither have a great OTG consumption experience and where other categories brimmed with innovation - wine was far behind. Cue NICE, who launched in 2019 on a mission to solve the ‘OTG wine headache’ with wine in...

Tonic water is the classic challenger brand case study, and now it’s going through a second wave of disruption. Two decades ago, the category was unloved - lacking vibrancy, cultural resonance and innovation. Then Fever Tree came along and turned everything on its head by offering ingredient-driven premium mixers designed to elevate - not downgrade - their spirit counterparts. Fast forward to 2026...

Is 2026 The Year Alcohol Roars Back? The headlines spell the end for booze: Executive departures, decline, doom. The true story? It’s much more nuanced.  In pockets, alc is flying. Gen Z participation is up. Spend is up. Dry Jan was the 'wettest' since 2014 according to The Times. What’s clear - growth is up for grabs - if brands get it right. Our latest pod challenges the doomsayers wit...

What does it mean to ‘go for a drink’ in 2025, and what’s at stake for those vying for a place in everyone’s glass? Gone are the days of the binary option. ‘Alcohol vs 0% beer’ has been replaced by functional beverages, ashwagandha, CBD and beyond. Today’s episode of You, Me & CPG isn’t just about the future of drinking, but by proxy it’s the future of socialising, and we couldn’t be joined by...

GLP-1s. Miracle weight-loss drugs. They’re the single most disruptive force that CPG has faced in decades. They shrink appetites, and if you’re not paying attention, could shrink your category too… It's forecast to be a $150 billion industry by 2030, and by 2027 there’ll be GLP-1s available in pill format - food and drinks categories beware. This week’s ‘You, Me & CPG’ features 4 of the b...

Pip & Nut’s ascendence from fledgling brand to exemplary B Corp has proven a stale industry wrong; joy, quality and ethics can live in the same jar. Pippa Murray is one of the UK’s brightest brand builders, and the impressive feat of Pip & Nut’s ascendence does not come at the expense of the environment. Ethics can be expensive, which is what makes Pippa’s vision, resilience and razor shar...

Calm amid the chaos is a feeling which, if it could be bottled, is a no-brainer; Olivia Ferdi has achieved exactly that with TRIP… The CBD drinks brand has previously featured in our ‘That Will Never Work’ segment of the podcast, so we just had to go beyond the label with its Founder & Co-CEO to find out why it doesn’t just work, but defies all strategic convention. Olivia joins us to lift the...

The playbook for today’s guest on You, Me & CPG is bold. It’s brave. It’s divisive. But above all else, it’s memorable. As Carlsberg’s CMO, Yves Briantais intends to write the culture, not follow it. The aim is to elevate the brand to icon status, and it couldn’t be in better hands… Yves draws on his extensive experience as he shares how to find the line between bold and reckless marketing, tr...

Saying ‘bye’ to beige in the cereal aisle in more ways than one, ‘Surreal’ is the prime example of a brand that’s genuinely fun, and unapologetically bold. The humour that runs through ‘Surreal’ never undermines the very serious mission of its Co-Founder Jac Chetland; to disrupt the markets of both cereal and protein in equal measure… Tongue-in-cheek and best-in-class, the story behind ‘Surreal’ i...

David Lester’s career would be impressive enough from the past alone, but Olipop’s conquest of the US cements his efforts as a tour de force. The prebiotic, RTD soda brand is a poster child for startup success, hot off the back of a decade in global experience, giving David an invaluable perspective like no other. Join us on You, Me & CPG as we discover his great influences, California’s wonde...

It takes years to make an overnight success, and when that success is sparked by your ‘first and only good idea’, you can’t help but think it’s something truly special. Moth Drinks boldly leads its category, flying the flag for the RTD market. At its helm, Co-Founder Rob Wallis has a laser focus on doing one thing well - and they do it so unbelievably well… Rob joins Jamie this week to share the s...

Paul Thomas’ honesty is an unstoppable force; his truth might make for uncomfortable listening, but it’s the only way he knows. He’s amassed experience with Asahi, Guinness, Peroni and currently resides with Suntory, and has walked both sides of the client-agency line - so rare is it to hold so many insights within a single human brain… Paul joins us on You, Me & CPG to break down the power th...

The more that creativity makes people feel, the more that they’ll buy, give, vote and do. That’s the sharp insight that can only be attributed to a powerhouse like John Kearon, a creative catalyst with a grip on the industry that few among us can comprehend. He joins us on a fascinating episode of You, Me & CPG, as we look at how decisions follow emotions, what made the Dove ‘Real Beauty’ pitc...

No industry is static, nor can it stand on its own - the coalescence of beauty with health proves just as much. Jess Glover remains on the forefront of such a movement, an aspirational marketer with roles formerly in Reckitt, L’Oreal, Coty and Haleon. Now continuing to forge her path with Biomel, she shares the key to why consumers want the best of every world, and just how to give it to them… Thi...

There’s seldom a more admirable sight in FMCG than a relentless desire for the best; it’s a trait worth its weight in gold. James Dashwood Chase is an entrepreneur with pedigree, and his CV speaks volumes - Co-Founding Chase Distillery, Willys Apple Cider Vinegar, and Founder now of men’s health brand Baz & Co. Joining Jamie Holtum this week on You, Me & CPG, James explains what drove thei...

Tequila is among the fastest growing and most vibrant categories, with endorsements from famous faces pervading the space. It takes a keen eye, love of the spirit, guts and an equally bold Co-Founder to find a gap in the market just as Jack Vereker has with El Rayo Tequila. The brand has sprung into life to a stale space - Jack joins us to share just how he’s achieved this, how he’s learned to res...

Entering the Dragon’s Den is often a real sink or swim moment, and under the pressure and watchful eyes of the nation, we saw Jasmine Wicks-Stephens shine. Exiting the infamous entrepreneurial amphitheatre with three Dragons’ backing, it’s their praise of Jasmine’s character that should draw your attention to the Founder of two fantastic brands, Faace and Known. She joins us on You, Me & CPG t...

Since You, Me & CPG’s inception we’ve played host to some incredible guests with insights from the very top of the industry. Where better to collate the very best than in one very special episode… Episode 11 looks back on the masterful approaches to branding, leadership and career progression coming from the sector’s most prolific figures, from Diageo titans to M&C Saatchi Founding Directo...

Few names are more synonymous with an industry as M&C Saatchi is with the advertising industry, and the power of simple, effective advertising runs in David Kershaw’s DNA. At the chaotic inception of the agency, ‘influence’ and ‘disruption’ were words that held gravitas, and David’s career to date shows just why M&C Saatchi has earned the right to use them. Join us for David’s tales from t...

The brands under Jeremy Lindley’s watch across many years are nothing short of iconic. So how do you balance the design legacy with a new age of ideas… Diversity of thought and inclusive design are at the heart of Jeremy’s ethos and Diageo’s culture, but it’s exactly how this manifests in great design that makes his insights such a revelation to many. Join us on You, Me & CPG as we share the u...

From Royal Wedding stunts to transforming a DIY giant, it’s safe to say that Stephen Robertson is a titan in the industry. Now a Non-Executive Director at Timpson, Stephen’s career is brimming with accolades, and in a nation of shopkeepers, it’s the fascinating retail marketing world from which he has some of the most invaluable lessons Stephen joins us on You, Me & CPG to detail the stories t...

When you bring your whole, unfiltered self to your work, that’s where magic happens - if that’s true, then Mau Rutabingwa is a master magician. Whether through her role as Head of Spirits Innovation for Africa at Diageo, or her musical artistry as Mau Roots, this week’s You, Me & CPG guest bucks trends boldly, often with incredible results. She joins Jamie Holtum to share how you should embrac...