HUNGRY.

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♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲 
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🤝 Let's Connect!
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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.
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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

🔥10x creativity beats 10x budget. Want a life changing HUNGRY Creative Workshop for your team? DM brother
 
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♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲 
 ---------------------------------
🤝 Let's Connect!
►Let's link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/)
►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)