People Doing Things

In this episode we are swapping the scroll for a moment of pause with Georgie Bell, co-founder of The Heart Cut - an independent bottler that is democratising the whisky industry for a new world. Historically, independent bottling was reserved for the 0.1% niche of traditional whisky drinkers. It was a bit dusty, heavily reliant on third-party cask brokers, and the true story of the distillery was often lost along the way. Georgie and her husband, Fabrizio, saw an opportunity to zag against tradition and do things a little differently. Georgie is a whisky prodigy. Starting her career as a bartender in Edinburgh, she went on to become the Global Whisky Ambassador at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society by age 24. She holds a degree in distilling with the highest mark in the world that year, is a Keeper of the Quaich (pronounced quake), and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers. After 13 years climbing the ranks at corporate giants like Diageo and Bacardi, she traded corporate travel for the barrel. Launched in September 2023 - the exact same week she gave birth to twin girls - The Heart Cut goes directly to the world's most exciting distilleries. Buying 100% of their casks from partners like White Peak in England, Stauning in Denmark, and Starward in Australia, they preserve the full story of the makers. With their brand new 'Slow Whisky Club' subscription, they are delivering 30ml 'pocket pours' straight to your door, moving whisky away from an exclusive club towards a form of personal discovery and pleasure. In this episode, we talk about the reality of launching a business while welcoming twins, leaving corporate infrastructure behind, and why the 'slow movement' is exactly what the modern drinks industry needs. Pour yourself a dram and enjoy.

Here we look inside the dustier corners of our kitchen cabinets with Rupert Derham, the founder of Spice Dept - the brand redefining the spice aisle through particular quality. As a generation of home cooks, we care where our ingredients come from. The origins of our olive oil. The provenance of our heirloom beans. Our sourdough, made locally, ideally by someone we could name. But when a recipe calls for smoked paprika or ground cumin, we head to the supermarket aisle and grab whatever generic glass jar is closest. The unfortunate truth: most supermarket spices are already three to five years old before you buy them. And by the time they hit your plate the flavours have already started to fade. Rupert lived in Delhi, where cooking with vibrant, peak-season, single-origin spices changed his relationship with food entirely. When he moved back to the UK, the lack of flavour on supermarket spice aisle drove him mad. So he decided to do something about it. Sourcing directly from pesticide-free farming groups in India and Sri Lanka, Spice Dept gets spices from harvest to kitchen counter in months, not years, and pays farmers up to 40% above market price. Wrapped in beautiful, table-ready tins, courtesy of my branding agency, Roleplay with creative director Hugo Ross at the helm, they're designed to bring back a sense of pride back to home cooking - in more ways than one. In this episode, we dive into the world of commodity spice blending, the logistics of building a direct-from-farm supply chain, and why your spice rack is the last blind spot in an otherwise carefully considered kitchen. Put down the dusty jar, grab your pestle and mortar, and enjoy.

Welcome Tarek Moursi, the founder of Better Sundays - the hard kombucha brand proving that you don't have to choose between a good time and a good gut. We've spent the last decade watching the 'low and no' category take off, and while it's great for a Tuesday night, sometimes you still want a drink - you just don't want the beer bloat or the sugar-laden cider crash. Enter the 'healthy hedonist'. Reflecting the cultural shift that's happening where drinkers are moving away from the 'all or nothing' mentality and looking for what Tarek calls 'sessionable' alternatives that fit a more modern lifestyle. This is a category on fire. While the general UK kombucha market is growing at a healthy clip, the hard kombucha segment is projected to rocket at a staggering CAGR of 18.7% through to 2033. People are waking up to the fact that you can have your live cultures and your 3% ABV too. Tarek didn't come from a drinks background. He spent his 20s in the high-pressure worlds of fintech and asset management, making 200 calls a day and leaving jobs just before he was asked to go. Better Sundays was born out of a personal need - traditional booze was making him feel gross, and the alternatives weren't hitting the mark. From brewing in his kitchen to a 50-store Waitrose launch this November, Tarek has built Better Sundays with a 'brutal speed' that most founders only dream of. In this episode, we delve into the 'bloody awful' reality of bootstrapping, why being an industry outsider is actually a superpower, and the 3 a.m. cash-flow worries that come with an opportunity that's outstripping your balance sheet. Pop a can, enjoy the cultures, and enjoy.

Say hello Claudia Boyer, co-founder of JENKI - the UK's favourite matcha brand, coming to a high street near you. Swapping the coffee jitters for a 'calm focus'. As a coffee lover, I've always been curious (yet skeptical) of matcha. Isn't it just 'green tea' rebranded for a new generation? For those who want to feel focused, not wired - swapping bean origin and moka pots for function and status - antioxidants and L-theanine, with an aesthetic that says 'we're on top of a chaotic life, not part of it'. This culture shift is a massive business opportunity. The UK matcha market is exploding, currently valued at around £175 million and projected to rocket to a staggering £300 million by 2033, at a CAGR of 8.6%. Claudia and her husband Otto saw this opportunity early and went straight to the source - the hills of Uji, Japan - to find a ceremonial grade powder that actually tasted good. They started with a £15 market stall at Brick Lane and have since built a new world of matcha with bars in Spitalfields, Selfridges, and Battersea Power Station, delivery for those who need it on demand, DTC channels those who need it at home, as well as wholesale for those who need it in store. In this episode, we delve into the confidence it took to remove coffee from their menu, the reality of building a business while raising twins, and why matcha is the drink of a new generation. Grab your whisk and enjoy.

Say hello to Lou and Sofia, co-founders of SPILL - the tea brand on a mission to 'spill the tea' on a broken global industry. We've all been there: standing in the supermarket aisle, reaching for a box of bags for a couple of quid. It's convenient, it's 'British', but as Lou and Sofia realised, it's dull and ethically murky. That's because most 'everyday' tea is a blend of hundreds of cheap leaves, processed to the point where the flavour (and the farmer's pay) - is stripped away. Lou is a tea heavy weight by trade. A former buyer at Tetley who went on to co-found Teapigs and spark the UK's first tea renaissance. And Sofia ran it by her side with a focus on brand. But there was unfinished business. Whilst a lot had changed in speciality tea, not a lot had changed in the tea we drink everyday. They've launched SPILL to upgrade the humble cuppa - championing taste, fair pay and transparency. Grown in volcanic soil and sourced from smallholder farmers who are paid 50% above the Fairtrade minimum, SPILL is a 'challenger' that is serious about tea, yet playful about everything else. In this episode, we delve into why 'tea is too cheap,' the agony of choosing a name, and why the most radical thing you can do for your morning brew is to stop blending and start 'spilling.' So pop on the kettle, pull out the biscuit tin and have a brew.

Say hello to Joseph De Klee, the founder and publisher of The Pass - the tabloid publication staging a coup against the shallow scroll of the hype-led algorithm. Since the rise of fast-form, video-based social content, we've been 'robbed' of honest restaurant reviews. We've traded hard graft for hype, and the beauty of the written word for the 'like' button. It's a landscape where the algorithm dictates our appetite, leaving us with a digital dining scene that's lost its soul. Joseph saw this digital decay and decided to go analog. He's created a nostalgic enclave for those who love restaurants and the written word - a space to retreat to without the distraction of the internet. It is a quarterly magazine that acts as a 'heat lamp' on the city's most delicious corners. Written by those at the hospitality coal face - the chefs, the makers, and the late-night diners - The Pass is not just a newspaper; it's a quiet celebration of the grit-and-all restaurant scene. In an era where print is supposedly 'dying,' Joseph is paying homage to newsprint, rescuing our tastebuds from the scroll. In this episode, we'll delve into the 'heat lamp' philosophy, the brutal honesty needed to review your peers, and why the most radical thing you can do in 2026 is put down your phone and pick up a paper. Tuck in.

Introducing Mark Selby, the co-founder and CEO of Wahaca - the brand that sparked the UK's Mexican food revolution. The big, bland problem: Back in 2007, the UK was stuck in a Tex-Mex time warp. Think heavy cheese, stodgy nachos, and sombreros. It was a caricature of a culture that deserved better. Mark and his co-founder Thomasina Miers saw this gap and turned it into a movement, bringing the vibrant, fresh, and zesty "market-style" food of Oaxaca to the streets of London. Today, Wahaca is much more than a restaurant; it's a blueprint for regenerative hospitality. But as the brand has grown to 14 sites with a £40m turnover, it has run into a new kind of modern hurdle: the "chain" stigma. Mark has been vocal about the "noose" around his neck - the struggle of being a high-street innovator in a world where "chain" has become a dirty word to the younger generations. In this episode, we'll dig into the vision for Wahaca 2.0 with their killer new flagship restaurant in Paddington Square, the brutal resilience needed to survive the ups & downs of the hospitality world, and how chance encounters can change your life. Tuck in.

Say hello to Christian Samuel, one of the great minds behind Roots Allotments, the brand that is completely reimagining local allotments for the 21st century. The big muddy problem: gargantuan waiting lists up and down the country. With the average waiting time being 2 years and some taking as long as 17 years - making it almost impossible for most people to grow their own food in the UK, made worse by the steep learning curve that often discourages beginners. Roots Allotments saw this problem and turned it into an exciting movement - the no dig revolution. Founded by a team of friends from Bath, the brand provides a full-service, subscription-based plot complete with tools, seeds, unlimited compost, and expert support from an on-site Patch Manager. Today they have over 21 sites from Bath to Sheffield, Telford to Nottingham and a growing community of roughly 5,000 with a bold pledge to create a thousand growing communities in the next decade. But, as we all know, disrupting a traditional industry comes with challenges. Roots has attracted significant protest from the left and right of the political spectrum. NIMBY locals who don't want to see 'their' grassland turned into community allotments. And those who believe capitalism, in any form, can be a force for good. In this episode, we'll dig into the mission to democratise growth, how their VC-backed, full-service model works, the controversial relationship between social impact and scaling a profitable business. Ready to get your hands dirty?

Ben da Costa is one of brilliant minds behind Oat Cult - the overnight oats brand inviting you to join the cult (if you dare). Having burst onto the breakfast scene earlier this year they've taken socials by storm with their standout packaging and provocative illustrative content as well as a debut brand film, parodying horror films like The Wicker Man, showcasing a fictional cult with a devotion to overnight oats - brought to life by a bootstrapped team of powerhouse creatives. The brand was born from a simple frustration: that breakfast is often a choice between "ultra-processed nonsense" or a "faff" you have to remember to prep 12 hours in advance. Oat Cult provides a simple solution: the UK's first ready-to-mix overnight oat sachets that are high in fibre, free from added sugar, and packed with 1 billion live cultures to worship your gut. Merging two of the biggest trends in food right now: convenience and gut health, wrapping it up in a bold, subversive brand that is hard to forget. In this episode, we're going to delve into them blowing their whole start-up budget on a make or break brand film, the risk it takes to make breakfast a bit more culty and why the food industry needs a bit more creativity and. Tuck in, if you're brave enough.

Today, we are swapping the confectionery aisle for the bathroom cabinet with a founder who is turning the entire skincare world on its head. I'm excited to introduce Danielle Close, founder of My Skin Feels - the award-winning brand that is turning food waste into feel-good skincare. Danielle spent nearly 15 years in the beauty industry, including a formative role on the founding team of Charlotte Tilbury, where she saw first-hand just how unsustainable and confusing the industry had become, followed by 10 years as a creative consultant. The lightbulb moment came when she realised: if no one was going to change the industry so she had to prove it could be done. Now, her products are created using the antioxidant-rich by-products from things like tomato ketchup, olive oil, and breakfast oats. This is rescued food that is not only kind to the planet but is showing incredible results on sensitive and eczema prone skin. In this episode, we dive into how Danielle went from the high-glamour world of mega-brands to finding 'beauty in waste', the fascinating connection between intuition and entrepreneurship (yes, she is also a Professional Psychic Medium!), and how listening to your skin is the quickest way to listen to your entire self. Grab your cleanser and enjoy.

Introducing Fliss Newland, founder of Wild Thingz - the venus-fly-trap-bug-eating kids sweet brand with no artificials and half the sugar of traditional sweets. And they're vegan too on a mission to take the mental load off parents wherever they can stocked in the likes of Ocado, Amazon, Wholefoods and Planet Organic with more on the horizon. Having been an international sweet pusher for Mondelez for six and a half years before taking the jump to turnaround a 40 year-old vegan sweet brand. Not only do they taste incredible but they are organic, natural and half the sugar, reborn as Wild Thingz. The brand's origin is rooted in a deeply personal and universal problem: the "sweet dilemma". A problem many parents face, navigating the confectionery aisle where parents are torn between their children's demands for fun, tasty treats and their own heatlh concerns. In this episode we explore how Fliss went from 'corporate baddie' to passionate founder, the power of mums in the workplace and how brand positioning really can make all the difference. Grab your sweets and enjoy.

Say hello to Brodie Meah, founder of Top Cuvée - London's top spot for new wines and a hallmark of the UK's progressive wine scene. Founded in January 2019 as a neighborhood wine bar and restaurant Top Cuvée has found numerous ways to express itself over the last six years. From their original restaurant in Highbury and wine shop around the corner to their underground wine bar Cave Cuvée in Shoreditch's Bethnal Green Road. They've also become famous for their house wines and vermouths as well as parkside delivery service, serving up the world's best wines right to your feet - blurring the lines between physical retail, restaurant and DTC deliveries. For Brodie his love of hospitality started in Manchester collecting glasses in nightclubs to fund his TV & Film Production degree. Soon he was hooked. Gradually moving up the ranks to running some of the city's best bars and restaurants before moving to Melbourne to work at 'Dinner by Heston' - a Michelin star restaurant which is part of The Fat Duck Group. Inspired by his time in Melbourne, Brodie returned to the UK, to try his luck and go for broke. In this episode we talk about the rise of the natural wine movement, the power of adaptability and the beautiful tensions at play within the Top Cuvée brand universe. Take a sip, savour it and enjoy.

Meet Martin, founder of Grubby. If you haven't heard of them, Grubby is the UK's first plant-based recipe kit, on a mission to make plant-based cooking so delicious and accessible, you'll never even think about missing meat. Martin's journey is a wild one. From a B2B office delivery service pre-COVID to landing back at his parents' place in 2020 with every penny spent, wondering what was next. The answer? A direct-to-consumer recipe kit for plant-curious eaters. They kicked off with a with £100k angel investment from a chance encounter at a supper club followed by a £100k grant from Innovate UK's Sustainability Fund. They then raised a whopping £6 million through new angels, a VC and a massive crowdfunding campaign, bringing in over 1000 individual investors. But don't let those numbers fool you; it was far from easy. Martin faced a near-trademark defeat in the early days and almost went bust not once, but twice! Yet, they've successfully navigated the peaks and troughs of the plant-based movement, even acquiring the recipe IP from All Plants after their administration earlier this year. Today, Grubby boasts over £5 million in revenue, with 2.4 million meals sold. In this episode, we're talking about the incredible power of persistence, the current state of plant-based eating in 2025, and what the future holds for this truly resilient plant-based pioneer. Tuck in!

Introducing Sarah Vachon, the brainchild behind Citizens of Soil - the regenerative olive oil brand championing the farmers' who deserve a seat at the table - cold pressed extra virgin olive oil from small batch producers in Greece and Spain as well as rarer varieties from the likes of Italy, Portugal and Croatia. Full of polyphenols and powerful antioxidants, there's a reason why people in the Mediterranean live for so long. As one of the most faked products in the world, Citizens of Soil is an advocate for a more sustainable, transparent and ethical model of farming. And for Sarah, it was a chance to put principle into practice having worked at Provenance, the supply chain software company based on blockchain. Founded in 2021, her and her husband Michael made light work of their growth - having started in DTC they are now stocked in prestigious retailers like Waitrose, Selfridges and Ocado. But their story goes far beyond the bottle. At their heart lies a deep commitment to investing in the land, fostering a culture that values soil health and the future of food. In a time of rising prices, Citizens of Soil offers a beacon of hope, demonstrating that a dedication to quality and ethical practices can flourish. Fresh from a significant £1.8 million investment, they're cultivating not just olives, but a powerful vision inspired by the rich mythology of the land. Tune in to be inspired by their journey and the stories that shape their exceptional brand.

Say hello to Imogen Royall. She's one half of Northern Pasta Co - the spelt pasta brand championing regenerative British farming, on a mission to craft unbeatably delicious pasta without compromise. Based in Kendal up in Cumbria, the brand was set up in 2022 by Imogen Royall, an interior designer, and her builder husband Matt after falling in love with pasta, turning a seedling of an idea into a life changing obsession. The couple even got married "over a bowl of pasta in Italy". And the problem here in the UK is that most of our pasta is from a supermarket. It's dull, processed and quite heavy, leaving you feeling tired and bloated. Northern Pasta Co, by comparison is made of spelt which is light, nutty and full of flavour. It's also easier to digest because it's got less gluten in it. Perfect for those who want to fall back in love with pasta themselves with a joyful, restaurant inspired brand and range of sauce loving shapes and pasta styles. Fresh from a rebrand and having secured £200,000 for their next growth phase, Northern Pasta Co. is gaining momentum, with new stockists like Booths and Whole Foods, and more exciting partnerships on the horizon. In this episode, we delve into the incredible life changes Imogen and Matt have experienced over the past three years, the remarkable growth of their brand, and what exciting developments lie ahead. So, let's tuck in.

Introducing Rachel Kettlewell. She's the founder of Fearne & Rosie, the jam challenger on a mission to spread goodness up and down the country, packing as much fruit into as many mouths, hearts and minds as possible. Having launched a little over 5 years ago she's now stocked in over 5000 stocking points including the likes of Asda, Co-op and Tesco. Hailing from Withington, Manchester, the brand itself is named after her two first-borns, Fearne & Rosie. Before she became a real fruit queen, she worked as a teacher and in the charity sector. Two areas that are still massively important to her today working with both FareShare and schools to provide kids with better for you options. But it hasn't been all bread, butter and jam for Rachel. The food industry can at times feel fairly gate-kept, requiring a lot of start-up capital just to get off the ground. And when it comes to distribution there are a number of unwritten retail rules that you are expected to follow. Lucky for her, a combination of straight talk and common sense has seen her though. In this episode we talk about the hidden power of naivety, why more competition in jam is a good thing, and what the future has in-store for Fearne & Rosie (the jam not the kids).

Say hi to Ella. She's the founder of Fatso, the chocolate challenger, on a mission to prove that dark chocolate can be just as fun, delicious and chunky as milk. Founded in 2022, Fatso is stocked in over 350 stores with taste-makers and independents like Liberty, Harvey Nichols as well as hotels and offices, counted amongst its many stockists. Driven by an all female team, they're proof that you can have your chocolate and eat it. That dark chocolate can be bold, premium and playful, and that life's more fun when it isn't full of modesty. Her guiding philosophy: 'more matters', is not only threaded into the fibres of her maximalist brand but it's an idea that reflects what modern consumers expect from brands of today. More. And with flavour names like Morning Glory, Sweet Tart and Home Run she's definitely providing the whole package. In this episode we'll unwrap the secrets behind Fatso's success diving into the tired stereotypes of dark chocolate she's fighting against and what her mantra of 'more matters' means in the context of both work and play. Tuck in, guilt free.

Tom Palmer is the founder of Yep Kitchen, the Sichuan chilli oil taking the deli scene by storm now in over 180 stores across the UK from Cornwall to Scotland with more on the horizon. Founded in 2022, after a decade of living in China, Tom decided to swap textbooks for taste buds, leaving his career in education to turn his passion into a business. On a mission to bring the bold, rich flavours of China's Southwest to the UK through a range of easy-to-use and crave worthy condiments from their signature Sichuan Chilli Crisp and Garlic Chilli Oil to Hunan Salted Chillies. However, while foodies like Tom now love authentic Chinese flavours, there's a big gap between what most of the UK thinks about Chinese food (chicken balls, prawn toast, crispy chilli beef, chow mein) - sorry big John. And that's exactly the misperceptions of China, it's people and their food that Tom's trying to address with his sauces and brand. Bosh! In this episode we check-in on how Yep Kitchen is doing, hear more about his adventures in China and how the business plans to scale in 2025 and beyond.

Say hello to Tim Chong. He's the founder of Yonder, the next generation credit card company on a mission to make credit more inclusive, accessible, and rewarding. Instead of just offering you air miles, they invite modern explorers into a world of trending restaurants, breakthrough brands, and uplifting experiences with points that are not only easier to use but more enjoyable to spend. Inspired by Neo banks like Monzo and Revolut, Yonder makes Amex look its age with tired UX, a slow app and lack of choice when it comes to cashing in your points - the value of which seems to continuously change. And while Amex might have once been a pioneer, enabling their audience to travel with their points, the idea of travel today goes far beyond just the once or twice a year holiday. It's a lifestyle and a mindset - restless, always exploring, never settling for less; a bit like their founder Tim. Hailing from Australia, Tim is somewhat of an immersionist, yo-yoing between paths that were chosen for him and owning his own path, between established businesses like IBM in his early career, to scaleups like Clearscore further down the line, working in both tech and management consultancy. He even wanted to be a missionary at one point spending time working in development in places like Kenya. And while the core mission of the brand was about inclusion, giving more people access to credit, its core expression today is about experiences — reflecting the changing cultural attitudes of their audience. If Amex is the boomer of credit cards, Yonder is the millennial counterpoint. In this episode we talk about Tim's journey around the world to London, his transition from 0-1 founder to modern day manager with 50+ employees and why today's millennials need a new credit card in their back-pocket. Tap in and enjoy.

Introducing Scott Davies. He's the founder of Hilltop Honey, the 2nd largest honey brand in the UK with a turnover of £44mn selling over 13,000 tonnes of honey a year, the equivalent of 1000 double-decker buses. And while honey sales have been relatively stagnant for the last few years, Hilltop Honey has bucked the trend growing at an outstanding 22% a year. It's impressive. Scott grew up in a pretty low income family in the middle of Wales, got pretty average GCSEs, didn't go to university and only started the businesses because he slipped a disk down the coal yard. Aged 23 with a 5k overdraft, Scott was faced with a choice: start a dog walking business, sell sports equipment on Amazon or start his own honey brand. Lucky for us he did the latter, starting Hilltop Honey back in 2011 living with mum and dad, who now lend a hand in the factory. Look up 'grit' means in the dictionary you'll find a picture of Scott there. He didn't pay himself for the first 3 years. They were on their last £400 when Holland & Barrett took a chance on the brand. And they've never taken on any investment. Now 13 years on, he has a market share of 12%, is expanding to the states and pays 130 people's mortgages every month. In this episode we talk about what resilience means, the power of being no.2 and the highs and lows along the road. Enjoy