Brand New Taste Tastehead

Alana and Lisa MacFarlane are the dynamic twins behind ‘The Gut Stuff’, the award-winning brand bringing gut health into the mainstream and educating us about the importance of our body’s 'second brain'.
Emerging from their Scottish roots, with (self admittedly) less-than-ideal dietary habits, the sisters have gone on to become champions for the power of gut health, redefining what it means to eat well. Their journey began with a landmark twin study in the UK, supervised by none other than  Professor Tim Spector, which was instrumental in uncovering the gut's critical role and its unique intricacies in each and every individual. This episode unpacks their path from unexpected findings about microbiomes to creating a brand that captures the attention of both consumers and industry alike.
Alana joins us to discuss the transformation of gut health from a niche scientific topic to a mainstream necessity, emphasising the fundamental role of fibre and how simple dietary tweaks can lead to substantial health benefits. The Gut Stuff have built a community of the world’s leading scientists in gut health, dieticians and nutritionists, bringing together their knowledge and disseminating it to the public in digestible and fun formats. 
Fresh from a global research conference and deep in the throes of gut health research, Alana shares her insights on the future of probiotics and upcoming innovations in gut health.
Whether you're a health enthusiast or just curious about the intersection of science and diet, this episode is brimming with insights, engaging stories, and practical tips from one of the twins spearheading the gut health revolution.
Find more from The Gut Stuff on their app, their website and their prime-time TV show, ‘Know your Sh*t” on Channel 4. 


If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing.
 
Follow Brandt and Micah:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandt-maybury/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-carr-hill-34a91811/ 
Visit https://www.tastehead.com/ to learn more
 
Follow Alana and Lisa: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-macfarlane-931777112/?originalSubdomain=uk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-macfarlane-kempner-5904b4173/ 
The Gut Stuff 
https://thegutstuff.com/ 
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/the-gut-stuff/id6444077201 

Brands Mentioned: 
JKR - https://jkrglobal.com/ 
Dram and Smoke - https://dramandsmoke.com/ 
Flo App - https://flo.health/ 
Peloton - https://www.onepeloton.co.uk/ 
Gut - Guilia Enders – https://www.waterstones.com/book/gut/giulia-enders/david-shaw/9781911344773 
The Diet Myth – Tim Spector - https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-diet-myth/professor-tim-spector/9781474619301 
Sophie Medlin - https://www.citydietitians.co.uk/team/sophie-medlin

Segun Akinwoleola, the brain (and muscles) behind The Gym Kitchen, joins Brandt and Micah to spill the beans on crafting meals that pack a tasty and protein-filled punch. 

Segun is on a mission to reinvent the face of British ready meals, providing consumers with first and foremost a delicious and convenient meal, that is *actually* nutritious and filling. 

From the early days of the brand concept and trademarking to the strategic manoeuvres that landed The Gym Kitchen in the nation’s major retailers, this episode covers it all. Segun reveals the strategies behind building a brand before launch, the importance of community, and how staying true to your vision—even when it means reimagining your product based on feedback—can lead to success in a crowded market.

But it's not just about the food. Segun opens up about the broader implications of being a black founder in the food and beverage industry, shedding light on the hurdles and highlighting the need for more representation and support. From confronting stereotypes to pushing for change, his insights offer a candid look at the landscape of entrepreneurship through a diverse lens.
 
Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, a health-conscious eater, or someone interested in the intersection of diversity and business, this episode is packed with valuable lessons, inspirational stories, and the inside scoop on what it takes to build a brand that stands out and stands for something more.




If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing.
If you have any suggestions for future episode topics, please email them to hello@tastehead.com
 
Follow Brandt and Micah:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandt-maybury/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-carr-hill-34a91811/
 
Visit https://www.tastehead.com/ to learn more
 
Follow Segun:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/segun-akinwoleola-a0941530/  
https://thegymkitchen.com 
https://www.instagram.com/thegymkitchen/ 

Brands Mentioned:
The Mind Collective
Liquid Studio 
Liquid Death
The Black Farmer 
Rory Sutherland - The Ikea Effect
Tesco Black Action Plan
Sainsbury’s Thrive 
Strong Roots
Gym Shark
Hawksmoor
Brand Growth Heroes
Diary of a CEO
High Performance Podcast
Will it Make the Boat go Faster?
 

A cookie to die for? Certainly a project to die for!
Fortunately, no one was ACTUALLY harmed in the making or consuming of these Squid Game Dalgona cookies, as Brandt and the Tastehead team talk us through one of the most exciting, and challenging development projects yet. As the biggest trending show on Netflix of 2023, you can imagine the excitement in the team opening the email brief - to develop and make the actual dalgona cookies to be used in the biggest reality game show ever made, Squid Game: The Challenge. 

In this episode, Brandt is joined by the team behind bringing the dalgona cookies to the contestant's hands and your screens; Lucy, Tastehead project manager, Eaman, senior development chef and Paddy, junior development chef. Lifting the veil on why the brief was not as straight forward as you might imagine, from the ‘ticking time bomb’ of air exposure to the incredible precision required to achieve the desired pass rate for the challenge, the whole show hinged on the honeycomb breaking (or not) right on queue.  

With $4.56 million at stake, each of the shapes had to be equally possible to successfully complete to give all of the show’s 456 contestants a fair chance to get through.  
Having spent months on the project, the Tastehead team left the kitchen smelling of caramel, sugar coated and making honeycomb in their sleep, but at least there was a honeycomb old fashioned waiting for them at the end of it all.  

We hope you enjoy this behind the scenes dive in to what it takes to make TV magic happen!
 
If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing. 
If you have any suggestions for future episode topics, please email them to hello@tastehead.com 
 
Follow Brandt and Micah: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandt-maybury/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-carr-hill-34a91811/ 
 
Visit https://www.tastehead.com/ to learn more 
 
To watch the Dalgona Squid Game Episode and see more of Behind the Scenes: 
https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81734609 
 
https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81615540 
 
 

William Kendall, the mastermind behind some of Britain's most iconic household food and beverage brands (New Covent Garden Soup Company, Green & Black's, Cawston Press) has a talent for turning small beginnings into remarkable success stories.  


Starting out on his family farm in Suffolk, through to studying law, qualifying as a barrister, moving into investment banking then completing an MBA in France, he surprisingly found himself ‘rather unemployable’.   


Discovering this, he went full circle, back to his roots in working with food and joined the team at New Covent Garden Soup Company when they were still in their infancy. Building the brand up to a supermarket mainstay, his next mission was to make organic chocolate irresistibly appealing at the pioneering British fair-trade brand, Green & Black's.  


Amongst the plethora of roles he holds, he serves as an investor and consultant to a variety of emerging brands as well as chairman of Cawston Press, the British soft drink brand. In this conversation, Micah and William chat through what William sees as key to his success, how he approaches leadership and valuable insights for small brands seeking funding from investors. 


One thing is for sure, William has a knack for building great brands on the foundations of great products. Join us for this episode where long-time colleagues William and Micah discuss the excitement of launching first-of-their-kind brands defining the industry standards to follow. 





If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing. 
If you have any suggestions for future episode topics, please email them to hello@tastehead.com 
 
Follow Brandt and Micah: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandt-maybury/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-carr-hill-34a91811/ 
 
Visit https://www.tastehead.com/ to learn more 

Follow William:
https://www.grosvenor.com/about-us/our-people-2e99a4c93c49100fe0bb82bdea5d432a/william-kendall



Brands Mentioned  
New Covent Garden Soup Company - https://www.newcoventgardensoup.com/  
Green & Black’s - https://www.greenandblacks.co.uk/  
Cawston Press - https://cawstonpress.com/  
Bold Bean - https://boldbeanco.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAh8OtBhCQARIsAIkWb6-pg_UwFGEYpTibof_TWr4iAEaR9OV-oKI5zet33uES2Fribm8qZ9kaAqqZEALw_wcB  
Purdy and Figg - https://purdyandfigg.com/  
The Greyhound - https://www.greyhoundpettistree.co.uk/  
The Suffolk - https://the-suffolk.co.uk/restaurant/  
The Canteen - https://www.oldhospitalhub.co.uk/canteen  
Pinch - https://eatpinch.com/ 

While a product's taste may be amazing, if its packaging doesn't grab its target audience, it risks staying unnoticed on the shelf.
So, how can you ensure that your packaging is as enticing to the eyes as your product is to the taste buds? The challenge lies in effectively translating the taste and narrative of a product into its visual identity, and often, this connection is overlooked, resulting in lacklustre packaging not speaking to its target consumer.  

To address this, we're excited to introduce you to the brand creation experts at BuxtonThreeTwo, Hal Tyler and James Bettinson, also known as the Tastehead brand design partners. With a wealth of experience creating challenger brands from the ground up, they talk us through how to bring truly disruptive brands to life. 


In order to nail your packaging, first we discuss how critical it is to spend time positioning your brand, carefully understanding who your target consumer is and how they want to be communicated to. 


Join us as we explore the importance of precise product positioning before diving into the creative process, how working with the development chef allows for design work that pulls taste into the visual realm, and the pivotal role of storytelling in crafting a successful brand.




If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing.


If you have any suggestions for future episode topics, please email them to hello@tastehead.com


Follow Brandt and Micah:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandt-maybury/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-carr-hill-34a91811/

Visit https://www.tastehead.com/ to learn more


Follow BuxtonThreeTwo:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hal-tyler-683a3387/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bettinson-937630158/

https://buxtonthreetwo.com/


Links Mentioned:

David Ogilvy - https://www.ogilvy.com/#work

Marty Neumeier - https://www.martyneumeier.com/

Rory Sutherland - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorysutherland/

Black and Decker - https://www.blackanddecker.co.uk/

DeWalt - https://www.dewalt.co.uk/

Seabrook crisps - https://www.seabrookcrisps.com/

When approaching a rebrand, understanding your core values and how to communicate them to your consumer is vital. For Isle of Wight Tomatoes, all the amazing work they were doing from pioneering the growth of new, taste-driven tomato varieties to their inherent sustainability credentials was being overlooked. They worked with B&B Studios to look inwards and evolve the former ‘Tomato Stall’ brand to the new ‘Isle of Wight Tomatoes’, in doing so becoming recognisable as an iconic British producer and supplier that we can now see today.



If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing.


If you have any suggestions for future episode topics, please email them to hello@tastehead.com


Follow Brandt and Micah:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandt-maybury/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-carr-hill-34a91811/

Visit https://www.tastehead.com/ to learn more


Follow Paul and Isle of Wight Tomatoes:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-thomas-41b65338/?originalSubdomain=uk


https://iowtomatoes.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/iowtomatoes/?hl=en