People Doing Things Ed Little

Welcoming Ally Fekaiki on the show today. He’s the founder of the world’s largest employee wellness platform - Juno. A global platform that gives employees flexible access to meaningful benefits all in one place. 
Table football, subsidised cafes, monthly pizza. The reality is that workplace perks are anything but. On the whole they are top down initiatives, a percentage of revenue, a line marked ‘culture’ on the company P&L spreadsheet. Sweeping generalisations that neither employee or CFO particularly look forward to. 
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Juno takes the stress away from companies increasingly becoming less centralised, putting it in the hands of the employees - enabling them to choose from a wide range of perks from foodie fridge fills to digital detoxes, nutritional advice to house plants. And with $8mn raised to date the working world is very much their oyster. 
In this episode we talk about what company culture is headed, what companies need to do to stay ahead of shifting tides and Ally’s own mantras for getting the balance right.

Say hello to Louise Macnab. She’s the international attorney turned gut health campaigner - starting a movement with her brand Jerms - an all-in-one Gut Health support with Probiotics, Prebiotics, Digestive Enzymes & Organic Superfoods. 
Working hard and under high pressure as a corporate lawyer in New York and Brussels, Louise started experiencing burnout and chronic stress induced gut issues like SIBO, leaky gut, chronic fatigue and anxiety. 
In search of a solution, she uncovered the vital role gut health has on our overall health. Bacteria in our guts, as she soon discovered, has a huge impact on our bodies and daily wellbeing. And while the gut microbiome is one 2023’s hot topics, there’s a dearth of eye-catching brands out there making the space accessible yet desirable. 
In this episode we talk about facing burnout, finding salvation in bacteria and how she’s using her brand to spread the word.

Introducing Caspar Rose. Foodie, Spin Instructor, charity advocate and founder of The Wellness Food Group (TWFG) - a merger between Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen. Two function-first meal prep businesses who’ve paired up to co-create a healthier nation through convenience and personalised nutrition with more lined up to join their house of brands in the next 12 months. 
Caspar leads Fresh Fitness Food, a tech-first, personalised meal delivery service, after having worked as a chef at a number of Michelin Star restaurants in both Sydney and London. During his time as a sous chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze, the business launched, taking orders over phone, prepared from his Notting Hill flat. In 2015, Fresh Fitness Food started scaling. They now deliver over 100,000 meals each month across the UK and have invested £2mn in their technology platform that makes it all happen. 
TWFG is set to turnover £12M+ in 2023, with a projected revenue of £50M by 2025. But it’s not all spreadsheets and P&L’s for Caspar. When he’s not in the boardroom he’s busy optimising things in their new kitchens or instructing in a Ride Republic spin studio. 
In this episode we talk about the power of knowing your audience, the dynamics of a merger, and how they’re equal parts food brand and tech business. 
Enjoy. 
 

Say hello to Amelia Christie-Miller. She’s the happy go lucky founder of Bold Bean Co, on a mission to make you as obsessed with beans as she is. But here’s the thing. These beans aren’t just any beans. These are chef approved, top of the range, foodie favourites - meaning you can give Heinz the can and explore a whole new world of protein rich legumes. 
She first discovered beans while she was on an Erasmus exchange in Spain. One morning, like most students, she was too hungover to go shopping and instead took a jar of creamy heirloom butterbean out of the fridge. They were so tasty they transformed her perspective on beans, helping her reappraise their dusty reputation. 
After graduating, she had a brief stint working for Gail’s Bakery in London, before moving into food technology with Foodchain, a start-up working in sustainable produce where she became convinced that beans were the answer to so many of our food system issues. It was not until she was furloughed at the start of the pandemic that she decided to turn her passion for beans into a business. 
In this episode we talk about boldly going where no bean has gone before, growing organically, her tastemaker strategy working with chefs and foodies to spread the word and crowd-sroucing her values like a Gen-Zer. 
Dig in.

Introducing David Begg. His career to date has been nothing short of illustrious. After studying engineering at Durham and Cambridge, he spent ten years in consulting before becoming one of the founding team members of Booking.com. He then went on to co-found Tom Dixon and education tech company Magic Town before finding his spiritual home in REAL Sparkling Tea.
According to the sommeliers at The Fat Duck, REAL is the ‘finest non-alcoholic drink on the market’. Brewed with some of the most expensive teas in the world, REAL’s impressive array of sparkling teas are more akin to a natural wine or a champagne than a soft drink. The complexity of the fermented drink is perfect for food pairings - cutting through fatty acids with tannins that help counteract sweet foods and a sweetness that softens salty and savoury meals. 
It’s taken the team over two years in the making to achieve the quality and consistency with their hard work being recognised by over 50 Michelin star restaurants including The Pig, La Gavroche and Clove Club, as well as stockists like Waitrose. 
In this episode we talk about how a chance encounter with homebrewed kombucha has transformed into a multi-million pound opportunity, creating the UK’s first standalone non-alcoholic Fermentery and where the palettes of top restaurateurs and sommeliers are taking us. 
Cheers. 

Joe Benn. Founder, advisor, connector, AND FMCG fanatic. He’s had over a decade of experience working with fast growth disruptive businesses, including co-founding UGLY drinks back in 2015. UGLY was a truly original challenger brand that won fame and fortune across both the UK and in the US, rebranding sparkling water as the soda drink of choice, before others followed suit. 
In 2020, Joe stepped away from the company, and has since gone on to advise a number of FMCG brands like allplants, Tenzing, Graze  in the UK culminating in him recently launching Grwth Club, a platform designed to match startups with the right agencies and investors. Along with co-founder Jake Higgins, they utilise their extensive network and experience to match businesses with the best possible partners for your brand.
In this episode we’ll talk about Joe’s experience in the FMCG industry (past and present), where the market is heading for brands in this space and the need for his latest venture, Grwth Club (Grwth without the O).