Dish It Dirty Podcast

David Revell

The Dish It Dirty Podcast is where the cleaning, hygiene, catering, and food packaging industries finally get a voice. Hosted by David from Charta Recruitment, this podcast brings together the people, businesses, and ideas shaping the sector. Each episode dives into real conversations with industry leaders, operators, and rising talent. We cover market trends, economic pressures, legislation, supply chain challenges, growth strategies, and what is actually happening on the ground.

Episodes

  1. MAY 11

    Growing a Hygiene Manufacturer from £1m - £8m in 3 years /w Ali Sharp

    In Episode 2 of Dish It Dirty Podcast, David Revell sits down with Ali Sharp — one of the cleaning & hygiene industry’s most impressive emerging commercial leaders. Ali’s journey is anything but conventional. Starting out in agricultural commodities trading during the 2008 financial crisis, he developed a deep understanding of markets, pricing, supply chains and commercial decision-making before moving into the cleaning & hygiene sector with Kimberly-Clark Professional and later WEPA Professional. During his time at WEPA, Ali helped grow the UK & Ireland business from roughly £1M to £8M in just 3 years, helping build distribution from scratch during one of the most volatile periods in modern business history: COVIDBrexit disruptionEnergy crisesSupply chain chaosInflation & global instabilityIn this episode, we discuss: How WEPA built national distribution from the ground upWhat separates average salespeople from elite performersLeadership, autonomy & accountabilityThe importance of processes, data & attention to detailAI and how it’s changing commercial decision-makingWhy transferable skills matter more than industry experienceThe changing state of the cleaning & hygiene marketIf you work in cleaning, hygiene, catering, facilities management, packaging or B2B sales — this episode is packed with practical insights. Chapters / Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction & Ali Sharp’s background02:00 – Agricultural commodities & trading04:30 – Understanding markets & supply chains07:15 – Entering the cleaning & hygiene industry08:15 – Joining WEPA during COVID10:30 – Growing WEPA from £1M to £8M12:00 – Building logistics & distribution14:00 – Marketing & brand awareness18:30 – Kaizen & continuous improvement22:30 – Building distribution partnerships28:45 – The ‘3 P’s’ framework35:30 – AI, data & sales45:00 – Leadership & autonomy52:00 – Building culture & teams1:00:00 – The state of the hygiene market1:05:00 – Commodity selling vs innovation1:08:00 – Final thoughts & lessons

    1h 17m
  2. How the Iran War is Affecting Our Market w/ Mike Revell

    MAY 4

    How the Iran War is Affecting Our Market w/ Mike Revell

    In the very first episode of Dish It Dirty, David Revell sits down with industry heavyweight Mike Revell—former Managing Director across multiple major businesses within the cleaning, catering and food packaging industrys and founder of the UK’s largest catering and hygiene buying group, the Socius Network. With nearly 40 years at the top of the sector, Mike breaks down what’s really happening behind the headlines. From geopolitical conflict to collapsing supply chains, rising costs, and broken legislation, this episode explores the forces quietly reshaping the cleaning, hygiene, food packaging, and hospitality industries. You’ll learn: Why the current global conflict could trigger major product shortagesHow supply chains unravel (and why recovery takes months—not weeks)The real impact of inflation, energy costs, and EPR legislationWhy hospitality is under more pressure than everWhat separates businesses that survive vs. those that collapseLeadership lessons from decades in high-pressure marketsWhether you're a distributor, manufacturer, or operator—this is a raw, unfiltered look at what’s coming next. Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction to the podcast & industry focus Overview of the sector and why it matters globally 00:34 – Meet Mike Revell Career background and industry credibility 03:20 – 40 years of change: what’s shifted most? Technology, data, and decision-making evolution 05:30 – The pros & cons of modern tech in business Speed vs. pressure and information overload 07:26 – The global conflict explained (and why it matters) Oil, supply chains, and economic ripple effects 09:00 – Shipping chaos & supply chain breakdowns Why disruptions take 6–12 months to fix 11:00 – Product shortages (gloves, materials, manufacturing) What happens when supply simply disappears 14:00 – How businesses should respond right now Cost control, stock management, and tough decisions 17:00 – Inflation, hospitality struggles & market pressure Why pubs and restaurants are under serious threat 22:00 – Is there any opportunity in this chaos? Timing vs. risk in uncertain markets 26:00 – Price increases: how to handle customers Communication, strategy, and reality checks 29:00 – The hidden killer: EPR legislation explained Why it’s broken and damaging compliant businesses 40:00 – The future of hospitality & changing behaviour Why younger generations are reshaping demand 44:00 – Growth areas: home delivery & hygiene sector Where the opportunities actually are 50:30 – The talent problem in the industry Why young people aren’t entering the sector 59:40 – Leadership lessons from decades at the top Teams, strategy, and decision-making under pressure 1:06:20 – The one thing businesses forget: VALUE Why it matters more than price 1:09:30 – Closing thoughts & final takeaways

    1h 11m

About

The Dish It Dirty Podcast is where the cleaning, hygiene, catering, and food packaging industries finally get a voice. Hosted by David from Charta Recruitment, this podcast brings together the people, businesses, and ideas shaping the sector. Each episode dives into real conversations with industry leaders, operators, and rising talent. We cover market trends, economic pressures, legislation, supply chain challenges, growth strategies, and what is actually happening on the ground.