Brand Growth Heroes

In case you've JUST discovered Brand Growth Heroes podcast, we're digging into the treasure trove of our most downloaded episodes from our back-catalogue so YOU don't miss A SINGLE BUSINESS INSIGHT!

From slow-burn visionaries to fast-moving disruptors, the show has featured founders of brands like Perfect Ted, Lucky Saint, Seedlip, Wild, Strong Roots, Oddbox, and global challengers like Waterdrop, Mid-Day Squares, Olipop, and Tony’s Chocolonely and many many more…

Next up in this special series, we are re-releasing one of the most loved and downloaded episodes of all time, an interview with Ben Branson, founder of Seedlip. 

In this replay, Fiona sits down with Ben Branson, founder of Seedlip, the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit and arguably the original poster child of the No & Low alcohol movement.

Started on a garden table in 2016, Seedlip didn’t just disrupt the drinks industry — it invented a new category. Now sold in 49 countries, with a sales value in the tens of millions, Seedlip has become a global benchmark for what true brand disruption looks like.

In this episode, Ben shares:

• How to build a brand that redefines an entire category

  
  

• Why he chose to partner early with Diageo, and how it changed Seedlip’s trajectory

  
  

• His unconventional approach to culture, team-building, and roles
  
  
• What inspires him creatively from robot chefs to the 47,000+ plant-based ingredients that fuel innovation

This is an episode that founders still rave about and for good reason. It’s full of insights for anyone trying to scale something bold, disruptive, and lasting.

If you do learn some good stuff from this episode (and we hope you do), please, please share it, follow the show, AND leave a quick review. It all helps bring more brilliant founders and insights to you, our Brand Growth Heroes community!

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Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm

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If you're a founder, you already know how much of your energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with your consumers.

But don’t forget that scaling a CPG business also comes with a maze of legal complexities that can make or break your business journey. From contracts, term sheets and regulatory compliance to protecting your brand's intellectual property as you expand, it's essential to get it right.

And that starts with the right legal partner.

So we're thrilled to introduce Joelson, a leading commercial law firm that specialises in guiding the founders of scaling CPG brands, as Brand Growth Heroes' sponsor.

With long-term relationships with clients like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze, and Pulsin, Joelson is also famous for advising the innocent founders in their landmark sale to Coca-Cola! As a female team, we are especially impressed by Joelson's commitment to championing female founders in CPG.

Not many law firms are also BCorps, nor do they specialise in helping founders navigate the legal challenges of scaling without stifling the creativity and momentum that got you here in the first place. So thanks, Joelson—we’re delighted to have you on board.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more, why don't you drop them a line at hello@joelsonlaw.com!

==============================================

A tiny favour: If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, please could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review?

This small gesture from you means the world to us, and allows us to share these nuggets of insight and value with you more often.

You won’t want to miss the next episode, in which Fiona Fitz talks with another successful founder of a challenger brand who shares more valuable insights into driving growth.

Please don't hesitate to join our Brand Growth Heroes community to stay updated with captivating stories and learnings from your beloved brands on their path to success!

Follow us on our Brand Growth Heroes socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.

We loved chatting to Stu....and you're going to love learning from this GOLD taken from our recent episode: 
What happens when a founder steps back from doing everything and instead builds a team that can take the business further than they ever could alone?

In this 5-minute clip, Stu Macdonald, founder of ManiLife Peanut Butter, shares why building their own factory was a turning point, not just for product quality and innovation, but for company culture.

Stu opens up about:

- Why making their own product was essential for both quality and commercial success.
- The power of trusting great people to lead where he couldn’t.
- The difference between working “insanely hard” versus building a business that hums.
- His raw experience with burnout and the shift that saved both him and the company.

This is a powerful reminder that YOU, the FOUNDERS, perhaps DON'T don’t need to do it all...or at least that you can CHOOSE to work towards a time when you're NOT doing it all. The right team, the right timing, and the right role for you can play to your strengths and drive even stronger growth.

This clip was selected and hand-picked by the brilliant team at MKJ Ignite, the FMCG recruitment experts helping challenger brands grow with the right people in the right roles, and is full of practical people insights. Directors Billy, Paul, and Immy have combed through the Brand Growth Heroes archives to bring you the most valuable founder wisdom on hiring and scaling teams that THRIVE.

A new 5-minute episode drops every two weeks — so make sure to HIT FOLLOW and don’t miss the next one.

If you're wondering whether or not you need help with your recruitment, or would like to ask for some advice, you can e-mail Billy directly at billy.maddock@mkj-ignite.co.uk

Connect with Billy Maddock on LinkedIn

Connect with Immy Southwell on LinkedIn

Connect with Paul Jones on LinkedIn

Follow MKJ Ignite on Instagram

Connect with MKJ Ignite on LinkedIn

In case you've JUST discovered Brand Growth Heroes podcast, we're digging into the treasure trove of our most downloaded episodes from our back-catalogue so YOU don't miss A SINGLE INSIGHT!

From slow-burn visionaries to fast-moving disruptors, the show has featured founders of brands like Perfect Ted, Lucky Saint, Seedlip, Wild, Strong Roots, Oddbox, and global challengers like Waterdrop, Mid-Day Squares, Olipop, and Tony’s Chocolonely and many many more…

To kick off this special series, we are re-releasing one of the most loved episodes of all time: an interview with Olivia Ferdi, Co-founder of TRIP, which we recorded when TRIP Was just 2 years in to their growth journey, but was already close to £20M in sales.

TRIP is the UK's market-leading CBD drinks company. Since its launch in 2019, UK consumers have spent literally millions of pounds on TRIP's delicious CBD-infused canned drinks, as well as on their dinky little dropper bottles of CBD oils. 

In this episode, Fiona spoke to co-founder Olivia Ferdi about leaving her law career to step into the unknown, about how she and her husband have created a mainstream category out of something that had tremendous barriers to purchase up until now, and we learn how the TRIP team have had to drive demand in the old fashioned way through experience and word of mouth rather than through paid advertising. 

This conversation is PACKED with insights we don't want you to miss. Plus, we'll be doing a new interview with Olivia VERY SOON, so this is a great way to remind you all of where the market was only a few years ago!

If you do learn some good stuff from this episode (and we hope you do), please please share it, follow the show, AND leave a quick review. It all helps bring more brilliant founders and insights to you, our Brand Growth Heroes community!

=========================================================

Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm

=========================================================

If you're a founder, you already know how much of your energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with your consumers.

But don’t forget that scaling a CPG business also comes with a maze of legal complexities that can make or break your business journey. From contracts, term sheets and regulatory compliance to protecting your brand's intellectual property as you expand, it's essential to get it right.

And that starts with the right legal partner.

So we're thrilled to introduce Joelson, a leading commercial law firm that specialises in guiding the founders of scaling CPG brands, as Brand Growth Heroes' sponsor.

With long-term relationships with clients like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze, and Pulsin, Joelson is also famous for advising the innocent founders in their landmark sale to Coca-Cola! As a female team, we are especially impressed by Joelson's commitment to championing female founders in CPG.

Not many law firms are also BCorps, nor do they specialise in helping founders navigate the legal challenges of scaling without stifling the creativity and momentum that got you here in the first place. So thanks, Joelson—we’re delighted to have you on board.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more, why don't you drop them a line at hello@joelsonlaw.com!

==============================================

A tiny favour: If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, please could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review?

This small gesture from you means the world to us, and allows us to share these nuggets of insight and value with you more often.

You won’t want to miss the next episode, in which Fiona Fitz talks with another successful founder of a challenger brand who shares more valuable insights into driving growth.

Please don't hesitate to join our Brand Growth Heroes community to stay updated with captivating stories and learnings from your beloved brands on their path to success!

Follow us on our Brand Growth Heroes socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.

Bold Bean Co is doing team and culture differently.

In this episode, co-founders Amelia and Ed discuss how the'yre building a high-performing, remote-first team with people working all across the UK and quite a few other countries.

They want their team's motivation to be powered by the business mission, and as this is key it's important to them to allow their team to work their jobs around their lives, rather than the other way around!

What you'll learn:

• Why "trust first" is key for Ed and Amelia and how they lead 
• How a remote working model allows Bold Bean Co to look globally for exceptional talent, rather than only searching in the UK.
• Why 'Culture' isn't something that you start thinking about once you're further on up the growth curve - it's got to be nurtured from the outset!

So, if you're building a team and wondering how to do it well without a traditional office setup, this one's for you.  

This 'BGH Short' is part of our People Series partnership with MKJ Ignite - The FMCG recruitment experts helping challenger brands grow with the right people in the right roles. Directors Billy, Paul, and Immy have combed through the Brand Growth Heroes archives to bring you the most valuable founder wisdom on hiring and scaling teams that thrive - and as a result, this short episode is PACKED with golden nuggets around people, team and culture. 

A new 5-minute short episode drops every two weeks — so make sure to HIT FOLLOW so you don’t miss the next one.

If you're wondering whether or not you need help with your recruitment, or would like to ask for some advice, you can e-mail Billy directly at billy.maddock@mkj-ignite.co.uk

Connect with Billy Maddock on LinkedIn

Connect with Immy Southwell on LinkedIn

Connect with Paul Jones on LinkedIn

Follow MKJ Ignite on Instagram

Connect with MKJ Ignite on LinkedIn

This is one of our favourite interviews EVER! In this very special LIVE edition of Brand Growth Heroes, recorded at Bread & Jam Fest 2025, Fiona Fitz sits down in front of a live audience with the absolutely brilliant and hilariously honest Juliet Barratt, co-founder of the category-defining sports nutrition brand, Grenade. Juliet shares the fab story of how she and then-partner Al Barrett took Grenade from the back of a big night out in Birmingham to the shelves of Tesco, WHSmith and petrol stations across the UK, and ultimately to a £200M exit to Mondelez - without ever compromising on what made them different.

If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, PLEASE could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review, AND share it with a fellow founder - it could help them too!

The conversation covers so much - from how branding (and “weirdness!”) can be a superpower, to the moment they realised their “retire-on-a-beach” plan was delusional, to driving a tank into BodyPower Expo (yes, really) to get noticed by GNC. Juliet also opens up about how being “all in” meant no days off for four years, about hiring people who weren’t “knobs,” and about what it really felt like when the money landed in her bank account after the deal closed, and interestingly, why it WASN'T the moment of glory people imagine!

She also shares her views on today's funding-obsessed food and drink ecosystem, and why she believes too many founders are chasing other people’s stories instead of writing their own.

Wait for it...Juliet also shares her (perhaps controversial?!) views on the 'female founder' movement - we'd love to know what you think (if you're listening on Spotify, you can comment below!)

Juliet’s energy is infectious, her insight razor-sharp, and her advice unmissable for any challenger brand founder.

And yes, we talk about the Oreo bar. (Don’t eat five a day. Just… don’t.)

PS: Don’t miss the audience questions at the end. Golden nuggets tsunami!
 
Enjoy.

Useful links:

Connect with Juliet Barratt on LinkedIn

Follow Grenade on LinkedIn

More about Bread & Jam Festival

Follow Brand Growth Heroes on LinkedIn

Connect with BGH host Fiona Fitz on LinkedIn

============================================================

Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm

=============================================================

If you're a founder, you already know how much of your energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with your consumers.

But don’t forget that scaling a CPG business also comes with a maze of legal complexities that can make or break your business journey. From contracts, term sheets and regulatory compliance to protecting your brand's intellectual property as you expand, it's essential to get it right.

And that starts with the right legal partner.

So we're thrilled to introduce Joelson, a leading commercial law firm that specialises in guiding the founders of scaling CPG brands, as Brand Growth Heroes' sponsor.

With long-term relationships with clients like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze, and Pulsin, Joelson is also famous for advising the innocent founders in their landmark sale to Coca-Cola! As a female team, we are especially impressed by Joelson's commitment to championing female founders in CPG.

Not many law firms are also BCorps, nor do they specialise in helping founders navigate the legal challenges of scaling without stifling the creativity and momentum that got you here in the first place. So thanks, Joelson—we’re delighted to have you on board.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more, why don't you drop them a line at hello@joelsonlaw.com!

==============================================

A tiny favour: If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, please could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review?

This small gesture from you means the world to us, and allows us to share these nuggets of insight and value with you more often.

You won’t want to miss the next episode, in which Fiona Fitz talks with another successful founder of a challenger brand who shares more valuable insights into driving growth.

Please don't hesitate to join our Brand Growth Heroes community to stay updated with captivating stories and learnings from your beloved brands on their path to success!

Follow us on our Brand Growth Heroes socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.

From Solo Hustle to Remote Rocketship: How Tonic Health Built a Team to Scale

In this 5-minute power-packed short, handpicked by MKJ Ignite, we hear how Sunna Van Kampen, founder of Tonic Health scaled from a solo founder to a fully-fledged team—all while navigating the chaos of COVID.

Hear how Tonic health built their TEAM and CULTURE:

- Hiring a full leadership team across ops, finance, sales, marketing & growth

- Building a remote-first culture from necessity (and stuck with it)

- Balancing speed with values as the team expanded

- Codifying culture to keep pace with rapid growth

Handpicked by the team at UK CPG recruitment specialist MKJ Ignite, this SHORT 5-minute golden nugget is packed with insight into what it really takes to scale and what you need to survive as a team while doing it.

Don’t forget to hit follow for more bite-sized founder wisdom every 2 weeks.

If you're wondering whether you need help finding the right people or would like some advice, you can book a no-obligation call with Billy from the MKJ Ignite team here!

Connect with Billy Maddock

Connect with Immy Southwell

Connect with Paul Jones

Bio & Me is one of the UK’s fastest-growing gut health food brands, co-founded by one of Fiona's former bosses at Nestle UK -  Jon Walsh, and leading gut health expert Dr. Megan Rossi. Built on a brand platform that teaches us that consuming loads of different plants each week =  better gut health, their award-winning range of granolas, porridges, and kefir yoghurts is now stocked nationwide.

In this latest episode, Fiona reconnects with Jon, four years after he first appeared on Brand Growth Heroes, when Bio & Me was hitting £1M in sales. Today? They’re doing £15–£20M annually.

You'll learn about: 

• The real growth journey: from founder hustle to scaling a national brand
• Why great strategy means nothing without killer execution
• How to balance taste vs. health in both product and communication
• Why Jon still answers customer emails himself
• What it takes to win with retailers as a challenger brand
• The magic that happens when you listen to your team and your shoppers

Jon shares candid insights into what it takes to grow a purpose-led food brand in today’s competitive market, without losing your soul or your edge.

Useful Links 

• Bio & Me website
• Follow Dr. Megan Rossi on Instagram: @theguthealthdoctor
• Connect with Jon on LinkedIn
• Follow Bio & Me on LinkedIn
• Mention: Eddie Yoon – co-founder of Category Pirates

============================================================

Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm

=============================================================

If you're a founder, you already know how much of your energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with your consumers.

But don’t forget that scaling a CPG business also comes with a maze of legal complexities that can make or break your business journey. From contracts, term sheets and regulatory compliance to protecting your brand's intellectual property as you expand, it's essential to get it right.

And that starts with the right legal partner.

So we're thrilled to introduce Joelson, a leading commercial law firm that specialises in guiding the founders of scaling CPG brands, as Brand Growth Heroes' sponsor.

With long-term relationships with clients like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze, and Pulsin, Joelson is also famous for advising the innocent founders in their landmark sale to Coca-Cola! As a female team, we are especially impressed by Joelson's commitment to championing female founders in CPG.

Not many law firms are also BCorps, nor do they specialise in helping founders navigate the legal challenges of scaling without stifling the creativity and momentum that got you here in the first place. So thanks, Joelson—we’re delighted to have you on board.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more, why don't you drop them a line at hello@joelsonlaw.com!

==============================================

A tiny favour: If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, please could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review?

This small gesture from you means the world to us, and allows us to share these nuggets of insight and value with you more often.

You won’t want to miss the next episode, in which Fiona Fitz talks with another successful founder of a challenger brand who shares more valuable insights into driving growth.

Please don't hesitate to join our Brand Growth Heroes community to stay updated with captivating stories and learnings from your beloved brands on their path to success!

Follow us on our Brand Growth Heroes socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.

In this episode of BGH SHORTS: The People Series, the team at MKJ Ignite have hand-picked this SHORT 5-minute golden nugget packed with insight into what it really takes to scale and what you need to survive as a team while doing it.

David Lester, co-founder of Olipop gives us insight into the human side of the co-founder relationship behind OLIPOP’s explosive growth - growing from an unlikely partnership to a half-billion-dollar brand.
 
Hear how:

• Two very different co-founders turned past failures into this incredible success
• A mission-driven mindset can become the ultimate competitive advantage
• Staying aligned (without killing each other) is half the battle!

Don’t forget to hit follow for more bite-sized founder wisdom every 2 weeks.

And...if you're wondering whether or not you need help to find the right people, or would like to ask for some advice, why not take half an hour to discuss it over a no-obligation call with Billy from the MKJ Ignite team team here!

Because your business is only as strong as your team.

It really shouldn’t be this hard — but it is.

So let’s make it a little easier!

Over the past few years, I’ve become increasingly frustrated at just HOW HARD it is for founders to find the right people for their business.

• There are fewer applicants than there used to be for roles in sales and marketing in CPG businesses
• It's even tougher to find that magic mix of mindset, experience and soft skills— as well as someone who genuinely fits your culture and values.
• And the process? It's a lot: search, connect, schedule, first interviews, follow-ups, feedback loops — all while juggling a scaling business — and you STILL might not end up with the right person.

It struck me that so many of the incredible guests on Brand Growth Heroes have shared absolute gold when it comes to building teams — how they hire, how they lead, and what they’ve learned when it all goes wrong.

So the brilliant crew at MKJ Ignite - Billy, Paul and Immy, have gone through the Brand Growth Heroes archives and handpicked some snippets from the founders of your favourite challenger brands (think Olipop, Child's Farm, Perfect Ted and Tony's Chocolonely), pulling out the best people insights. 
 
And as a result....BGH SHORTS: The People Series was born!

• Short 5 min episodes. 
• Golden nuggets. 
• Actionable insights 

Every 2 weeks, we’ll drop a new 5-minute clip - so don't forget to HIT FOLLOW!

👋 If you're wondering whether or not you need help with your recruitment, or would like to ask for some advice, you can book a no-obligation call with Billy - or anyone on the team - here!

Connect with Billy Maddock

Connect with Immy Southwell

Connect with Paul Jones

Follow MKJ Ignite on Instagram

Connect with MKJ Ignite on Linkedin

Have a listen and don't forget to hit FOLLOW so you can collect all the tips, stories, and real-world advice to lighten the load.

Thanks again to MKJ Ignite for bringing us BGH SHORTS: The People Series

In this episode of Brand Growth Heroes, Fiona Fitz is joined by one of the most influential figures in UK brand building over the last 30 years:  the incredible Perry Haydn-Taylor, the creative mind behind one of the most famous brand consultancies in the business big fish®.

Fiona first met Perry in 2006 during her time heading up Gü France, and this conversation is full of the same sharp insight, warmth, and strategic clarity that made their early boardroom chats unforgettable.

With a client list that includes some of the UK’s most beloved challenger brands - think Gü, Charlie Bigham’s, Dorset Cereals, Clipper Teas, Sipsmith, Tyrrells, St. Pierre, Freddy’s Flowers, sofa.com, and more! Perry and his team at big fish® have consistently helped founders transform big ideas into commercially successful, category-defining businesses.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the most successful founders are “restless in pursuit of better”
• The Power of Three framework: clarity × focus × effort = sustainable growth
• How to articulate your unfair advantage and make the right choice the easy one
• The role of charisma and storytelling in building buy-in from investors, retailers, and consumers
• How Big Fish has reframed entire categories — from tea and chocolate to salad and flowers
• Why hiring, values, and strategic simplicity are key to scaling well

This is a candid and insightful deep dive into what matters when building a brand, not just design and packaging, but conviction, focus, and a deep understanding of your customer.

If you’re navigating the messy middle of your growth journey, this episode is packed with practical frameworks and fresh perspective.

Useful Links:

big fish website

Connect with Perry on LinkedIn

Connect with big fish on LinkedIn

============================================================

Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm

=============================================================

If you're a founder, you already know how much of your energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with your consumers.

But don’t forget that scaling a CPG business also comes with a maze of legal complexities that can make or break your business journey. From contracts, term sheets and regulatory compliance to protecting your brand's intellectual property as you expand, it's essential to get it right.

And that starts with the right legal partner.

So we're thrilled to introduce Joelson, a leading commercial law firm that specialises in guiding the founders of scaling CPG brands, as Brand Growth Heroes' sponsor.

With long-term relationships with clients like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze, and Pulsin, Joelson is also famous for advising the innocent founders in their landmark sale to Coca-Cola! As a female team, we are especially impressed by Joelson's commitment to championing female founders in CPG.

Not many law firms are also BCorps, nor do they specialise in helping founders navigate the legal challenges of scaling without stifling the creativity and momentum that got you here in the first place. So thanks, Joelson—we’re delighted to have you on board.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more, why don't you drop them a line at hello@joelsonlaw.com!

==============================================

A tiny favour: If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, please could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review?

This small gesture from you means the world to us, and allows us to share these nuggets of insight and value with you more often.

You won’t want to miss the next episode, in which Fiona Fitz talks with another successful founder of a challenger brand who shares more valuable insights into driving growth.

Please don't hesitate to join our Brand Growth Heroes community to stay updated with captivating stories and learnings from your beloved brands on their path to success!

Follow us on our Brand Growth Heroes socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.