The Unfounders

Ever wondered what it's like to build a fantastic workplace from the inside out? This week, we're diving deep with Sarah Fairbairn, the Head of People at MOTH Drinks, and she's spilling all the secrets! Sarah shares her journey through various roles in HR, highlighting her experiences at Made.com, Moth Drinks and more. She discusses the challenges faced during the administration

Today I speak to one of the most inspirational 26 year olds I have ever met! Lewis Alexander Baxter is the COO of Kurogo, a personal branding agency, and we discuss the importance of building a personal brand no matter whether you're an entrepreneur, or an employee. Lewis also opens up about his experiences with grief and mental health after losing his mother, emphasising the nee

Today's guest is Mike Spurr, the R&D lead at The Good Pulse Co. A company specialising in plant-based cheese made from split peas. Mike shares his journey from nearly 20 years at PepsiCo to the startup world, discussing the challenges and innovations in food science The conversation delves into the importance of communication, curiosity, and the lessons learned from both successe

Life's heavy enough... Your beer doesn't have to be! Today's guest is Luke Chadwick - On Trade Manager at Local Beer Local are on a mission to lighten up the beer industry with their award-winning, lower-calorie, floaty session pale ale Luke made the move from banking to beer, stepping away from the corporate life at Santander and diving head first into the drink space. He is S

Dean Wilson Hartles is the Director of Food & Drink Concessions at The Restaurant Group (TRG) and has been there for 11 years now. In this conversation I loved digging in to how Dean fell into the world of cheffing by accident as a teenager just over some inspiring conversations with the chefs on his break. How he worked his way up in the industry in various kitchens, working und

Today's guest is the wonderful ray of sunshine Lydia Granger - Content Marketing Manager at BOL Foods. We are huge fans of the BOL range at home, from their soups and meal pots, to their new power shakes set to do big things in 2025. Lydia went from studying art and language at University, into a few internships in design agencies. From here she ended up in the world of FMCG and

Today's guest is a biggie! ⁠Tom Forsythe⁠ was one of the brilliant people behind Sainsbury's Future Brands program, a pioneering program designed to help challenger brands thrive in retail. He's now back in the world of challenger brands as the Managing Director at ⁠Good & Proper Tea⁠ along with founder and wife ⁠Emilie Holmes⁠. In this conversation we dig into: - To

Today's guest is Jorge Longman - National Account Controller at the gut-health superstars Bio & Me. I met Jorge at a YF course for category management last year and I KNEW I had to get him on. He's a man who know's his stuff, and this conversation is rich with insights and tangible lessons for anyone working in the world of retail. We dive into: His first sales role at American

Rosie Long is an FMCG superstar, with incredible experience in brands like Tea Pigs, Indie Bay and more. She’s now the Managing Director at Blue Turaco Coffee - But what makes their coffee so special? In this episode we dig into the founder Wycliffe’s story of being a farmer & founder and why their mission is to champion robusta coffee. How they support direct trade with sma

Happy New Year! Today's guest is the charming Sam Johnstone - Commercial Manager at Living Things Soda. In this episode we discuss fractional working, what that means, the pro's and cons and way's of making it work. His time working for a number of amazing challenger brands like Minor Figures, Hunter & Gather, Eleat, Saved and more. Why he's now gone back to working full time fo