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Standing out is as a brand hard. Standing out in a crowded confectionery category? Even harder. 👀 Walk down the healthier snacking aisle and there’s no shortage of brands telling you they’re better for you. Less sugar. Better ingredients. Healthier choices. But how many of those brands could you actually remember five minutes later? That’s the challenge Wild Thingz is taking on. In Episode 27 of Fuelling Foodies, Kate sits down with Fliss Newland, founder of Wild Thingz, to talk about building a challenger confectionery brand in one of the most competitive categories in food & drink. After years working at Mondelez with some of the biggest names in confectionery, Fliss made the leap from big corporate to building her own brand, taking what was once Veggie Bears, completely rethinking the positioning and relaunching it as Wild Thingz. You'll hear: Why Wild Thingz chose to make “better-for-you” confectionery feel FUN rather than worthy.The challenge of designing and marketing a product for two very different audiences: parents and children.Why being distinctive and memorable matters in a category dominated by huge brands and even bigger budgets.Why getting the biggest retail listing as quickly as possible isn't always the right goal.The expensive TikTok Shop lesson, and why what's working for another brand might not be right for yours.What's next for Wild Thingz as the brand looks towards bigger retail opportunities, community growth and 2027. And perhaps the biggest lesson of all... challenger brands don't need to be everywhere. When you have limited time, budget and resource, every “yes” to one opportunity is a “no” to something else. The job is knowing your customer, understanding where your brand genuinely has an opportunity and focusing your energy on the things that are actually going to move the needle. Because in a category as noisy as confectionery, having a better product isn't enough. People have to remember you. LINKS & RESOURCES: Follow Wild Thingz and explore their wildly delicious sweets.Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for digital marketing strategies, templates, and supportWant tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with KateFollow @kwmarketinguk for food & drink marketing insights, email tips & digital strategy If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder building a challenger brand - we love seeing how you're fuelling your growth 🔥

Heritage is powerful. But it doesn’t mean you can stand still. Some food & drink brands spend years trying to build the kind of heritage Miles Tea & Coffee already has. Generations of history. Loyal customers. Products people have been buying for decades. But that creates a different challenge… How do you take everything people already love about your brand and use it to build the next stage of growth? In Episode 26 of Fuelling Foodies, Kate sits down with John Halls from Miles Tea & Coffee to unpack exactly that. From a hand-coded website in 1998 and a very first online order worth £125, to customers now spending £60, £70, £80 or even £100+ online, Miles has seen the way people buy tea and coffee completely change. And yet, one thing has stayed remarkably consistent: customer loyalty. You'll hear: What genuine heritage actually means commercially, and why being “in it” can make it difficult to see the value you have.Taking a heritage brand online - from Miles' first hand-coded website in 1998 to its modern eCommerce operation.The power of genuinely loyal customersGrowing without losing your identityFinding the next generation of customersThe customer journey beyond the purchase - from packaging and dispatch to email and creating a memorable experience.What's next for Miles And perhaps the biggest lesson of all... you don't necessarily need to reinvent a heritage brand. You need to tell more people why it matters. If your food or drink brand has history behind it, the question is: Are you using that history to drive your next stage of growth, or are you simply talking about it? LINKS & RESOURCES: Follow @milesandteacoffee and explore their heritage teas and coffees.Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for digital marketing strategies, templates, and supportWant tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with KateFollow @kwmarketinguk for food & drink marketing insights, email tips & digital strategy If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder building their brand - we love seeing how you're fuelling your growth 🔥

Q4 is here. But before you spend another pound on marketing... are you actually putting your budget in the right places? Meta? Google? Email? Content? Black Friday? More customer acquisition? Because unless you've got an unlimited marketing budget, you can't do everything. In Episode 25 of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, the KW Marketing team get around the table to break down where food & drink brands should actually be spending their marketing budget heading into Q4. We're talking about where we'd invest, what we'd fix before increasing ad spend and the biggest money-wasting mistakes we see brands make when peak season panic kicks in. Because more marketing activity doesn't automatically mean more revenue. Here’s what we cover: Meta vs Google vs email: how we think about where to investIf you had £10K to invest in Q4, where should it actually go?Why retention could be your biggest Q4 opportunityWhat to fix before increasing your ad spendWhy your website and customer journey need to be ready before driving more trafficAcquisition vs retention: where should your focus be?Is Black Friday actually worth it for food & drink brands?The biggest Q4 money-wasters we're seeing right now This episode is especially useful for food & drink founders who are heading into Q4 with a limited budget and need to make smarter decisions about where to focus. Because you don't necessarily need to spend more. You need to know what's actually going to move the needle. If you're currently planning your Q4 marketing budget, this episode will help you step back, look at the bigger picture and focus on the activity that has the biggest opportunity to drive profitable growth. LINKS & RESOURCES: Download our free guide: The Email Playbook - How one food & drink brand made £56.7K in email sales (with no extra ad spend!)Ready to level up? Join the Food Marketing Club for more marketing strategies and support.Need help with your marketing? Book a Strategy Call with Kate Subscribe, share, and leave us a review if this episode made you rethink your Q4 strategy and tag us @kwmarketinguk to join the conversation.

Scaling a premium food brand sounds exciting… until you actually have to do it. Because growth often brings pressure. More volume. More demand. More complexity. And with that comes the risk of losing the very thing that made customers fall in love with your product in the first place. In Episode 24 of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Amanda Ringelberg, CEO of Granny Gothards, the award-winning luxury ice cream brand built on craftsmanship, provenance and doing things properly. Over the last 14 years, Amanda has grown Granny Gothards from a small artisan producer into a nationally recognised premium brand, whilst staying true to the quality, people and values that sit at the heart of the business. Together they discuss: How to scale an artisan food brand without compromising qualityWhy premium brands need to communicate value before customers buyThe power of getting your product into the right handsWhat founders often misunderstand about premium positioningManaging growth whilst protecting brand identityUnderstanding who your ideal customer really isWhy your team becomes your greatest asset as you scaleAmanda's biggest lessons from 14 years of building a successful food brand Whether you're building a challenger brand, scaling an established business, or trying to position your products more effectively, this episode is packed with practical insights from a founder who's done it for over a decade. LINKS & RESOURCES: Follow @granny_gothards and explore their luxury ice creams.Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for digital marketing strategies, templates, and supportWant tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with KateFollow @kwmarketinguk for food & drink marketing insights, email tips & digital strategy If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder building their brand - we love seeing how you're fuelling your growth 🔥

Most food & drink brands don't have an influencer marketing strategy. They have a gifting list. Free product gets sent out. A few stories get posted. Everyone feels busy. But sales? Not so much. In Episode 23 of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, we unpack what influencer marketing actually looks like in 2026, and why so many brands are still getting it wrong. Because influencer marketing isn't dead. But blindly sending product and hoping for results definitely is. From choosing the right creators and understanding the difference between UGC and influencer content, to tracking performance properly and turning visibility into revenue, this episode breaks down the practical reality of influencer marketing for modern food & drink brands. Plus, the team debates whether influencer campaigns should be judged on direct sales, why micro-creators continue to outperform expectations, and why different generations buy in completely different ways. Here’s what we cover: Why influencer marketing still works in 2026The biggest mistakes food & drink brands makeHow to choose the right creators for your brandMicro vs macro influencersWhy UGC and influencer content aren't the same thingHow to track influencer performance properlyHow to brief influencers effectivelyBuilding long-term creator relationshipsHow to repurpose influencer content into paid ads Whether you're spending £100 or £10,000 on influencer activity, this episode will help you approach it with far more clarity, confidence, and commercial focus. Because the goal isn't more influencers. It's better marketing. LINKS & RESOURCES: Download our free guide: The Email Playbook - How one food & drink brand made £56.7K in email sales (with no extra ad spend!)Ready to level up? Join the Food Marketing Club for more email strategies and support.Need help with marketing? Book a Strategy Call with Kate Subscribe, share, and leave us a review if this episode made you rethink your strategy and tag us @kwmarketinguk to join the conversation.

Most premium drinks brands don’t fail because of the product… they fail because they can’t stand out. And in a category like gin, where every bottle looks beautiful on the shelf, that’s a serious challenge. In Episode 22 of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Howard Davies, Co-Founder of Salcombe Gin, to unpack how the brand became one of the UK’s most recognisable premium coastal spirits brands. From market positioning and storytelling to loyalty, experiences and luxury branding, this episode explores what it actually takes to build a premium drinks brand people remember, emotionally connect with, and buy into long term. Because premium brands don’t just sell products. They sell a world people want to be part of. Here’s what we cover: How Salcombe Gin was built from a shared love of sailing, spirits and the Devon coastThe importance of storytelling in saturated categoriesHow packaging, design and detail shape perceptionWhy emotional connection drives long-term loyaltyCreating a lifestyle brand instead of just selling a productScaling without diluting brand identityPartnerships, collaborations and experiential marketingThe future of the premium gin category This episode is especially valuable for premium food & drink brands looking to stand out in crowded markets, strengthen brand positioning, and create deeper customer loyalty. If you’re building a premium brand, this episode will change the way you think about storytelling, experience and growth. LINKS & RESOURCES: Follow @salcombegin and explore their luxurious spirits.Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for digital marketing strategies, templates, and supportWant tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with KateFollow @kwmarketinguk for food & drink marketing insights, email tips & digital strategy If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder building their brand — we love seeing how you're fuelling your growth 🔥

Brands don’t stall in Q4. They stall in Q2… and only realise it later. While many food & drink brands wait until peak season to scale, smart brands use Q2 to build the foundations that drive predictable growth later in the year. In Episode 21 of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, we break down what food & drink brands should actually be focusing on between April and June - what to test, where to invest, and what to stop wasting money on before Q4 arrives. Because when peak season hits, it’s too late to fix your foundations. Here’s what we cover: Why Q2 is the most important growth window for food & drink brands Why creative is now the biggest performance driver (not targeting) How bundles can increase AOV by 15–30% Why selling occasions converts better than selling products The biggest wasted spend we’re seeing right now Why acquiring new customers in Q4 is often the wrong strategy Why testing now leads to stronger Q4 performance This episode is especially useful for food & drink brands doing £20K–£100K per month who want more predictable, profitable growth heading into peak season. If you're planning for Q4, this episode is your Q2 roadmap. LINKS & RESOURCES: Buy your #FUELLIVE tickets here!Download our free guide: The Email Playbook - How one food & drink brand made £56.7K in email sales (with no extra ad spend!)Ready to level up? Join the Food Marketing Club for more email strategies and support.Need help with marketing? Book a Strategy Call with Kate Subscribe, share, and leave us a review if this episode made you rethink your strategy and tag us @kwmarketinguk to join the conversation.

In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food & Drink Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Harriet, Co-Founder and Marketing Director of Penrhos Spirits - a beautifully British farm-led gin brand turning wonky fruit into premium spirits. What started as a farming problem, £30,000 worth of unsellable strawberries, became the foundation for a challenger gin brand now stocked nationally in Sainsbury’s, sold across Amazon and travel retail, and recognised for its pioneering recycled aluminium packaging. Harriet shares the honest story behind building a spirits brand from a family farm in Herefordshire, navigating one of the most competitive categories in food and drink, and the reality of scaling when your product suddenly lands on 400 supermarket shelves. We spoke about: The Penrhos origin story - how a surplus of fruit sparked the idea for a gin brandWhy provenance, transparency and “price with justification” matter more than everStanding out in the crowded gin categoryWhat really happens after landing a national retail listingThe moment Penrhos aired its first Sky TV advert (and what it did for sales)Community-led marketing: farm tours, “Sip & Walk” experiences and founder storytellingThe realities of scaling a family business - from big wins to “can we actually sustain this?” momentsWhy collaborations, partnerships and email marketing are powerful growth levers for challenger brands If you're building a food or drink brand right now, particularly in a competitive category, this episode is packed with real founder insight on how to grow while staying true to your brand! LINKS & RESOURCES: Follow @penrhosspirits and explore their premium spirits.Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for digital marketing strategies, templates, and supportWant tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with KateFollow @kwmarketinguk for food & drink marketing insights, email tips & digital strategy If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder building their brand — we love seeing how you're fuelling your growth 🔥

Email has been declared “dead” more times than we can count. But inside strong eCommerce food & drink brands? It’s still driving 25-40% of total revenue, and often the highest margin revenue too. In Episode 19 of Fuelling Foodies, we go deep into what’s actually converting in 2026 and why email remains the most controllable, profitable channel you own. Here’s what we cover: Why “email is dead” is one of the most damaging myths in eCommerceOwned audience vs rented audience (and why it matters more than ever)The 30% Revenue Rule - what to fix if you’re not hitting itThe highest-converting flows: Welcome, Abandoned Cart & the most overlooked revenue driver…Why repeat customers spend 65–70% more than new customersAutomation vs broadcasting (and how to use both properly)Strategic list growth: giveaways, downloadable assets & capture-first thinking We’ll show you how to build an email marketing strategy that increases revenue, improves retention, and turns first-time buyers into repeat customers. Because if email isn’t driving 30%+ of your revenue, it’s not built properly. LINKS & RESOURCES: Download our free guide: The Email Playbook - How one food & drink brand made £56.7K in email sales (with no extra ad spend!)Ready to level up? Join the Food Marketing Club for more email strategies and support.Need help with marketing? Book a Strategy Call with Kate Subscribe, share, and leave us a review if this episode made you rethink your strategy and tag us @kwmarketinguk to join the conversation.

Non-alcoholic wine is one of the fastest-growing categories in food & drink, but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. In this episode of Fuelling Foodies, Kate sits down with Fiona & Alex, founders of Vino Zero, to unpack what’s really happening inside the non-alc wine space, from quality and consumer scepticism to explosive category growth and bold founder decisions. From landing their first four pallets to supplying major hospitality venues and high-profile events, this is the inside story of building credibility in a rapidly evolving market. Here’s what we cover: The real reason non-alcoholic wine is booming (and why it’s not a fad)Taste, trust & winning over sceptical consumersThe quality shift: what changed?Building a multi-channel business across wholesale, trade & e-commerce.Founder lessons: fast decisions, long-distance partnership & scaling in a new categoryOur hot take: Will non-alcoholic outperform traditional alcohol in 2026? If you’re building in a fast-growth category, navigating consumer behaviour shifts, or watching the rise of the sober-curious movement… this episode is essential listening. LINKS & RESOURCES: Follow @vinozerouk and explore their non-alcoholic wines.Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for digital marketing strategies, templates, and supportWant tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with KateFollow @kwmarketinguk for food & drink marketing insights, email tips & digital strategy If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a founder who’s planning a product launch this year 🔥

Launching a new product is risky, especially in snacking. In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Louise, Founder of Popcorn Kitchen, to unpack the real story behind the launch of Crunch Corn - from spotting white space in the savoury snacking market to building momentum in Q1 and beyond. This is a founder-level conversation about innovation, timing, and what actually matters when you’re expanding into a new category, without losing what made your brand successful in the first place. Here’s what we cover: How a trip to Seville inspired Crunch Corn, and why big, bold, savoury snacks were the opportunity.Entering a new snacking category when your brand is known for gifting and sweet popcorn.Consumer insight over hype: why size, crunch and flavour clarity mattered more than trends.Early launch feedback from farm shops, pubs and DTC, and what surprised Louise mostRetail vs DTC strategy and how Popcorn Kitchen approached distributionThe power of tastings, real-time feedback, and learning fastHot take: why most brands launch new products at the wrong time If you’re a food & drink founder planning a launch, expanding your range, or thinking about how to grow beyond your core bestseller, this episode is packed with honest insight and real-world lessons. LINKS & RESOURCES: Follow @popcornkitchen and explore Crunch CornJoin the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for digital marketing strategies, templates, and supportWant tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with KateFollow @kwmarketinguk for food & drink marketing insights, email tips & digital strategy If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a founder who’s planning a product launch this year 🔥

January is loud. Predictions. Hot takes. New “rules” every week. But heading into 2026, what we’re seeing across food & drink brands isn’t noise - it’s pressure. Pressure to grow. Pressure to be everywhere. Pressure from founders who’ve done the “right” things… and still aren’t seeing the results. So in this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, we're cutting through the chaos to share what we see first-hand inside real food & drink businesses - what’s actually working now, what’s quietly stopped working, and how smart brands are building stronger foundations for 2026 and beyond. This is a no-fluff Marketing Mastery episode focused on quality growth, not loud growth. In this episode, we cover:Why paid ads are no longer a safety net in 2026, and what food brands need in place before spending a poundThe shift from loud growth to quality growth, and why traffic, reach, and virality don’t equal profitHow email marketing becomes your strongest revenue channel through retention, lifetime value, and post-purchase journeysWhy trust is now a performance metric, not a brand “nice to have”What trust looks like in practice: founder-led content, organic social, stories, and smarter influencer use If you’re feeling overwhelmed by platforms, trends, and advice, and want clarity on where to focus your energy in 2026, this is the episode for you. LINKS & RESOURCES: Read our 2026 Marketing Trends blog!Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for TikTok strategies, templates, and content ideasWant tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with KateFollow @kwmarketinguk for TikTok, content, and food & drink marketing tips If this episode inspired you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder - we love seeing how you’re fuelling your growth 🔥

Taking on the giants of big food isn’t easy… but that’s exactly what Paul Brown did. In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Paul Brown, founder of BOL Foods, to unpack how he turned bold decisions into one of the most exciting growth stories in food & drink. Here’s what we cover: The BOL origin story - where it all started, the mission behind the brand, and the pivotal moment that led to going fully plant-basedRepositioning the brand overnight - the decision to remove all meat, fish, and dairy, how the team responded, and why bold moves matterScaling with values intact - growing fast without losing authenticity, becoming an “energised lifestyle brand,” and keeping purpose and profitability alignedThe rise of Power Shakes - spotting the nutritionally complete meal trend early and building a category-leading rangeDisrupting big food - why BOL is still growing while the wider plant-based category declines, and what other brands are getting wrongUPFs & consumer trust - Paul’s stance on ultra-processed foods and how BOL balances convenience with clean, whole ingredientsHot takes from the founder’s seat - the moments where risk turned into game-changing reward, and what every founder can learn from them If you’re building a food & drink brand that wants to innovate, stand out, and scale with integrity… this episode is one you’ll want to take notes on. LINKS & RESOURCES: Learn more about BOL FoodsJoin the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for digital marketing strategies, templates, and supportWant tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with KateFollow @kwmarketinguk for food & drink marketing insights, email tips & digital strategy If this episode inspired you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder - it helps us fuel even more foodies 🔥

TikTok isn’t about going viral anymore... it’s about creating content that sells. In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Laura and Phoebe to break down the TikTok Formula that food & drink brands are using right now to build reach, community, and revenue. Here’s what we cover: Why TikTok still wins for food brands: discovery, community, authenticity, and why follower growth no longer mattersThe winning content formula (HOOK → VALUE → PROOF → CTA) and how to structure videos that actually convertEntertainment Score: why entertaining content generates 4.5x more reach and outperforms traditional product push videosWhat to post (and how often) without burning out - from lo-fi content to batching, content pillars, and keyword-first captionsHashtags are dead: how TikTok’s search-first algorithm actually works in 2025 & beyondTurning views into revenue: TikTok Shop, linking strategies, pixels, and creator partnerships that drive 3x more viewsOur hot takes: real campaigns from real food brands that generated actual sales (not just likes) If you’ve been trying to figure out why your TikTok isn’t converting or how to use it to grow your food brand... this episode is a must-listen! LINKS & RESOURCES: Join the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly hub for TikTok strategies, templates, and content ideasWant tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with KateFollow @kwmarketinguk for TikTok, content and food & drink marketing tips If this episode inspired you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder - we love seeing how you’re fuelling your growth 🔥

Mission isn’t just a buzzword - it’s the backbone of great marketing. In this episode of Fuelling Foodies: The Food Marketing Podcast, Kate sits down with Amy from Hunter & Gather about building a purpose-led brand that drives genuine community and commercial results. Here’s what we cover: The Hunter & Gather story: from education-first platform to avocado mayo & oil, and a cross-category rangeHow to turn values into packaging, storytelling, and campaigns that convertThe commercial power of purpose: loyalty, community, and margin upsidesCommunity in action: the Hunter & Gather “Tribe” shaping products and advocacyScaling authentically: team of 30, quarterly self-reflection, and navigating investmentOmnichannel done right: website, Amazon, Tesco, Holland & Barrett, BootsHot take: the challenger campaign that pulled millions of views (and a cease & desist) If you’ve ever wondered how to turn “purpose” into a true growth driver, this conversation is a must-listen. LINKS & RESOURCES: Learn more about Hunter & GatherJoin the Food Marketing Club for just £57/month - your monthly support hub for growing your food brand with purposeWant tailored strategy support? Book a Strategy Call with KateFollow @kwmarketinguk for more food & drink marketing tips If this episode inspired you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow founder - we love seeing how you’re fuelling your growth 🔥