Tell us more about your company
We’re commercial category consultants to the food and drink industry. We help our clients find growth within their categories, across channels and customers by ultimately fulfilling a consumer need in a new or differentiated way. Our consulting work is founded on a commercial understanding of our clients’ businesses, resulting in outcomes that are relevant, realistic, and actionable. Our work often involves category data and consumer insights, leveraging our expertise in identifying commercially essential insights and data amongst reams and reams of nice-to-have reports.
What are your businesses goals for the upcoming year?
Well this year happens to be our 30th birthday! A core focus for this year will be continuing to build our great team. We’re currently hiring for an insight analyst and we’re passionate about bringing new entrants into the food and drink industry. We’re signed up to the Tasty Careers initiative, ran by the National Skills Academy, and want to see more people enter the industry as career of choice not chance.
What future challenges do you see for the Welsh food and drink sector?
Costs are rising across the board for Welsh food and drink producers, from ingredients to packaging to new legislation. It’s going to be a really challenging environment for producers but there are a number of actions businesses can take to give themselves the best chance of success, which includes really knowing their numbers, knowing their category and preparing for negotiations.
What advice would you offer entrants to the awards?
Entering the awards will give you a chance to look at the business and make some assessments. Use it as an opportunity to look at your strengths as a business and what you do well, but also see where improvements can be made. This will help to provide you with a competitive advantage and win more awards in the future.
What do you think are the most important qualities for success in business?
Adaptability – The current business environment is unpredictable and can give us all a sense of unease. Being able to adapt means you can be flexible in the face of change by assessing a situation, considering what change is needed and quickly acting upon it.
Resilience – Times are tough and business resilience has never been more important. Being able to bounce back from difficult situations will allow us to keep moving forward.
Be consumer led – When making any decision in business we should always keep the consumer front of mind, informed by insight. This also means having a strong understanding of our competition and our category, something we help our clients with on a day-to-day basis.
Quick fire round:
– Welshcakes or Welsh rarebit?
Rarebit
– Beef or lamb?
Lamb
– Coast or mountains?
Coast
– Bread of Heaven or Sosban fach?
Sosban Fach
– Rugby or Football?
Rugby
