It's the season finale and Julia is joined by Kevin Yu, founder and CEO of SideChef, a home-cooking platform and provider of shoppable recipes. They talk about the role of recipe inspiration as a driver of sales in grocery, making it easier for consumers to figure out what's for dinner and how recipe and meal planning habits are changing due to the cost-of-living crisis. Plus, they discuss how recipes can encourage people to waste less and adopt more sustainable food habits, the evolving...

Julia is joined by Vishal Patel, co-founder of Sollasa, an up-and-coming spirits brand developed specifically to go with Indian food. Vishal is also investment director at Distill Ventures. He talks to Julia about the growth in low and no alcohol options and what's behind young people moderating their drinking, his journey with Sollasa and why he’s pursuing a food-first strategy for his brand, how to justify the price of lower-alcohol options vis-à-vis full-strength drinks - and the ongoing...

Julia is joined by Ronen Givon, CEO of REKKI, the mobile ordering app for chefs. Ronen created REKKI after spending 10 years running restaurants in London (he was one of the founders of Hummus Bros), where he saw first hand how little grasp many chefs have on their food costs. He talks to Julia about how to make independent restaurants profitable, which ingredients are trending on his platform (and what's getting harder to source), the changing cultural role of restaurants - and why 'menu...

Julia is joined by Ann Perkins, founder and MD of healthy snacking brand Perkier. Ann shares why she's passionate about moving the health debate on from calories, her take on the opportunities and challenges arising from the cost-of-living crisis and HFSS and how to navigate the dangers of greenwashing. Plus, how to use social media listening to inform the NPD process. Articles discussed by Ann and Julia: Last chance to give views on controversial menu calorie count plans | STV News What...

Julia is joined by George Dymond, chief executive officer of Planet Organic. They talk about George's quest to 'right-size' Planet Organic and expand its store estate, including outside London, and how he is modernising its supply chain. Plus, George reflects on how the cost-of-living crisis is likely to affect the organic sector and Planet Organic specifically, the flight to value along with a flight to quality, the importance of bringing fun to healthy eating - and why he is drawn to...

Julia is joined by Cashain David, founder of up-and-coming rum brand Kromanti Distillery & Blending House. Cashain talks to Julia about why he started a rum brand after living most of his life as a teetotaler, the importance of recentering the narrative around rum, moving the category beyond tropes of pirates and parties on the beach, and the need a more diverse and authentic range of stories about its history and heritage. Plus, he shares how he approached defining his company's values...

Julia is joined by Louise Hoste, managing director of Spar UK. They talk about the convenience sector during and after Covid, adjusting ranges to serve new convenience shopper missions, opportunities around home delivery, the challenges of HFSS and the cost-of-living crisis and lessons from the fashion industry on circularity. Plus, Louise shares how the pandemic changed her as a business leader and why she's so impressed with the convenience sector in the Netherlands. Articles discussed...

Julia is joined by Barry Clogan, chief product officer at Wynshop and former head of international grocery online at Tesco. They talk about online grocery after Covid (what does the drop-off in post-lockdown really tell us?), the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on online shopping behaviour, the importance of acquiring the right online customers and what the recent challenges in the rapid delivery sector tell us about the future of quick commerce. Articles discussed in this...

The Pick List is back for season 6 and Julia is joined by Chris White, MD and founder of creative agency This Way Up. They talk about how design can help brands communicate their health credentials, the impact of the delay on HFSS regulations on health-focused brands, the fast-changing design language of the plant-based category, the opportunities and pitfalls for brands around purpose, and more. Articles discussed in this episode: What are consumers looking for in plant-based products? |...

Julia is joined by Pev Manners, managing director of Belvoir Farm, the brand of cordials, sparkling drinks and botanical sodas. From its beginnings on farm in the early 80s, Belvoir Farm has grown rapidly and continues to launch innovative NPD while staying true to its values on sustainability and quality ingredients. More recently, the brand has been pushing into the ‘no and low’ sector and ramping up its efforts in exports markets, so Pev shares what opportunities he sees in these areas...

Julia is joined by Jane McKay, founder of Astute Ideas, a consultancy that works with food and drink startups and SMEs. Now based in Bristol, Jane spent 10 years in the US, where she co-founded an award-winning spice company called Zen of Slow Cooking. She talks to Julia about the fantastic growth many food & drink startups experienced during the pandemic and how to maintain growth now that we’re facing a cost-of-living crisis. Plus, she shares what UK brands tend to get wrong about...

Julia is joined by Spencer Price, co-founder and CEO of Halla, a US-based tech startup working to bring greater personalisation to online grocery shopping. Spencer talks about Halla’s plans for international expansion and the opportunities he sees in the UK, the challenges of product discovery in online grocery and how retailers can get much smarter about substitutions. Plus, they chat about the “Amazonification of Whole Foods”, balancing personalisation with privacy concerns – and jellied...

Julia is joined by Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, a startup that's developed technology to help brands and retailers tag and trace their plastic packaging. Alice shares her perspective on the problems with our current recycling system and the lack of data on what happens with packaging once the product has been consumed. Plus, she talks to Julia about what to expect from Deposit Return Schemes, Extended Producer Responsibility and the new UN plastic waste treaty - and why the QR code is...

Julia is joined by Angelica Camacho-González, trade specialist at ProColombia UK. Angelica helps Colombian food producers understand the UK market and make the most of export opportunities here. Colombia is well known as an exporter of bananas and coffee, but there is so much more to the country and its food sector. Angelica talks about the growth in Colombian avocados and efforts to bring new exotic fruit and added-value food products to the UK market. Plus, she shares her perspective on...

Julia is joined by Tom Gill, head of sustainability at agri-food consultancy Promar International. Tom is an expert in sustainability and environmental footprinting who works with major retailers and agri-food companies on carbon footprinting and sustainability strategy. He talks to Julia about the challenges and opportunities around carbon, the different environmental labelling schemes that are coming to market and the dangers of zombie data when making sustainability claims. Articles...

Julia is joined by Darren Nickels, retail technology operations director at Henderson Technology. An expert in retail tech and convenience retail, Darren shares his view on the big trends shaping the convenience sector in the wake of Covid, from hybrid working to rapid delivery and checkout-less shopping, and how tech is helping independent retailers adapt to new shopping habits.  Articles discussed by Darren and Julia: Amazon and Getir home delivery threat | Better Retailing City...

Julia is joined by Hannah McCollum, founder of the ChicP brand of hummus and veggie bites and a campaigner on food waste. Hannah talks to Julia about how working in the catering and events industry as a private chef left her appalled at the levels of food waste she saw. She explains how this experience inspired her to create ChicP, her top tips for encouraging consumers to waste less, and the challenges of creating change and making your voice heard on food waste and sustainable packaging...

Julia is joined by Jack Scott, co-founder of Dash Water. Having just secured a fresh round of investment and appointed a new chairman, Jack shares what’s next for Dash and why DTC is a key focus for the brand. Plus, he talks about how his farming background inspired a passion for fighting food waste and why Dash has started adding its carbon footprint to cans. Jack also shares some great tips and tricks for holding your own in a category dominated by big suppliers and getting cut-through with...

Julia is joined by Rich Clothier, managing director of Wyke Farms. Rich is known for his passion for sustainability and recently created a carbon-neutral cheddar for Lidl’s own-label range. He has also just launched his own carbon-neutral cheddar brand, Ivy’s Reserve. He talks to Julia about consumer appetite for products with carbon and other sustainability claims, the importance of robust accreditation and certification, and creating a sustainable dairy industry that’s fit for the...

Julia is joined by Jason Geary, master baker and executive director at Geary’s Bakeries and the Jason behind the ‘Jason’s Sourdough’ brand. He tells Julia why he’s on a mission to change the way Brits think about bread and make great-quality bread (particularly sourdough) accessible to more people. Plus, he shares how taking inspiration from the craft beer boom helped him open retail buyers’ eyes to the opportunity in craft bread, NPD trends for 2022, tapping into the gut health trend and...

Julia is joined by Olly Kohn, one of the founders of The Jolly Hog brand of bacon and sausages. Olly is also a former professional rugby player who used to play for Harlequins. He tells Julia how and why he transitioned from a career in rugby to running a food brand with his two brothers and how his experience as a professional sportsman shaped his attitude towards risk-taking and learning in public. Plus, he shares how The Jolly Hog has coped in the face of supply chain disruption, why...

Julia is joined by Helen Burgess, founder and director of Little Cooks Co, a monthly recipe box for kids. Helen used to work in government as a senior civil servant, including at the Cabinet Office and Number 10, but has long been passionate about food and nutrition. She is a registered nutritionist and founded Little Cooks Co because she wanted to do her bit to get children excited about healthy, nutritious food and develop key cooking skills. She talks to Julia about her concerns about...

Julia is joined by Laura Harnett, founder and CEO of Seep, a brand of sustainable, plastic-free household essentials. Laura started her career as a buyer at Compass Group; she then worked as a consultant for many years as well as at retailers including Selfridges. She decided to launch Seep after getting annoyed with the lack of plastic-free options in the household essentials aisle. Because, as Laura explains, while eco-friendly cleaning products are a growing market, there still aren’t...

Julia is joined by Paul Hargreaves, founder and CEO of Cotswold Fayre, a wholesaler of speciality and fine foods. Paul is passionate about business with purpose. He is the author of a book on how to create a better world through purpose-driven business, called Forces for Good, and recently published a second book about compassionate leadership, called the Fourth Bottom Line. His own company is a certified B Corp, and Paul shares how having a clear, common purpose across the business has...