HUNGRY.

Tarquin Leadbetter dives into his absolutely genius strategy of focusing on local brand building in Cornwall, capturing the seasonal tourist market, and gradually expanding nationally. He describes how he used a regional focus to market cost-effectively across the UK—a concept he calls the "Doom Bar effect" - based on the small brewery born on the North Cornish coast that scaled to become the UK's best selling cask and bottled ale.Key Takeaways: you can market to a national audience on a local Levelmarket locally and then follow everyone back to their homebrand awareness builds meek fans  Espresso is proudly powered by our sponsor, Unleashed!📦 1. Wait…what is Unleashed?Unleashed is inventory management software – but not the boring kind. It doesn’t just track stock...it connects seamlessly with your finance tools, eCom platforms, and CRM. That means one smooth system from sales to stock to cash. We use it daily at Islands, and honestly? Total game changer.🍴 2. Why foodie founders love itUnleashed helps you slash admin time and stay laser-focused on your margins. Know exactly where your costs are, what’s selling, and how your cash flow's looking (because yes, cash is still king).🚀 3. Trusted by the best in FMCGFrom Candy Kittens and Tiny Rebel to TRIP, Tarquin’s Gin, Three Spirit, Minor Figures, The Turmeric Co., and Volcano Coffee - some of your favourite challenger brands are scaling with Unleashed. If they’re using it, you know it’s the real deal. 📅 4. Fancy a chat?Book a quick call with the Unleashed team here 👉 https://calendly.com/unleashed-sales-team/discovery-call-with-unleashed-hungry🎁 5. Try it for lessGet 50% off your first 3 months if you choose to subscribe. You’ll wonder how you ever managed without it 👉 https://www.unleashedsoftware.com/ ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here 🍲 🤝 Let's Connect!►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/)►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

In 2018, Jeremy Pang built a HUGE cookery school, School of Wok in Covent GardenSo huge, so forward thinking Tesco , Sainsbury's , Waitrose & Partners come knocking.Suddenly, School of Wok launches into 1200 storesHappy days? Right? Well, that’s when it started to go wrong (all revealed in our conversation) Thankfully,Jeremy Pang is a total legend. Relentlessly resourceful. Go getter-grafter. Deal maker. Grit-graft, twist-turn, plot-pivot, Jez, got School of Wok back on it’s feetCharlie Munger: Wisdom is PreventionOur chinwag is a Cautionary Grocery TaleListen slowly, soak in quickly We also chatter: how China town changed, the rise of asian cuisine in London, sales tactics, building a massive Youtube Channel, Portuguese influence on Asian food ON THE MENU: 1. The Subtle Art of Wangling Free Stuff: what are their BENEFITS + what are my asks?2. Two Golden Challenger Sales Rules: What’s their victory speech + how do we make our buyer famous3. The Simple Challenger Principle: Make as money as you can, spend as little as you can 6. How School of Wok got traction with No budget: Do Things That Don’t Scale 7. How to do MASSIVE Brand deals: Use your specific knowledge to fill specific gaps 8. Outside The Box Thinking to Maximise Trade Shows on a TINY budget: where can we add theatre? 9. Gokwan’s Business Secrets: know your audience, know your customer, know your product 10. Why the Industry narrative “buyers are the be all and end all” is totally WRONG11. The Art of Creative Strategy: Creativity + constraint = Simplicity in Complexity12. Redbull Effect + Brand Frame: We need Anthropology > Economics 12. What ACTUALLY is MORE for your brand? Don’t go into grocery if it doesn’t stick to your values  ==============================================🌟 HUNGRY's Absolutely Bloody Marvelous Sponsors🌟=============================================►North Star: (www.northstarbc.co.uk)  Get your FREE 30min Consultancy Session with North Star 👉 https://calendly.com/andy-northstar/free-30mins-with-north-star-team---------------------------------🤝 Let's Connect!►Let's link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/)►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/) 

 Espresso is proudly powered by our sponsor, Unleashed!📦 1. Wait…what is Unleashed?Unleashed is inventory management software – but not the boring kind. It doesn’t just track stock...it connects seamlessly with your finance tools, eCom platforms, and CRM. That means one smooth system from sales to stock to cash. We use it daily at Islands, and honestly? Total game changer.🍴 2. Why foodie founders love itUnleashed helps you slash admin time and stay laser-focused on your margins. Know exactly where your costs are, what’s selling, and how your cash flow's looking (because yes, cash is still king).🚀 3. Trusted by the best in FMCGFrom Candy Kittens and Tiny Rebel to TRIP, Tarquin’s Gin, Three Spirit, Minor Figures, The Turmeric Co., and Volcano Coffee - some of your favourite challenger brands are scaling with Unleashed. If they’re using it, you know it’s the real deal. 📅 4. Fancy a chat?Book a quick call with the Unleashed team here 👉 https://calendly.com/unleashed-sales-team/discovery-call-with-unleashed-hungry🎁 5. Try it for lessGet 50% off your first 3 months if you choose to subscribe. You’ll wonder how you ever managed without it 👉 https://www.unleashedsoftware.com/ ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here 🍲 🤝 Let's Connect!►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/)►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

Tarquins are a brand I adore. A brand who followed no “rules”.Tarquin turned beautifully constrained budgets from headwind to tailwindThey’ve built a WHOPPAAA business, by not focusing on London.Distribution Density> Distribution BreadthBrand Depth > Brand AwarenessDie Hard Fans> Meek FansLOVED this episode. ON THE MENU:The Prudent Path to Profitability: Why Founders must OBSESS with the path to profitability “Giles Brook you don’t have a business if you can’t hit 40% gross margin”How Tarquin Mastered the Art of Timing: Timing is Tailwind, but you need to be in the water to catch the waveSell, Sell, Sell: How Tarquin got the brand off the ground hustling to pubs in CornwallDistribution Density: Why Tarquins constrained their distribution to Cornwall for 5 yearsSeth Godin’s Purple Die in Swimming Pool vs Ocean: why Tarquins opened 7 retail stores Brand Depth > Brand AwarenessThe Doombar Effect: how to market to a national audience on a local levelMargot Robbie & Pimms: 4 Ways Tarquin would reinvent Pimms to make it BOOT OFF in USA and AustraliaPermission marketing: How Tarquins use email to build a HUGEEEE D2C channelWhy momentum solves a lot of problemsPerry Haydn Taylor Packvertising: Why Tarquins focused all their beautifully constrained budgets on the bottle ==============================================🌟 HUNGRY's Absolutely Bloody Marvelous Sponsors🌟=============================================►North Star: (www.northstarbc.co.uk)  Get your FREE 30min Consultancy Session with North Star 👉 https://calendly.com/andy-northstar/free-30mins-with-north-star-team---------------------------------🤝 Let's Connect!►Let's link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/)►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/) 

 Espresso is proudly powered by our sponsor, Unleashed!📦 1. Wait…what is Unleashed?Unleashed is inventory management software – but not the boring kind. It doesn’t just track stock...it connects seamlessly with your finance tools, eCom platforms, and CRM. That means one smooth system from sales to stock to cash. We use it daily at Islands, and honestly? Total game changer.🍴 2. Why foodie founders love itUnleashed helps you slash admin time and stay laser-focused on your margins. Know exactly where your costs are, what’s selling, and how your cash flow's looking (because yes, cash is still king).🚀 3. Trusted by the best in FMCGFrom Candy Kittens and Tiny Rebel to TRIP, Tarquin’s Gin, Three Spirit, Minor Figures, The Turmeric Co., and Volcano Coffee - some of your favourite challenger brands are scaling with Unleashed. If they’re using it, you know it’s the real deal. 📅 4. Fancy a chat?Book a quick call with the Unleashed team here 👉 https://calendly.com/unleashed-sales-team/discovery-call-with-unleashed-hungry🎁 5. Try it for lessGet 50% off your first 3 months if you choose to subscribe. You’ll wonder how you ever managed without it 👉 https://www.unleashedsoftware.com/ ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here 🍲 🤝 Let's Connect!►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/)►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

I remember the day with marble-polished clarity. The day I sodomised my first Black Bear BurgerBrixton. 2020.  In the strangled-mangled shackles lockdown, at my mates on Efra road.A celestial chubby steaming parcel of joy arrived. Lip-smackingly, soul-spankingly, face-melting YUM.My fave Burgus in London, and Stew is an absolute GON THE MENU:Packvertising Genius: How Black Bear Burger turned their Deliveroo packaging into a Storytelling MachineSurviving Crispy Chips Crisis: How BBB solved the customers problems BEFORE they existedThe Simple Reframe Behind Why Black Bear Burger worked at Exmouth Market when Dirty Burger failed - we are a restaurant that sells burgers NOT a burger restaurantThe Beer Sommelier Rule: Focus on the thing you’re competition can’t to STAND OUT - why BBB Focus on the Sides.A Master Class in Persistence: The dark grit of street food market and BBB blagged their way into BoxParkBattle vs Boredom: How to push through the tedium of persistenceWhy HipPop Is the greatest music to eat burgers too = layers + layers that, warmth and connection added to your burger  ==============================================🌟 HUNGRY's Absolutely Bloody Marvelous Sponsors🌟==============================================A massive shoutout to our incredible sponsors who make HUNGRY possible: 🍜Use Uber Eats code: KOYAKO40 to get 40% off (up to 15£) when you spend at least 20£ ►North Star: (www.northstarbc.co.uk)  Get your FREE 30min Consultancy Session with North Star 👉 https://calendly.com/andy-northstar/free-30mins-with-north-star-team🤝 Let's Connect!►Let's link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/)►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  

 Espresso is proudly powered by our sponsor, Unleashed!📦 1. Wait…what is Unleashed?Unleashed is inventory management software – but not the boring kind. It doesn’t just track stock...it connects seamlessly with your finance tools, eCom platforms, and CRM. That means one smooth system from sales to stock to cash. We use it daily at Islands, and honestly? Total game changer.🍴 2. Why foodie founders love itUnleashed helps you slash admin time and stay laser-focused on your margins. Know exactly where your costs are, what’s selling, and how your cash flow's looking (because yes, cash is still king).🚀 3. Trusted by the best in FMCGFrom Candy Kittens and Tiny Rebel to TRIP, Tarquin’s Gin, Three Spirit, Minor Figures, The Turmeric Co., and Volcano Coffee - some of your favourite challenger brands are scaling with Unleashed. If they’re using it, you know it’s the real deal. 📅 4. Fancy a chat?Book a quick call with the Unleashed team here 👉 https://calendly.com/unleashed-sales-team/discovery-call-with-unleashed-hungry🎁 5. Try it for lessGet 50% off your first 3 months if you choose to subscribe. You’ll wonder how you ever managed without it 👉 https://www.unleashedsoftware.com/ ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here 🍲 🤝 Let's Connect!►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/)►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

Seth Godin, a renowned author and marketing expert, dives deep into the art of branding and storytelling in the food industry. He discusses the battle between innovative brands like Tony’s Chocolonely and giants like Cadbury, emphasizing the importance of choosing the right customers. Godin critiques the coffee landscape, contrasting Nespresso and Starbucks and advocating for empathy in marketing. He also highlights why functional foods are trending and how authentic storytelling fosters genuine connections with consumers.

  

Listen to the full episode here