247. Richard Peake, MD at Merchant Gourmet: Growing with Disruption and Quality

Richard Peake is the Managing Director at Merchant Gourmet, a British Foods company founded 30 years ago with a strong focus on making an impact through their healthy, nutritious and quality-oriented product. He joins the show to reflect on how Food brands can still find growth if they have the right vision and execution, how he’s developed his career and his thoughts on how to have a functional company culture.

Topics covered:

• Career background from big FMCG to category disruptors
• His approach to business and bringing some process to fast growth
• How they’ve positioned Merchant Gourmet as a genuine brand with a focus on quality and a strong in-store execution
• Bringing innovation and fun into non-sexy product categories
• How to delight Retail buyers to break into the aisle
• Balancing commercial growth with sustainability and ethical leadership