About NEll head food launch expert
Helping food start-ups succeed is my mission
Most food and drink founders start with a spark.
A recipe friends keep asking for. A product people say you should sell. A feeling that maybe this could become something real.
What no one tells you is how complex the journey becomes once you try to take that idea beyond your kitchen. Regulations, packaging, production, shelf life, margins, retailers and timelines. Every step comes with decisions that feel bigger and riskier than expected.
When you’re building this alongside a day job, family commitments, and limited budget, the pressure can feel heavy.
I know that world well, because I’ve spent more than twenty years inside it.
My Career
My journey began in food and drink product development, bringing products from concept through manufacturing and onto supermarket shelves.
Over the years, I’ve worked across manufacturing, retail, and consultancy, helping launch hundreds of products, from supermarket own-label lines to major branded ranges.
I’ve seen what makes products succeed. I’ve seen where launches go wrong, and I’ve worked alongside founders taking their very first steps into an industry that rarely explains itself clearly.
My Belief
It isn’t the number of products launched, it’s how founders feel during the journey!
Most don’t need more pressure or jargon. They need honest guidance, practical clarity, and someone who can help them see what really matters, and what doesn’t need to keep them awake at night.
Most small food and drink business owners don’t need more pressure or jargon. They need honest guidance, practical clarity, and someone who can help them see what really matters, and what doesn’t need to keep them awake at night.
Approach
My approach is simple: keep the consumer and the commercial reality at the heart of every decision. Help founders avoid expensive detours. Turn overwhelm into clear next steps. And build products that are set up for real success, not just launch-day excitement.
Because great food and drink ideas deserve to make it into people’s lives.
I firmly believe founders deserve support that makes the journey feel possible, not exhausting.
That’s the work I stand for.
If you’re at the beginning of this journey, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Credentials
Bsc Hons Food and Consumer Science
(Inc. Product development, nutrition, marketing, commercials, brand design)
25 years working in product development across the food and drink industry
360 degree experience from working within food manufacturing, food retail and as a consultant working with start-ups on a budget.
Roles:
- Director - Food and Drink Consultancy for start-ups
- Product Development Manager
- Brand Manager
- Innovation Project Manager
- Food Technologist