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Brand Growth Heroes

Brand Growth Heroes

By: Fiona Fitz | Brand Growth Heroes Mini MBA |
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Brand Growth Heroes ranks in the top 1.5% of ALL podcasts globally. With +25 years' experience working for brand giants and as coach to over 400 challenger brand founders, Fiona Fitz asks the questions you need the answers to from the founders of wildly successful consumer goods brands driving transformational growth.Copyright Fiona Fitz Consulting Ltd. Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Mother Root's £16M Secret Growth Equation | Bethan Higson & Alice Gallsworthy

    Mother Root's £16M Secret Growth Equation | Bethan Higson & Alice Gallsworthy
    May 26 2026
    In this episode of Brand Growth Heroes, I’m joined by founder Bethan Higson and Alice Gallsworthy of Mother Root. Get this: Mother Root is already the UK’s number one non-alcoholic spirit brand in terms of revenue driven per product. Whoah.So what's the deal? This ginger-based non-alcoholic aperitif is different to most playing in food and beverage, as it only has one core SKU, but an incredibly powerful DTC growth engine. Even though it's the UK's No1 non-alc spirit, it still only has around 6–7% distribution - talk about headroom for growth!As you might imagine, Bethan and Alice are incredibly clear on the choices that created their growth. We talk about why they stopped trying to do everything, how they went all-in on DTC, how customer interviews and jobs-to-be-done thinking shaped their marketing, and why the product itself delivers something so many non-alcoholic drinks miss: flavour, ritual, heat, length and a real adult drinking moment. We also get into team building, finding the right second-in-command, launching into the US, and why operations has to scale at the same rate as marketing if you don’t want the business to break.What You’ll Learn How Mother Root grew from around £1.5M to £15–16M run rate. Why focus on one channel helped build a repeatable and scalable growth model. How jobs-to-be-done customer interviews shaped Mother Root’s digital marketing. Why the non-alcoholic drinks consumer is not necessarily the Gen Z sober-curious stereotype. How Bethan and Alice think about hiring, operations, US expansion and scaling without breaking the business. Why AI is part of EVERY part of the working day at Mother RootKey Topics Discussed Mother Root’s growth from early-stage brand to £15–16M run rate Building a challenger brand with one core SKU The evening drink ritual and the role of non-alcoholic drinks Ginger, apple cider vinegar, slow burn and flavour architecture Choosing where to play and walking away from distracting channels Building a DTC growth engine Paid social, customer interviews and jobs-to-be-done insight Word of mouth and repeat purchase Nielsen performance and retail headroom Hiring a brilliant number two Scaling operations alongside marketing Launching Mother Root in the US Why the non-alcoholic category is not just about Gen Z Useful Linkshttps://motherroot.com/https://www.instagram.com/motherroot/Like this episode? PLEASE share the love by sharing this episode with another founder building a challenger brand, a colleague or a mate who loves brilliant non-alcoholic drinks, or anyone trying to work out how to build a sharper, more focused growth model. Don't forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to Brand Growth Heroes on your favourite podcast app, and even LEAVE A REVIEW - both of these actions make a MASSIVE difference to our mission to help more founders just like you.Join our community on Instagram, LinkedIn and Youtube, and find out more about the programmes and courses Fiona runs, as well as the NextGen CPG WhatsApp group for founders leaning in to the value that a leadership approach to engaging with AI can unlock for businesses like yours.Follow Brand Growth Heroes on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.*****Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm *****If you're a founder, you already know how much energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with consumers.But scaling a CPG business also brings legal complexities that can make or break your growth journey - from contracts and regulatory compliance to protecting your intellectual property.That’s why we’re proud to partner with Joelson, the leading commercial law firm specialising in helping founders of scaling consumer brands.Joelson works with brands like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze and Pulsin, and advised the innocent founders on their landmark sale to Coca-Cola - and still work with them at JamJar Investments today!To learn more contact hello@joelsonlaw.com - in fact, Joelson is offering Brand Growth Heroes listeners a FREE Legal consultation - we highly recommend you take them up on this! CreditsThanks to our Sound Engineer Gyp Buggane at Ballagroove.com and all the Brand Growth Heroes team.
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    36 mins
  • Sara Wilson - Why Brands Have Got Community All Wrong!

    Sara Wilson - Why Brands Have Got Community All Wrong!
    May 12 2026

    In this episode, I’m joined by digital strategist Sara Wilson, who coined the term “digital campfires” in Harvard Business Review, to explore why community is becoming one of the most important growth channels for CPG challenger brands. Sara works with brands including Nike, Netflix, YouTube, Airstream, Yahoo, PopSockets and Prince Street Pizza, helping them understand how to show up inside the communities where influence, identity and belonging are really being shaped.

    This conversation completely EVOLVED how I think about social media and its role in driving brand growth - genuinely.

    We talk about why the most important conversations may no longer be happening publicly on Instagram or TikTok, but in DMs, WhatsApp groups, niche communities, gaming spaces, Substack, Reddit and beyond.

    Sara shares why brands need to stop thinking only about reach and followers, and start thinking much more deeply about identity, transformation and the communities their consumers already belong to.

    Watch the episode on Youtube here.

    What You’ll Learn

    • Why Sara believes the future of influence is happening inside “digital campfires”.
    • The three types of digital campfires: private messaging, micro-communities and shared experiences.
    • Why relevance matters more than reach if you want people to share your brand.
    • How brands like Poppi and McDonald’s have embedded themselves into communities.
    • Why founders need to understand the transformation their brand offers.

    Key Topics Discussed

    • Community as a growth channel.
    • Why DMs and private spaces matter.
    • The “OMG, that’s so me” effect.
    • Identity, belonging and relevance.
    • Why brands should embed into existing communities.
    • Poppi’s winning 'sorority' strategy.
    • McDonald’s Grimace and Mets community moment.
    • How to create high-value community engagement.
    • Why sampling and discounts are not enough.
    • How founders can rethink brand strategy through a community-first lens.

    Useful Links

    Connect with Sara Wilson on LinkedIn
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraewilson/

    Sara Wilson’s newsletter
    https://communitycatalysts.substack.com/

    Sara Wilson’s website
    https://swprojects.co/

    We love inspiring you and helping your business to grow! PLEASE share the love by sharing this episode with another founder building a challenger brand, a colleague or a mate who loves thinking about community, culture and the future of brand growth.

    Don't forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to Brand Growth Heroes on your favourite podcast app, and even LEAVE A REVIEW - both of these actions make a MASSIVE difference to our mission to help more founders just like you.

    Join our community on Instagram, LinkedIn, and find out more about the programmes and courses Fiona runs, as well as the NextGen CPG WhatsApp group for founders leaning in to the value that a leadership approach to engaging with AI can unlock for businesses like yours.


    **** Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm.****

    If you're a founder, you already know how much energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with consumers.

    But scaling a CPG business also brings legal complexities that can make or break your growth journey - from contracts and regulatory compliance to protecting your intellectual property.

    That’s why we’re proud to partner with Joelson, the leading commercial law firm specialising in helping founders of scaling consumer brands.

    Joelson works with brands like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze and Pulsin, and advised the innocent founders on their landmark sale to Coca-Cola - and still work with them at JamJar Investments today!

    ***The fabulous team at Joelson is offering a free legal consultation to any CPG founder listening - Book your session today!**

    Credits

    Thanks to our Sound Engineer Gyp Buggane at Ballagroove.com.
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • How Citizens of Soil Is Reinventing Olive Oil

    How Citizens of Soil Is Reinventing Olive Oil
    Apr 28 2026
    In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Sarah and Michael Vachon, the founders of Citizens of Soil, one of the most exciting challenger brands in food and drink right now. We explore how they are transforming olive oil from a commoditised pantry staple into a brand built on transparency, craft, regenerative farming and fairer value for producers, while building a modern consumer brand with real emotional connection and standout commercial momentum.What I loved about this conversation is that it is about so much more than premium olive oil. Sarah and Michael share how they spotted a broken supply chain, why they chose to back small producers and female-led groves, and how a simple shift from calling something a subscription to calling it a club changed the business's growth trajectory. If you are building a consumer brand and thinking about community, premiumisation, founder focus and how to create real value in a category, there is so much to learn here.What You’ll Learn- Why Citizens of Soil saw a much bigger opportunity than simply selling premium olive oil- How changing “subscription” to “club” drove a dramatic increase in member growth- What founders can learn from borrowing packaging and positioning cues from adjacent categories- Why direct customer insight and social listening led to the launch of the Health Club- How Sarah and Michael are balancing rapid growth, team building and direct producer relationshipsKey Topics Discussed- Rebuilding value in a commoditised olive oil category- Regenerative farming and fairer producer economics- Borrowing premium cues from the wine category- DTC growth and the Olive Oil Club model- Community building versus transactional selling- Nutrition-led innovation and high polyphenol oils- Retail growth across Waitrose, Ocado, Booths, Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges- Building a team to support DTC and brand-led growth- Working as a husband-and-wife founder team- Premium pricing, value creation and consumer behaviourUseful LinksWebsite https://www.citizensofsoil.com/Connect with Michael https://www.linkedin.com/in/vachonline/Connect with Sarah https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahfulton/Connect with Citizens of Soil on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/citizens-of-soil/posts/?feedView=allWe love inspiring you and helping your business to grow! PLEASE share the love by sharing this episode with another founder building a challenger brand, a colleague or a mate who loves brilliant food brands and category reinvention. Don't forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to Brand Growth Heroes on your favourite podcast app, and even LEAVE A REVIEW - both of these actions make a MASSIVE difference to our mission to help more founders just like you.Join our community on Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, and find out more about the programmes and courses Fiona runs, as well as the NextGen CPG WhatsApp group for founders leaning in to the value that a leadership approach to engaging with AI can unlock for businesses like yours.Follow Brand Growth Heroes on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.*****Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor Joelson, a B Corp-certified commercial law firm****************If you're a founder, you already know how much energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with consumers.Scaling a CPG business also brings legal complexities that can make or break your growth journey - from contracts and regulatory compliance to protecting your intellectual property.That’s why we’re proud to partner with Joelson, the leading commercial law firm specialising in helping founders of scaling consumer brands.Joelson works with brands like Little Moons, TRIP, Two Chicks, graze and Crosta & Mollica, and advised the Innocent founders on their landmark sale to Coca-Cola - and still work with them today!Joelson are SO brilliant that they are offering a free consultation to any CPG brand founder - book your consultation with one of the Joelson lawyers here: https://joelsonlaw.com/contact/bookings/*****************Thanks to our Sound Engineer Gyp Buggane at Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS https://socialkews.co.uk/
    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
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