Name: Stephanie Buttery
Age: 30
Job title: Founder
Company & location: Chu Lo Drinks, Manchester
Education: University of Plymouth, BSc Hons Defence Studies, Marine Sciences
Why did you decide to go for a career in food? Having spent four months in Japan while deployed with the Royal Navy, I loved the flavours of its cuisine, it’s quite unique and there was nothing like it in the UK so I knew I had to bring it to the UK. It’s a true love affair I have with Japanese culture and my experiences there that inspired me to launch my own business. I’ve never looked back since.
Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): I’m the founder of Chu Lo, which is a range of sour soft drinks, inspired by the popular sour flavours of Japan. I started the business on my own in 2019 and we have grown from strength to strength since then, most recently signing a deal with Yo Sushi and Belong Gaming Arenas, launching our fourth flavour in the range, a new sour cherry.
What does a typical day look like for you? Well, things are quite untypical right now! I’m currently a contestant on the BBC’s Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars, a new TV show featuring food and drink entrepreneurs. A typical day still includes the running and promotion of Chu Lo, building our online presence and securing deals with stockists, but with an added element of watching myself on TV too.
Tell us how you went about starting your brand. I came up with the idea of Chu Lo Drinks when I was looking around at the soft drink selection in a supermarket. I had been utterly inspired by the drink selections in Japan and so I began building my brand. We went through extensive trials deciding the flavours. As it’s a sour drink it’s quite hard to nail a good taste without it being too much. Apple, lemon, peach, and cherry worked the best. I officially launched Chu Lo in November 2019 at the International Drinks Expo, and within two weeks we were in final talks with the three biggest Japanese food restaurant chains in the UK. Of course, the pandemic hit and really shook up the food and drinks industry but luckily, we were still able to sell direct to consumers and we’ve had a couple of really steady years since then. With hospitality opening again we are exploding on to the scene, with new listings coming every week.
“A lot of similarities can be drawn between founding a business and being in the military”
What’s the best part about running a food company? Chu Lo Drinks is all about the community. We want to appeal to gen Z – gamers and millenials with a thirst for travel and new experiences. We are building the tribe on more unconventional social media platforms like Twitch and I love hearing about the latest social trends. Keeping up with that helps fuel our creativity as a team and of course it’s fun too. I also work with some highly experienced businessmen and women who provide great advice for me, so my colleagues are a huge bonus and something I truly love. Mainly, I love being a businesswoman, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? I suppose people would assume it’s all fun and easy because it’s not a serious sector like law or science. But each industry has its own set of challenges, especially when you’re the founder of a company. There’s a lot of responsibility on one person and I take that really seriously. A lot of similarities can be drawn between founding a business and being in the military.
What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? There’s no such thing as a nine-to-five. If you want it to be successful, you need to work really hard, be ‘always on’ and love what you do. Also, be open to anything as you never know where an amazing opportunity will arise. Most importantly, work on products and projects you genuinely like. You need to have that genuine excitement for what you’re doing – if not, you probably won’t reach your full potential.
What’s your ultimate career dream? We have big plans to continue expanding in the UK! We love working with other Japanese brands and franchises so we’ll definitely aim to be in all east Asian stores and restaurants in the next five years. We’re also keen to explore the very exciting possibilities within the gaming world. Beyond that, the ultimate goal is to be the go-to brand for unique soft drinks, competing with some of the biggest industry giants.
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