What was the best decision you have made in your career and why? Walking away from a steady paycheck and a corporate job I wasn't enjoying. I would not have been able to dedicate the time and energy to starting my own business if I had not made that move - and now I absolutely love what I do.
Who do you most admire in the grocery industry? What Jamie Oliver has done to start a national debate about children's nutrition issues is fantastic. Also, Innocent Drinks, one of our investors, are a role model for us. They seem to do everything
flawlessly.
If you could change one thing in the grocery industry what would it be? More flexibility and support from retailers if you are creating a brand new category. For example, we make fresh, natural meals for toddlers and young children. These are sold in the chilled meals aisle - which is not usually an aisle mums walk down, so we would love the opportunity to cross-promote from the baby and toddler aisle in order to make sure that our target consumer knows about this great new offering.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? Reading consumer feedback about Little Dish. Mums write in every day to tell us how much their kids love the food we produce and how we have made their lives easier and more guilt-free. One woman told us that she had become 'evangelical' about the range.
What is the one thing that you could not do your job without? The team at Little Dish. In a start-up everyone has to do the job of three people and our team is small but effective - we have extremely high-quality people. I find my Blackberry also comes in extremely handy.
What do you like doing when you are not working? Little Dish is pretty much a round-the-clock operation for me at the moment - but my husband and I are trying hard to fit in some time to prepare for an important event - the arrival of our first baby this very month.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry today? If you are creating a food product, you should stay away from artificial, processed ingredients and use only natural ingredients such as those you would find in your own kitchen. There is far too much junk food on the shelves of supermarkets right now. What I find especially disturbing is the number of products claiming to be 'healthy' which are, in fact, loaded with additives, preservatives and added salt and sugar.
Where do you hope to be in five years time? Living in the United States, overseeing Little Dish's expansion into the North American market.
Who do you most admire in the grocery industry? What Jamie Oliver has done to start a national debate about children's nutrition issues is fantastic. Also, Innocent Drinks, one of our investors, are a role model for us. They seem to do everything
flawlessly.
If you could change one thing in the grocery industry what would it be? More flexibility and support from retailers if you are creating a brand new category. For example, we make fresh, natural meals for toddlers and young children. These are sold in the chilled meals aisle - which is not usually an aisle mums walk down, so we would love the opportunity to cross-promote from the baby and toddler aisle in order to make sure that our target consumer knows about this great new offering.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? Reading consumer feedback about Little Dish. Mums write in every day to tell us how much their kids love the food we produce and how we have made their lives easier and more guilt-free. One woman told us that she had become 'evangelical' about the range.
What is the one thing that you could not do your job without? The team at Little Dish. In a start-up everyone has to do the job of three people and our team is small but effective - we have extremely high-quality people. I find my Blackberry also comes in extremely handy.
What do you like doing when you are not working? Little Dish is pretty much a round-the-clock operation for me at the moment - but my husband and I are trying hard to fit in some time to prepare for an important event - the arrival of our first baby this very month.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry today? If you are creating a food product, you should stay away from artificial, processed ingredients and use only natural ingredients such as those you would find in your own kitchen. There is far too much junk food on the shelves of supermarkets right now. What I find especially disturbing is the number of products claiming to be 'healthy' which are, in fact, loaded with additives, preservatives and added salt and sugar.
Where do you hope to be in five years time? Living in the United States, overseeing Little Dish's expansion into the North American market.
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