Name: Laurie Fermor
Job Title: Co-founder
Company: Freddie’s Farm
What was your first job? My first proper job was as a family lawyer in the City. Thankfully – or rather, surprisingly – since working 24/7 with my husband, I’ve never had to tap into those skills again. That said, I can still draft a very strongly worded letter.
What’s been your worst job interview? Amazingly, I got the job, but in the interview, they asked me about a tricky situation I’d faced at work, and I told them the whole truth! I’d forgotten to deliver some incredibly important (and very heavy) court files to our barrister. I woke up in the middle of the night in a panic, got dressed and snuck into the office to retrieve them complete with a trolley to wheel them. I waited outside his chambers until the cleaners arrived so I could leave them on his desk before he got in. I don’t think they expected me to be that honest.
What was the first music single you bought? I don’t feel that old, but clearly, I am, because it was a tape – Wannabe by the Spice Girls. A classic.
“Kids don’t lie, they’re beautifully honest and if they love something, they tell you”
How do you describe your job to your friends? I tell them my job is to change the way children snack in the UK – one packet at a time.
I want to give my kids (and the nation’s) the best possible nutrition to set them up for life. Freddie’s dad, Charlie, is the brains behind our innovative manufacturing and patented method that keeps Freddie’s Farm non-UPF. My role is mainly getting our products into supermarkets – and spending a lot of time filming snack chats with our son, Freddie, for socials.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? Seeing little ones enjoying Freddie’s Farm. Kids don’t lie, they’re beautifully honest and if they love something, they tell you. I love hearing that parents have switched from one of our competitors to Freddie’s Farm.
What is the least rewarding part? Admin. Specifically, setup forms. Why, why, why can’t everyone agree on the same format and wording? It’s always just slightly different.
What is your motto in life? Everything happens for a reason. Even if you don’t always know what it is at the time.
If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? In life? Never having to fold and put laundry away – washing it is fine, but matching all the socks drives me mad.
At work? Couriers who actually deliver when they say they will.
Do you have any phobias? Thankfully, no real phobias. However, running a challenger brand comes with its own special kind of anxiety.
If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? I’d love to see a dedicated healthy kids’ category in supermarkets, like what some are doing for free-from foods – where chilled, ambient and frozen are all in one aisle. That way, parents could shop confidently, knowing they can say “yes” to anything there without pester power dragging them toward junk. This is one of the goals of the Kids’ Food and Drink Collective, of which I am one of the founding members. We’re a group of brands campaigning to make healthier, better-quality children’s food and drink more accessible and easier to identify.
What luxury would you take to a desert island? I’d say my husband and children, but they’d probably find me first to ask where their socks are or if they could have a snack. So, if not them, then a big stack of books.
What animal most reflects your personality? A Labrador – loyal, always hungry, and loves a cuddle. I have two chocolate labs, Biscuit and Twiglet, who not only share my personality but also my talent for begging for snacks and taking up too much space on the sofa.
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What’s your favourite film and why? An unusual one, but ‘A Good Year’ with Russell Crowe, where he inherits a French vineyard, and rediscovers the joys of life, love, and a slower pace. Maybe we should start making wine instead of children’s snacks! Then again, if you’re buying children’s snacks, chances are you may need a glass of wine.
What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? I once fell off a treadmill. I tried to take my sweatshirt off without stopping and went flying. To make it worse, I bizarrely tried to run back on to it. Massive error.
Which celebrity would you most like to work with and why? Technically, it’s two people, but they come as a ready-made pair – I’d choose both of the van Tullekens.
Firstly, because my children love Operation Ouch; secondly, for their incredible work raising awareness around UPF; and thirdly, because it means I could skip that first aid course!
What would your death row meal be? Despite the Scottish accent, I’m half Italian and grew up in Florence. There’s a restaurant there, Coquinarius, that makes the most incredible handmade ravioli filled with cheese and pears, in a buttery Parmigiano sauce. I dream about them sometimes.
For dessert? An ice cream from Perché No. Their honey and sesame flavour is something else. I think I need a holiday. And bigger trousers.
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