Name: Alex Dickens
Age: 25
Job title: Creative lead
Company & location: Grenade, West Midlands
Education: Coventry University – Graphic Design BA Hons
Why did you decide to go for a career in food? The food category is full of a variety of tastes and flavours with masses of opportunity, and I was lucky enough to ‘fall into’ the market. When I joined Grenade, it was firmly positioned in the sports and nutrition sector providing innovative and niche supplements. However, with the creation of Grenade’s nation-loved Carb Killa protein chocolate bar and the immediate success of the product, it opened a whole new and exciting target audience to market to and I was suddenly passionate about all things food.
Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): My job mainly involves developing and evolving the Grenade brand, designing impactful packaging, launching NPD and existing products with stand-out, attention grabbing designs and marketing the brand to the masses! Anything visual, that’s me and the team!
What does a typical day look like for you? Is there ever a typical day at Grenade? The brand from the offset continues to move so fast that honestly no two days are the same, really. One day I could be working on the latest NPD’s significant artwork and design, and the next I could be on a photoshoot with one of our many ambassadors – and then I could spend the weekend at one of our hectic yet exciting brand events. There is so much to get stuck in to, it’s a whirlwind at times, but with a brand as versatile as ours, it’s always fun and new.
Tell us about how you went about applying for your job. At the time of my interview I was in my third year of university, and coincidently my interview was on the same day as my dissertation hand-in. I found out about the position from a mentor I had at a volunteer placement – thanks again, Steve!
As a designer, the standard is to have your body of work prepared in a portfolio to discuss. The interview was with the founders of the company, Al and Jules. It was great to meet two equally passionate industry experts that shared a similar interest in design – and that’s what we connected on. After leaving the interview, I was provided a task to get feedback on. Luckily, I was offered the position shortly after submitting my task and started the day after I left university.
“People want a choice and in a busy market no one wants another ‘me too’ brand”
What’s the best part about working for a food company? As mentioned, every day is different – and this in itself makes getting out of bed so easy. Aside from the variety and fast-paced environment, I’m extremely passionate about the design and packaging of the Grenade products. The food category is full of established brands, however Grenade is very different from the rest. It’s a disruptive brand that’s not afraid to be different and stand out on shelf. This allows me to unleash my creative energy and challenge myself to bring something new to market, making Grenade as original as possible in comparison to the competition. It’s the best feeling of sheer pride to see a product sold internationally on shelf, knowing you were one of the creative minds behind the stand-out design of the packaging.
And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? Overall, the majority of people are most shocked at the amount of time spent developing the Grenade products before they go to market. To say there is so much effort and attention to detail given to make sure we bring the best products to market, is an understatement. Often the complexity of a product is misunderstood, and people don’t realise it’s not as straightforward as it looks. We are involved at every single stage of the process and the development can last years. We do have a very strict process – and if we don’t love it, we don’t launch it.
What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? If you love a busy, competitive environment and thrive on trying to stand out, the food and drink industry is definitely for you. The fmcg market is so diverse with masses of variety, giving you a breadth of unique experience like no other.
Second to that is: find the sector you love and do it differently to everyone else, be it in development, marketing or sales! People want a choice and in a busy market no one wants another ‘me too’ brand. Why fit in when you can stand out and make some noise?
What’s your ultimate career dream? My current goal is to make Grenade a household name. I’ve seen it go from a small sports and nutrition company to being listed in all major supermarkets, and I want to carry on the journey until everyone has heard of and tried a Grenade product.
After Grenade… I’d like to start my own journey with a brand of my own. That’s the dream.
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