A day in the life of a scale-up CEO

Name​

Amy Moring

Age​

32

Job title​

Co-founder and CEO

Company and location​

Hunter & Gather Foods, Essex

Education​

First class degree in equine studies at Writtle College

Favourite food/drink​

I would have to say a grass-fed British steak with sweet potato fries and it’s a toss-up between our sriracha hot sauce and the garlic mayonnaise.

What inspired you to enter F&B?​

As you can tell by my degree, it’s not a natural step from equine studies to the food industry. But my passion for animals led me to work in FMCG via pet food for one of the biggest human food producers. Which is where I started to understand more about the human food industry and how I could help make a change in the health of the nation.

Tell us about your role​

As CEO and co-founder, my role is really varied. I specialise in sales and marketing but also like to have an overview of total business. I am active in managing our 'key rocks' process for the senior leadership team, setting the strategy of business direction as well as overseeing budget management and creation. Being an active founder, I also like to attend events, speak with our community daily via our Facebook Group and generally have my ear to the ground.

What does a typical day look like?​

I would love to say there is a typical day but in reality, in a scale up business there really isn’t. I do my best to time block, and I love the inbox zero method, and this helps me keep a clear mind and focus on what matters most in a given day or week. It’s important to be flexible and deal with what’s in front of you as it’s amazing what curveballs can come into a day. My non-negotiable however is that I start most days seeing the horses, this gives me a time out in natural morning light and fresh air and makes me ready to start the day.

How did you get to where you are today?​

I have had many different roles, all of which taught me something useful for being a co-founder. I worked multiple jobs in bars, restaurants and shops whilst at college and university (which I self-funded). This helped with having a customer first approach and being able to juggle priorities and time manage effectively. I worked in equine insurance, which gave me an eye for detail, in a charity, which gave me an eye for stretching budgets and then finally in sales via the pet food industry at Mars and Lily’s Kitchen. It was at Mars and Lily’s Kitchen that it really clicked how retail works and the route to getting healthier products on shelves is partly down to brands being available and showing that there is a consumer need and want. Blend that with mine and my co-founder‘s Jeff Webster own personal journeys with improving our own health and wellbeing through ancestral real food lifestyle and the idea for Hunter & Gather was evolved into a brand.

When you’re having a bad day, what cheers you up

We have a new saying at Hunter & Gather that came from US author and former Navy office Jocko Willink: “Good, so now what?”​ Things are inevitably going to happen that are a challenge. So, when faced with something seemingly bad, remember that saying and you will often find that what seemed bad, can actually work out for the better in the long run. Apart from that, a doggo cuddle from the office dogs or going for a long horse ride ticks the box.

What’s your favourite part about the food sector?​

I love how innovative the food sector is becoming and how end consumers are really taking their health into their own hands and enabling female founded business or businesses founded by working class people, like Jeff or I for example, to flourish. The barrier to entry is lower than, say, tech for example.

If you could change one thing about the F&B sector what would it be?​

Most of our food and drink comes from a handful of key players still, who have big boards with vested interests, which need profit over the health of the consumer. I would love to see governments backing more healthier food and drink start-ups to enable the consumers to have more options.

What’s next for you/what’s the dream?​

We’re really excited to have launched three of our mayonnaise products into Tesco in April. It was a huge first for us and is part of our dream for Hunter & Gather to be available in all major supermarkets in the UK and Europe, and cross category. Providing healthier seed oil-free, refined sugar-free and grain-free solutions across all grocery touch points. We want consumers to know that if they see the Hunter & Gather logo in any category that it’s going to be of the highest quality and has their health at the forefront.

In other news, the European Commission has fined Mondelēz International €337.5m for hindering the cross-border trade.​​