Delightful Food CEO: 'You cannot control everything, you have to trust the people you employ'

Delightful Food Group Ltd was founded in December 2023 as part of a growth strategy led by Ricky Flax and his father, Sheldon.

All the world’s a stage

Whilst joining the family business hadn’t originally been on the cards for Flax, who had actually studied performance at university, the idea of creating and leading a business always had.

“I wanted to do my own thing, set up my own business,”​ Flax explained.

After graduating, Flax took to the ground running, launching his very own theatre company in Kent. And although he no longer treads the boards, he explained that the experience taught him valuable lessons in business which he still uses to this day.

But food and drink is in Flax’s blood – with his great grandfather having moved to UK from Eastern Europe to set up a fish mongers in London. The passion for F&B passed down the generations, but it wasn’t until Flax’s father called upon him to help out, that he eventually came on board.

“That [work] ended up consuming me and I loved it. And never left,”​ Flax laughed.

The work that Flax is referring to was the rebranding and strategising of IBC Simply, which has since seen a momentous jump in growth and headcount.

“I am proud of the impact my time at IBC Simply has had so far, and continues to have as we now grow with the acquisition of March Foods as part of the Delightful Food Group. Since I joined IBC Simply, steering the business alongside my dad, Sheldon Flax, it has seen a growth of over 250%, and we have gone from under 10 employees to over 200 across the group. I am also proud of the culture I’ve created, and the direction the company is taking.”​

During this time, Flax explained that he got stuck into the business, working in almost every area. Reflecting, he said this was a really important part of his leadership journey that enabled him to understand the intricacies of the company as well as his own strengths and weaknesses.  

Commenting further, Flax added that his biggest career lesson to date has been learning the art of delegation. Whilst you may want to do everything yourself, it’s not possible or sensible.

“You have to trust the people you have employed.”​

As part of its growth story, IBC Simply acquired March Foods​​ – a leading co-packing and co-manufacturing firm that works with a range of households names. IBC Simply had already been working with March Foods for many years and the synergy between the two made for a good match.

Never shut down an idea

Although Flax doesn’t step onto the stage anymore, his thespian roots still hold firm and have been a useful tool in helping him lead others and coax the best out of people.

He explained he uses an improvisation technique known as ‘yes, and…’ within team workshops, resolved in the belief that you should never shut down an idea without hearing someone out.

Speaking on his leadership style, Flax said he’s been described as “chaotic”​ but “in a controlled way”.​

Indeed, Flax’s mile-a-minute pace and fun, bubbly personality rang through in his interview, alongside his caring nature.

“My family is everything to me, and they are always at the forefront of everything I do. When we made the decision to look at the acquisition of March Foods it came with the understanding and agreement with my wife that I wouldn’t miss out on any big events, I’d still always be home for bedtime for my kids, and always be there in the morning to give them their breakfast, and of course always be there for my wife.

“This ethos doesn’t apply to just me, we encourage work / life balance, we don’t expect people to stay late, we don’t expect them to miss time with their families – family is at the heart of everything we do.

“The ethos and the values here are so important. One of the biggest ones is being kind and being nice.”​

In it for the long-run

Offering further insight into the future, Flax said: “March Foods and IBC Simply have operationally always been fantastic, and have always delivered on quality. I now want to bring the same energy to March Foods that I have to IBC Simply, and introduce a more focused sales and marketing strategy to build the brand and the awareness of what we do, and how we can help brands with their manufacturing and co-packing requirements.​

“However, I’m not rushing in. I’m not looking to retire any time soon and the goal isn’t to sell the business, we’re in it for the long term. I love my job and I am passionate about the industry, its people and its products, so I intend to help to create strong, lasting relationships that will help to grow the business organically over time too.​

“The other area I plan to ensure we invest in is innovation and technology. We will look at ways we can introduce new packaging technology, how AI will play a part, and innovation and software across the market. ​

“It’s an exciting time to be branching out into this side of the industry and I can’t wait to see where we take it.”​

Listen to his entire interview in the latest episode (see above) of The Food Manufacture Podcast.