Jake Karia, MD of Food Attraction

The Pick List is back for season 4, with a slightly tweaked format and an exciting lineup of guests.

Julia’s first guest of the season is Jake Karia, founder and MD of Food Attraction, a food manufacturing business based in Leicester and creator of the Jake & Nayn’s brand.

With more than 20 years in the food industry and a business spanning foodservice, retail, contract manufacturing and branded food-to-go, Jake is an entrepreneur with a fascinating perspective on food and grocery retail.

He talks to Julia about his journey from estate agent to food manufacturer, how he’s steered his business through Covid, why he stepped up investment in his brand just as the pandemic hit (and why that turned out to be a very good move), how he’s been affected by the current supply chain crisis and cost inflation, how retailers can better support entrepreneurs and challenger brands, and more.

 

Articles discussed by Jake and Julia:

Food prices: ‘Tsunami’ of hikes on the way for consumers as suppliers pass on costs | The Grocer

Algebra: the maths working to solve the UK’s supply chain crisis | The Observer

Gopuff Supports Underrepresented Entrepreneurs With Accelerator Program | Progressive Grocer

 

Links to the big food and grocery stories of the week:

Co-op partners with Amazon to offer grocery delivery to Prime members | The Grocer

Deliveroo teams up with Amazon Prime | The Times

Tesco and Loop to offer popular brands with in-store reusable packaging trial | Packaging News

Zero waste: Morrisons to trial new recycling push in six stores | Business Green

John Lewis and Waitrose owner hires thousands more temporary workers ahead of Christmas | Sky News

All Sainsbury’s stores to stay shut on Boxing Day as a ‘thank you’ to staf | The Guardian

Tony’s Chocolonely launches Choco Changer own-label brand with Ald | The Grocer

European Frozen Food Giant Nomad Eyes Move Into Lab-Grown Fish | Bloomberg

Grocery sales indicate the end of the ‘big shop’ as commuters return to the office | Retail Week

Michael Gove put in charge of ‘fixing’ Britain’s food supply chains | The Times

 

Learn more about the show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk

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