OUTPERFORM
AND OUTLAST.

GROWTH WITHIN COMPLEX
FOOD SYSTEMS

“ TWO KINDS OF GOOD COOKS

One is very skilled at following the recipe. Quality control, consistency, and diligence.
The other understands how the recipe works, sees patterns and opportunities, and changes the recipe to fit the problem to be solved. It’s about metaphor in addition to process.

Both are useful.

If you think this post is about cooking, you might be the first kind of cook.”

– SETH GODIN

ONE MAINTAINS,
THE OTHER TRANSFORMS

Integrate both cooks across the value chain to outperform and outlast.

We give food industry clients the reach and flex to build sustainable competitive advantages and deliver superior B2B customer value.

AN ABUNDANCE OF LEMONS

The food industry operates in highly competitive and complex food systems, where strategic ambiguity often leads to market vulnerabilities.

Differentiation, as a strategic choice, drives value and customer-centricity, fostering adaptability, resilience and building competitive advantages beyond price.

We transform industry complexity and uncertainty into competitive advantages.

As food industry professionals, we guide clear "where to play" and "how to win" decisions. Our understanding of the interdependencies within complex food systems enables our clients to manage volatility, uncover new opportunities, and maximise value.

LEVERAGE COMPLEXITY
TO TRULY DIFFERENTIATE

“90% of progress in business comes from exploiting the mess. Yet 90% of the effort is devoted to pretending it away.”

– RORY SUTHERLAND

WHY EVERYONE MAKES LEMONADE

When faced with complexity and uncertainty, there is a tendency to simplify, streamline, and optimise what's easy to measure.

Similarly, under tension, the default is to fall back on familiar patterns, playing it safe and following fast. The focus shifts to optimising what already exists and adding new features to old ideas.

But in doing so, businesses end up in the same place as everyone else in the industry, making lemonade, stuck in a race to the bottom.

The alternative requires both optimisation to maintain and strategic differentiation to transform.

BEYOND LEMONADE

MASTERING YOUR VALUE CHAIN IS THE PATHWAY TO NAVIGATING COMPLEX FOOD SYSTEMS

Map the system: Identify tangible and intangible value flows to build more responsive, resilient, sustainable, and profitable value chains.

Focus the effort: Grow your areas of control and influence and manage your areas of concern within your value chain.

Find the value: Interdependencies are key to creating better products and services, telling better stories, and building winning competitive advantages.

5 SIMPLE WAYS TO LEVERAGE COMPLEXITY

We have developed five actionable 9-day programs that unlock complexity to fuel immediate results.

Define the tangible and intangible value of your brands, products, and services from the perspective of your customers and competitors.
Outcome: Improve your value proposition and unique selling points, providing more compelling reasons for customers to believe, buy, and stay.
Map your value chain to understand your areas of control, influence and concern within your broader food system.
Outcome: Unlock opportunities to create value, reduce waste, and sharpen your competitive edge.
Refine, simplify, and communicate your strategy for improved alignment and effectiveness across all business functions.
Outcome: A clear, focused strategy will align your team, streamline decisions, and strengthen your brand, making it easier to stand out and thrive.
Translate customer empathy into brand equity by prioritising reciprocity within customer segmentation.
Outcome: Build deeper trust, drive loyalty, and create more meaningful connections that naturally lead to increased sales and long-term brand growth.
Maximise your brand’s impact and reach across ten key touchpoints, from first impressions to contract negotiations and problem-solving.
Outcome: Simplify customer decisions, build trust, and boost sales naturally.

Services

WE ARE FOOD INDUSTRY SPECIALISTS

Over 25 years across all value chain functions

25+

Across 30+ international markets

30+

Within 15+ categories, and segments

15+

FROM GLOBAL GIANTS TO REGIONAL AND NATIONAL BRANDS

With firsthand experience across every touchpoint of the food value chain—having held senior leadership roles with your customers, peers, suppliers, distributors, and contract manufacturers—we bring a unique perspective essential to crafting strategies that help you outperform and outlast.

Our purpose is to serve as an extension of your team, providing the added reach and optionality you need to outperform and outlast when it matters most.

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