Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Managing Director operating in the Food and Beverage space. If you think a Managing Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
George Hutton
Managing Director of Blue Skies Holdings
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About Blue Skies Holdings: Blue Skies Holdings produces, prepares, and markets fresh-cut fruit and fruit juices to retailers and supermarkets worldwide.
Mark Cooper
Vice President and Managing Director, Avery Europe and Asia Pacific of CCL Industries
Mark Cooper is a Vice President and Managing Director, Avery Europe and Asia Pacific at CCL Industries.
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About Avery, CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Jamie Robinson
Vice President and Managing Director, Home & Personal Care Europe of CCL Industries
Jamie Robinson is a Vice President and Managing Director, Home & Personal Care Europe at CCL Industries.
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About CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Ross Mendham
Founder & Managing Director of Bare Naked Foods
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About Bare Naked Foods: Bare Naked Foods sells low carbohydrate, low fat, low calories, gluten free and sugar free products.
Kim Ludlow
Managing Director of mySupermarket
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About mySupermarket: mySupermarket designs a supermarket shopping and comparison website that helps users to compare prices across different stores.
Stephen Finch
Founder and Managing Director of Vagabond Wines
Stephen Finch is the Founder and Director of VAGABOND and BOXCAR
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About BOXCAR, Vagabond Wines: Vagabond Wines is owns and operates wine bars and shops in the United Kingdom.
Andrew Jennings
Group Managing Director, Retail of Woolworths Limited
A highly accomplished global retail executive with more than 40 years of achievement at some of the world’s most respected high-end, speciality stores. Recognised for his leadership capabilities and performance-driven management style, Andrew Jennings commands a vast knowledge of consumer trends, vendor networks and retail practices in mature and emerging markets. He has distinguished himself in senior executive positions in six countries and on four continents including Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, The United States, South Africa and Germany.
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About Saks Fifth Avenue, Woolworths Limited: Woolworths is an Australian company that was founded in 1924 in Sydney. When we opened our first store.
David W Garrett
Managing Director of Fane Valley
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About Fane Valley: Fane Valley is a Agri-food industry co-operative involved in the processing of milk, red meat, cereals, potatoes, animal feeds and supplies.
Stephen Argent
Managing Director of Soupologie
Stephen Argent is a Founder at Soupologie.
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About Soupologie: Soupologie was founded by Master Soupologist, Stephen, who discovered his talent for making soups while cooking for his family.
Ben Hopkinson
Co-founder & Managing Director of Hop King
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About Hop King: Hop King is a dual Beer and Skateboard brand.
B. Nick Popovici
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Vita Mojo
B. Nick Popovici is the Co Founder and Managing Director of Vita Mojo.
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About Founders Pledge, Vita Mojo: Vita Mojo’s menu allows anyone to eat for anyones’ individualized needs.
Julian Burnham
Managing Director of Change Please
Julian Burnham is the Managing Director of Change Please.
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About Change Please: Change Please is empowering the homeless community by training them as baristas and giving them jobs.
Dominic Worrall
Managing Director of Bedlam Brewery
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About Bedlam Brewery: Bedlam is an environmentally friendly brewery on a farm that encourages zero waste.
Vincent Efferoth
Co-Founder & Managing Director of NOVELTEA
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About NOVELTEA: NOVELTEA is a premium alcoholic tea blend inspired by globetrotting travels.
Daniel Blignaut
Managing Director of UCook
An articulate and passionate entrepreneur looking to utilise my unique background in management, finance and software engineering by taking on a role that challenges me to innovate business and drive value creation
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About UCook: UCOOK is a food and beverage platform that offers meal kit delivery service.
Regina Borda
Managing Director of Pizza Hut
Regina Borda serves as the Managing Director at Pizza Hut in Europe, Canada, and United Kingdom.
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About Pizza Hut: Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise known for Italian-American cuisine including pizza and pasta.
Andrew Laurillard
Co-Founder and Managing Director of Giggling Squid
Andrew Laurillard is the Co-Founder and Managing Director at Giggling Squid.
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About Giggling Squid: Giggling Squid is a Thai food sensation
Sean Donkin
Managing Director of Inn Collection
With an 18-year career in the hospitality sector, Sean has an outstanding track record in the market. As well as maintaining the high quality, service and facilities for customers that mark out The Inn Collection Group, Sean’s focus is leading the growth and expansion of the company, both within and further afield from its North East heartland. He is responsible for the ongoing operations and investment of the group’s units via the Board. Sean joined the business as general manager of the group’s top-performance unit, The Bamburgh Castle Inn in Seahouses in 2008. A former swimmer, sporting enthusiast Sean enjoys rugby and shooting.
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About Inn Collection: The Inn Collection, a hospitality and pub company, owns and operates a chain of pubs and inns in North England.
Mamun Rashid
Managing Director of garbanzo Snacks
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About garbanzo Snacks: Chick peas a rich source of fibre, vitamins and minerals provided our chefs with a perfect base to create a range of savoury snacks.
Mona Shah
Founder, Chocolatier and Managing Director of Harry Specters
Mona has been working with chocolate as a hobby for the past 20 years and has undertaken professional chocolate making courses at the Callebaut Chocolate Academy. As a chocolatier, she has won twenty-two awards, including the coveted 3 star Gold Great Taste Award. She has a degree in Business and has worked in the NHS mental health service in corporate governance. She is passionate about making a positive change in the lives of people with autism.
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About Harry Specters: Harry Specters is an award-winning premium craft chocolate maker .
Charlie Thuillier
Founder and Managing Director of Oppo Ice Cream
Charlie Thuillier is the Founder & Managing Director at Oppo Brothers.
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About Oppo Ice Cream: Oppo Ice Cream provides a wide range of ice creams such as madagascan vanilla, mint choc swirl, and salted caramel.
Harry Thuillier
Co-Owner and Managing Director of Oppo Ice Cream
Harry Thuillier is the Co-Owner and Managing Director.
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About Oppo Ice Cream: Oppo Ice Cream provides a wide range of ice creams such as madagascan vanilla, mint choc swirl, and salted caramel.
Robert Bailes
Managing Director of Dineindulge
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About : A Private Chef Hire Service – Bringing the Restaurant to You
Jon Simon
Managing Director & Founder of Pieminister
Taking Pieminister from humble beginnings into a thriving business has been an incredibly enjoyable journey. With Pieminister’s focus in the UK’s vibrant and competitive fast casual dining sector we have had to think differently and be obsessive over our customers. Together with the rest of a team of very talented people, Pieminsiter has become a highly respected, market leader in high quality pies and a unique restaurant operator with exceptional food and service levels.
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About Good Sixty, Pieminister: Pieminister is a Bristol-based family business known for making award winning pies.
Marcus Black
Joint Managing Director of Innovative Consumer Beverages
Marcus is responsible for the corporate side of ICB focusing on Finance, IT, HR, Regulatory, M&A, Legal Affairs, and Marketing. Before joining ICB, Marcus worked for Lloyds Development Capital (LDC) as an investment director working on a variety of management buy outs across the north of England. Marcus qualified as an Accountant with Deloitte before spending ten years with PwC where he was one of the founding members of the UK pre and post deal services consultancy practice.
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About Innovative Consumer Beverages: Innovative Consumer Beverages supplies alcoholic drinks to most of the UK’s leading supermarkets, convenience chains and wholesalers.
Julia Austin
Founder and Managing Director of Tyne Bank Brewery
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About Tyne Bank Brewery: Tyne Bank Brewery’s growth has been based on our strong brand and focus on quality craft beers.
Ben Jackson
Founder & Managing Director of Capsicana
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About Capsicana: Capsicana is the multi-award winning, adventurous UK based Latin American food brand selling delicious sauces into 738 stores nationwide.
Dominic Gesua
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Lickalix
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About Lickalix: Lickalix is a natural ice lolly company launched in May 2014.
Ruth Dronfield
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Atlantic Kitchen
The most common question I am asked as the Managing Director of Atlantic Kitchen is ‘How did you get involved with seaweed?’This is a fair question as for ten years I was an Event Manager running large-scale outdoor events in London and around the UK. I was on the senior management teams that run Field Day, Bestival, Winter Wonderland, BST Hyde Park and I also ran my own little production company for more exclusive private parties and mini-festivals. But the roots of Atlantic Kitchen run far deeper. I was born to hippy alternative parents in London, who took me on marches and dressed me in corduroy dungarees and certainly didn’t cook ready meals. I was brought up on home-cooked food and deprived (to my profound annoyance at the time) of pop-tarts, stringy cheese and shop-bought cakes. I was definitely the only kid in my class who had crumbly wholemeal bread sandwiches instead of nice, neat white ones. My mum is vegetarian so I was exposed to vegetable-based meals of rice, stews, salads, curries, quiches, lasagna and bakes. I grew up with the assumption that a mainly vegetable, pulse and grain diet was healthy, sustainable and normal. So, when my friend Dawn told me about her idea to set up a seaweed business to promote good eating and living, something resonated. That was in December 2012.Since then we launched a range of three dried seaweed products (here), crowd-funded, done deals with brilliant suppliers in France, Spain and Ireland, launched a range of three soups with seaweed (here) and are now stocked in over 150 stores in the UK including Wholefoods, Planet Organic and Ocado. See here for more stockists.It’s a huge challenge and a great honour to run Atlantic Kitchen and share the wonderful word of seaweed and its’ myriad of taste and health benefits with the world.
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About Atlantic Kitchen: Atlantic Kitchen was set up in 2012.
Jack Lapping
Managing Director of Duck House
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About Duck House: Duck House is the restaurant and cocktail bar
Alun Bain
Managing Director of Black Robin Coffee Limited
An entrepreneur with 25yrs business experience, primarily in technology and food & beverage with a focus on sales, customer experience and product development. Currently a director and founder of Black Robin Coffee and Swap a Cup. Numerous investments in tech, food and beverage and eco products.
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About Black Robin Coffee Limited: High quality food & beverage available in-store, online and via subscription, aiming to be the ultimate convergence of coffee and technology
Gary Ward
Managing Director of Redchurch Brewery
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About Redchurch Brewery: Redchurch Brewery have a mission to explore the outer limits of brewing techniques and flavours.
Luke Berkeley
Managing Director of Newquay Orchard
Luke likes to dream big and often needs reigning in. He has a strong background in ecology, business, and finance. He also worked within the mental health sector for a number of years, so he’s a bit of an all rounder (or a master of none, but don’t tell him that!)
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About Newquay Orchard: Newquay Orchard is a rural escape in the heart of Newquay.
John Arnold
Owner/Managing Director of A & B Vintners
John Arnold is the Managing Director at A&B Vintners.
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About A & B Vintners: A & B Vintners is an independent wine merchants.
Nick Redford
Managing Director of Caterforce
Nick Redford is the managing director of Caterforce.
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About Caterforce: Caterforce is a foodservice buying and marketing consortium in the UK.
Ruby Chan
Managing Director of My Teatime LTD
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About My Teatime LTD: Wholesome natural tea infusions: from blooming flower teas to perfectly crafted blends, made from whole leaves.
Sophie Jewett
Managing Director of York Cocoa House
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About York Cocoa House: York Cocoa House are bringing fine chocolate manufacturing back to York.
Ivo Slezak
Managing Director of Hummus Bros
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About Hummus Bros: Hummus Bros is about feeding you homemade hummus with mouth watering toppings.
Terri Petrie
Managing Director of Sogud
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About Sogud: Sogud manufacture a delicious range of hand made nutrient-dense gluten-free snacks packaged in convenient, on-the-go packs.
