Hi Ryan!
Tell me a little bit about FEI and what you do?
FEI (Food Export International) is basically an export management consultancy business. So we specialise in working with UK food and drink brands, predominantly food, managing their export business. That could be managing their export business in total or it might be looking at specific areas of the world and doing projects here and there.
What types of brands are you working with at the moment?
The types of business that we work with are ambient dry products e.g. cookies biscuits, jam that type of thing. For example, I work for Border Biscuits. I do all of Border Biscuits’ international sales. They are kind of new to export, so it’s not totally but is almost a blank canvas- which is great in theory but given what is happening now with new business it is quite difficult. Long term that could be quite exciting though because they are such a big brand in the UK.
Then, I also work for Nairn’s Oatcakes who have a very well established export business. I think they are exporting currently to around 32 different countries around the world. So the roles are very different!
What is your background?
Basically, I worked for MacKay’s Jam and Marmalade in Arbroath for just over 3 years. I managed their export business in the Americas, pockets or Europe and South East Asia.
So from there I wanted to get some new broader experience in a different category because jam is very much a declining category all over the world. People are buying less of it and moving into peanut butter and other alternatives like chocolate spread. So I wanted to go and do something a bit more exciting. I always had this idea to start my own business in my head but I wanted to get some more experience before I did that. So I took a years maternity cover at Burts Potato Chips. They are a crisps company based in Plymouth and again I managed their European business.
At the same time that I was working for Burts, I was also getting the ball in motion to start my own business. I finished up at Burts in December 2019 and have been full time self employed ever since.
How did you get into this role- have you always been interested in the food and beverage industry?
Do you know what? It fell into my lap really. I studied Business and HR at university and I did my dissertation on a recruitment company. It was on employee commitment and its relation to the workforce. So I got access to this recruitment company (I knew the owner) and I worked their for about 4 or 5 months while I did my dissertation. When I left Uni I took a job in corrugated packaging i.e. selling boxes, which was horrible! Then out of the blue I got a call one day from the recruitment company telling me that MacKays were hiring for an export role and the rest is history!
What made you want to start your own business?
I think because I travel so much and I work so hard. This can be a really demanding job! People see me as the guy that travels all over the world and they think it’s really luxurious and glamourous- and ok, yes from time to time it has it perks. But a lot of it is jumping on a plane for 16 hours to go to a meeting to maybe stay over night and then come back the next morning. It can be really gruelling.
So I thought, if I’m going to work this hard, these many hours and be travelling all over the place, why do that for someone else if can do it for myself and reap the benefits? That was really what gave me the inspiration to do it. That coupled with the fact that I really don’t have anything to loose.
What has been the hardest thing about starting your own business?
The first 3 months went pretty smoothly and I was quite surprised by that! But there has been a couple of difficult parts.
1) is my own self. I put myself under a lot of strain and unnecessary stress sometimes.
2) is the uncertainty of how the Coronavirus is going to impact me. Things are slow in export anyway. Sending samples to Korea, for example, can take a couple of weeks. So in the best of conditions from first discussions to first orders it can take up to 12-18 months at times. But given the current situation, all of the hard work that I had put in over the last couple of months in terms of the conversations I had been having. All of those projects have gone on the back burner just now, and I don’t know how things will pan out over the next couple of months.
So initially things were- not plain sailing- but they were comfortable. However the last month or so things have been becoming more and more uncomfortable every day. It’s a massive challenge for everyone!
Looking ahead, what are the next steps for FEI?
I want to focus on the existing customers that I have at the moment. Really make sure that I do a good job for them, and then maybe 6 to 12 months down the line if things are going well and I’ve built up some case studies I would like to grow. I’ve actually got a partner that I am about to begin working with so that is quite positive! We’ve known each other for years and worked together previously at MacKays so we know that we can work well together and bounce ideas of one another.
Long term, I would love to create and have my own food product. I am always on the look out for what the next big thing could be!
And what about you? Obviously, you travel quite a lot both for work and for leisure. What are some of your favourite places you have been to?
Yeah when I was at university I did quite a lot of travelling as well, so I have been lucky enough to see quite a few places. My favourites places would either be Colombia for the beaches, the culture, the people- very friendly. Or Iceland for the nature and for just being outside. It’s a really cool place to pick up a car and explore. It’s really beautiful.
I would love to go to Japan at some point- that is at the top of my to do list. But at the same time the novelty of traveling is wearing off a bit so I am planning more holidays around Scotland to go hiking and climb some Munros. I am quite looking forward to not jumping on a plane for a while!
Come say hi!
You can find us in the Flour Mill Business Lounge, or you can learn more about us via our Instagram page.
