SBR 68: Big Food’s Faux Challenger Battle

Pam & I have submitted a talk for SXSW London and we need your vote to make it happen. The synopsis is below, but to make it a reality, we need you to vote by clicking the link below. It will genuinely take you 30 seconds and we’d both be eternally grateful ;-)

Challenger brands have reshaped the shelves of UK grocery, but many lose the very edge that made them successful. As big FMCG players buy, copy or quietly replicate craft brands, the challenger movement is becoming blurred, commodified and often co-manufactured. In this fireside debate, Sauce Shop co-founder Pam Digva and marketing strategist Gareth Turner explore the uncomfortable truth that scaling a challenger brand requires you to navigate a landscape where retailers may copy you, corporates may dilute you, and internal pressures may erode your culture and purpose.

Drawing on Sauce Shop ’s journey from a home-kitchen startup to a national grocery brand, and Gareth’s 25 years leading and advising brands like Heineken, Arla, Weetabix and dozens of modern food challengers, this session goes beyond marketing niceties. It offers a strategic, brutally honest look at how real brands scale without becoming “faux challengers.”

Topics explored include:

·      How challenger brands unintentionally lose their soul

·      How “dancing with the retailer devil” can erode distinctiveness

·      What happens culturally and strategically when corporates acquire indie brands

·      Why PR-built “craft” brands damage consumer trust

·      Being copied: badge of honour or court papers?

·      How founders protect culture, values and vision during rapid growth

Audience takeaways:

·      A practical framework for keeping brand edge while scaling

·      Cultural safeguards to prevent dilution as teams grow

·      Tools for senior marketers to spot (and avoid) faux-challenger behaviours

·      A clear view of the commercial, ethical and strategic trade-offs in scaling

·      Real-world lessons from a founder + strategist who have lived both sides

This session is designed specifically for brand leaders and founders who want to build companies that scale up without selling out