Name: Hugh Duffie
Age: 25
Job title: co-founder, brand & strategy
Company & location: Sandows, London
Education: Toowoomba Grammar School in Queensland, Australia. I never made it to university!
Why did you decide to go for a career in food?
Everyone has an opinion on food and drink so it’s great for connecting people.
I kinda fell into it! When I moved to London in 2011 from Oz I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do so I worked at Giraffe and quickly developed a love of food and hospitality. I went to cafés in all my spare time and that led to working in coffee and ultimately starting Sandows.
Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two).
I focus on our strategy and brand, working across sales and marketing with a particular emphasis on partnerships.
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What does a typical day look like for you?
It’s totally varied and some days I’m in our office in Hackney and others I’ll be out meeting our stockists all over London. I get to do a bit of travel… going to Milton Keynes next week ;)
Tell us about how you went about applying for your job. What was the process like?
I’ve been involved since day dot - no application required!
What’s the best part about working for a food company?
Everyone has an opinion on food and drink so it’s great for connecting people. I’ve met all my best friends via Sandows and I find it a really creative and challenging job to boot.
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And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink?
That it’s easier than, say, tech or another similarly dynamic industry! People interact with food and drink brands every single day, but it takes a lot of skill and care to stand out and sell (in our case) drinks.
What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry?
Working in food and drink teaches you so much about how business works and it’s really exciting.
Do it! I think working in food and drink teaches you so much about how business works and it’s really exciting. For me, the key is to stay creative and draw inspiration from other industries wherever possible.
What’s your ultimate career dream?
I’m keen to keep learning across the board, but I really get a buzz off the products that drive positive change whether it be social, environmental or cultural. I hope to be involved in brands driving change for a long time in one way or another.
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