Beyond Belief Brewing’s Freddie Ugo on pasta beer, sustainability and wizards

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Freddie Ugo Beyond Belief Brewing Co

Name: Freddie Ugo

Job title: Co-founder and head of brand

Company: Beyond Belief Brewing Co

What was your first job? The first thing I was ever paid for was maths tutoring, if you can believe it. I have always loved numbers, which is maybe why I am always so pedantic about our sustainability credentials.

What’s been your worst job interview? I had an interview for a year abroad as part of my degree. It was going great until they asked me about my hobbies. I panicked and created this elaborate story about my love for rock climbing and all the mountains I have tackled. Somehow they believed me despite never climbing anything in my life.

What was the first music single you bought? I can’t say I’ve ever bought a single, I may be too young to remember a life before iTunes. I think the only piece of music I have purchased is my current ringtone. Rumble Marimba – an absolute banger.

“It’s honestly like being in a science lab, we’re constantly testing and trying new surplus base malt recipes”

How do you describe your job to your friends? It’s honestly like being in a science lab at Beyond Belief Brewing Co, we’re constantly testing and trying new surplus base malt recipes to create standout sustainable craft beers.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? Getting to push the brewing boundaries to find ways to turn unavoidable surplus across categories into beers that people really enjoy. The limits to it are endless, we’ve kicked off with pasta and now have cracked flapjacks, and other baked goods.

We’re always looking for where else we can help – it gives a real purpose to each and every day.

What is the least rewarding part? It can feel like a bubble sometimes. At Beyond Belief Brewing Co we all see the potential surplus has to transform the entire industry and in a way it becomes rewarding when you convince people to see just how game-changing what we are doing can be.

What is your motto in life? If you say that you will do something, do it. I never claim to be a pro at everything but if I promise results, I will always deliver.

If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? A Beyond Belief Brewing beer tap straight to my desk has to be up there, for NPD of course. If that’s not asking for too much.

Beyond Belief Brewing

Do you have any phobias? I have never been a fan of the ocean. I mean, you can barely see below you and if something happens it’s not like swimming is a very fast option to escape.

If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? If I could change one thing in grocery, it would be how we define ’value’ – not just in terms of price, but in terms of impact.

Imagine if grocery stores made it easier and more rewarding for people to choose products that reflect their values. Clearer labelling, better education, and incentives for low-impact brands could completely shift how people shop, and how businesses grow.

So for us, it’s not about making sustainability a niche – it’s about making it the new normal. Using our patented brewing process, there’s a real opportunity to do things differently, to work collaboratively with big brands to massively reduce their surplus and this shift in grocery plays a huge role in driving that.

What luxury would you have on a desert island? This one is easy. Beer!

What animal most reflects your personality? I have been told I have golden retriever energy. Super friendly when I am around the right people and maybe loyal to a fault.

What’s your favourite film and why? I have watched Forrest Gump maybe 50 times and can quote it word for word. It’s a real lesson in resilience and beautifully directed.

What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? Every year my school had a day where we all came in wearing fancy dress. One year I put extra effort into creating a very detailed wizards’ outfit, wonky hat, real oaken staff, and spellbook to boot. Despite all that prep and attention to detail, I got my dates mixed up.

Which celebrity would you most like to work with and why? I’m not one to idolise celebrities, we are all just people! If I had to choose it would be Stephen Fry – he does amazing work for charity and would be a right laugh to hang around with.

What would your death row meal be? I would probably try to cheat the system and ask for unlimited ice cream.