My food & drink job: Charlotte Hawksworth, brand manager, The Vegetarian Butcher

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Charlotte Hawksworth The Vegetarian Butcher Collective

Name: Charlotte Hawksworth

Age: 26

Job title: UK brand manager

Company: The Vegetarian Butcher Collective

Qualifications: Apprenticeship APM – Project Management Qualification

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I was set on becoming a primary school teacher when I was younger.

Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? Food has always been a huge part of my life and a real passion. Both of my parents worked in the culinary industry, and from a very early age I loved helping them in the kitchen. Some of my earliest memories are of family dinners with everyone gathered around the table. Growing up in that environment made me realise how powerful food can be in bringing people together. and over time,

I’ve also become passionate about how what we eat can make a difference to the planet. Working with plant-based products allows me to combine my love of food with a focus on sustainability and reducing our environmental footprint.

“Being part of a small team has given me exposure to so many different areas of the industry”

Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): Vivera recently acquired The Vegetarian Butcher, and we’ve now come together as The Vegetarian Butcher Collective. I work across both portfolios, helping to build and grow the brands in the UK through NPD launches, championing our existing hero products, and leading shopper marketing, events, social media, and much more. It’s always busy around here!

What does a typical day look like for you? There’s really no such thing as a ‘typical’ day, and that’s one of the reasons I love my marketing role. I work with teams right across the business. Just in the past week I’ve been mapping out and executing activations, collaborating with our social agencies, analysing marketing effectiveness, confirming partnerships for next year, and showcasing NPD to retail partners.

Vegetarian Butcher Hentastic

Source: The Vegetarian Butcher

Tell us how you went about applying for your job: I initially applied for the UK account executive role via LinkedIn. At the time, Vivera didn’t have a UK team, so it was the chance to join a startup environment backed by a hugely successful brand from the Netherlands.

The process had three stages: an introductory interview with the head of commercial, an in-person presentation where I analysed a data set and worked through scenario solutions, and finally a conversation with the director.

I was very fortunate to get the role, and being part of a small team has given me exposure to so many different areas of the industry. Which has led me to my current role.

What’s the best part about working for a food and drink company? It’s fast-paced and constantly evolving. If you want to be continuously challenged and always learning, it’s the perfect place to be. Plus, you’re surrounded by fellow food enthusiasts, which is never a bad thing in my opinion.

And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? People often don’t realise how much goes into launching a product and then keeping it in market and on the shelves. You pick something up, buy it and carry on with your day, but behind that moment are countless people working incredibly hard to bring your favourite products into stores and eventually into your kitchen.