Name: Joelle Barwick
Age: 27
Job title: Product manager
Company & location: Grenade UK
Education: Fashion Communication at Northumbria University
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? As an identical twin, I was always looking for ways to be different growing up, and this is where my love for fashion grew, because it meant I could have my own identity through the outfits I wore. I wanted to be a wedding dress designer because these were typically dresses that were in a category of being the same but different, something I resonated with.
Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? I joined Grenade in 2020 during Covid as a product manager, looking after their clothing and merchandise to support events and brand activations. After a year or so, and after being acquired by Mondelez, the business needs were changing and more resource was needed in the product department. It was then I made the jump over to the product team, building my knowledge in sports nutrition.
“Being able to play a part in shaping a brand I genuinely believe in makes the role even more rewarding”
I started looking after the strategic products for the business, which were seasonal NPD, different product formats, and sports nutrition. Ever since my portfolio and breadth of experience has continued to grow, and I have looked after all product types for Grenade such as bars, shakes, sports nutrition, renovations & innovations, as well as UK and international launches, whilst supporting in the project management and delivery of products themselves.
Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): My job at Grenade is to lead the strategy and direction of my product portfolio, using consumer and market insights to shape what we do today while building the pipeline for tomorrow. I balance delivering the present with looking years ahead – optimising the portfolio and driving longer-term pipeline development to keep Grenade ahead of the curve and aligned to our wider business vision.
What does a typical day look like for you? When I’m in the office, I love the collaborative environment and being surrounded by like-minded people. We tend to use our office days for the work that benefits most from being together, such as strategic discussions, bouncing ideas around, presenting new concepts and, of course, product sampling! We also make a point of getting out for a walk at lunchtime, which is a great opportunity to step away from the screens, get some steps in and build relationships with colleagues outside of the product pipeline.
My WFH days tend to be a little more focused, giving me the space for reading, research, presentation preparation, planning and the deeper thinking that goes into shaping our product strategy. I really value having that balance – collaboration and energy in the office, then the focus and headspace that working from home gives me.
Tell us how you went about applying for your job: Grenade reached out to me! I can only thank my university for pushing every one of their students to make an online portfolio with a presence on social media.
I had published online the research I did for my final major project, and at the time Grenade were recruiting product managers to join the team. I had a call with HR and my hiring manager, and then a second interview was with our founder Alan Barratt. I was set a task to create the clothing and merch vision for the upcoming years and present them back to the business.
What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? I feel really lucky to be surrounded by such an amazing team and to have the opportunity to grow my career alongside them. Being able to play a part in shaping a brand I genuinely believe in makes the role even more rewarding.
I’m particularly proud of product managing our launch into Costco Canada, which has since become a hugely successful and important account for Grenade. Seeing the foundations we put in place translate into a successful launch and continued growth has been incredibly fulfilling. And having great, high-protein, low-sugar snacks within arm’s reach at all times is also great, even better when you worked on developing it yourself!
And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? That all I ever eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner are Grenade bars.
Or, on a serious note, the amount of time and work that goes into conceptualising and validating a new innovation through to the time we sign off a recipe and see it on shelves. One of the reasons I love Grenade is that although we have huge plans for when we’d like products to launch, we’re primarily taste-led and will never sacrifice a product to get it on the shelves quicker. I’ve worked on projects where we’ll be in more than two years of product development and up to 50 rounds of sampling in order to land on a product we’re happy with.
What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? Nothing changes if nothing changes. It can sometimes feel like days can pass you by, but really you are the only person who is going to get you to where you want to be. Build relationships, be confident and work hard.
What’s your ultimate career dream? Honestly, I don’t have one specific gold star or end goal in mind – all I know is I want to be better than I was yesterday. What matters most to me is building a career where I’m happy, content and have no ‘Sunday scaries’, while constantly learning, progressing, and pushing myself to be better. I want to keep challenging myself, taking on more responsibility and growing both personally and professionally, while doing work that has a tangible impact.
That mindset comes from my parents, who taught me the value of hard work, never standing still and always striving for more. That’s what the dream looks like for me.
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