My food & drink job: Tom Ebbutt, senior national account manager, Happiee

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Tom Ebbutt - Grocer

Name: Tom Ebbutt

Age: 29

Job title: Senior national account manager

Company & location: Happiee, UK

Education: Business Administration at the University of Bath

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? As a kid, I didn’t have a clear-cut dream job but I was always drawn to food. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, usually getting in the way, but quietly soaking it all up. Looking back, it makes sense that I ended up in a career where food plays a central role.

Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? Food’s always been a passion, but I became especially interested in how the industry can help drive positive change, for health, sustainability and the way we eat. The plant-based space felt like the most exciting and meaningful place to be.

Joining Happiee gave me the chance to turn that interest into something tangible, helping build a brand that’s focused on flavour, innovation and doing right by the planet.

“Knowing it could be the reason someone chooses a plant-based option over meat and fish, is incredibly rewarding”

Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): I work across our retail partners to help get Happiee’s range of lion’s mane and plant-based seafood on to shelves and into baskets.

What does a typical day look like for you? No two days are the same. We’re a small but fast-growing company, so I’m often wearing multiple hats, which I really enjoy.

This could be anything from working with our retail partners through to packaging and marketing support. Then there are the best bits – tasting new products and giving feedback, which never gets old! It’s busy, unpredictable, and full of energy, but incredibly rewarding to be part of something that’s growing with purpose.

Tell us how you went about applying for your job: A three stage process, firstly an informal chat with the UK commercial director gauging my work history, getting a feel for Happiee and the mission. Secondly a phone call with the CEO to understand what I could bring to the role and finally a mock retailer presentation pulling together a sell-in deck for the brand and how I’d go about a retailer meeting.

happiee plant based

What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? Getting to bring fresh new ideas and foods to market that are UK firsts!

We launched in the UK with the UK’s first and only plant-based shrimp range and just in April launched the UK’s first easy-cook lion’s mane mushroom into Sainsbury’s.

Working with different flavours and ingredients that challenge how people think about plant-based eating makes the job really exciting. Seeing an idea move from concept to shelf, knowing it could be the reason someone chooses a plant-based option over meat and fish, is incredibly rewarding.

I’m proud to be part of a brand that’s shaping the future of plant-based food.

And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? That we’re constantly swimming in free food and spending our days out at fancy lunches.

Don’t get me wrong, we do get to try a lot of amazing products (which is definitely a perk), but most of the time we’re in back-to-back calls and getting stuck into the not-so-glamorous side of the job like logistics and spreadsheets. It’s a lot less boozy lunches, a lot more hard graft behind the scenes.

What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? Follow what genuinely interests you, that’s what led me into food! The industry covers so many areas, from product development to sustainability, so there’s room for different skills and passions. Be open to starting in entry-level roles, take on new challenges when they come, and keep learning. The food sector evolves quickly, so staying adaptable is key.

What’s your ultimate career dream? My dream? That Happiee becomes a staple in kitchens everywhere – synonymous with delicious, feel-good food that fits seamlessly into modern, mindful lifestyles. Watch this space.