Vertical farming is the answer to so many food production problems. It can help turn brownfield, ex-industrial sites – of which there are many in the UK – into productive farmland that can grow food for millions.

GrowUp were one of the UK’s vertical farming pioneers, successfully producing at scale while most others were at the prototype stage. They had to figure out how to get their products into the hands of consumers, though. Should they produce private-label products for retailers? Create a brand of their own? Create several brands? Who did it make sense to target? What were the best opportunities, and how might they grab them?

I led the commercial strategy, helping to figure out what a portfolio of brands would look like for GrowUp, how brands could be mixed with private label, and how different brands might suit different consumers and retailers.

I then led brand strategy for the brands that big fish® created as a result, and helped plan marketing and activation once the brands were ready to launch.

• Portfolio strategy for the group business
• Commercial strategy aimed at capturing the right amount of value at the right pace
• Stakeholder alignment between investors, founders, and employees
• Brand strategy for the brands within the group
• Marketing and activation strategy for the brands as they launched