We're a nation that loves sauces, especially tomato ketchup. But many of our favourite condiments are full of sugar.
Dr Will Breakey is on a mission to make food better without additives or refined sugar. Cue Dr. Will's sauces!
Hi Will! Tell us a bit about your company.
We exist to make food better. Dr. Will’s was started by a real doctor. A real doctor who really loves food.
We’re not here to prescribe a daily diet of clean-eating kale salads, we're just here to help you enjoy the food you want without adding the junk you don’t.
We like to think of it as condiments with a dollop of common sense. We never use refined sugar and our products only contain natural ingredients.
Love that! How did the idea for Dr. Wills come about?
I was told a story about parents having to add sugary ketchup to get their children to eat their vegetables. To me, this just didn’t add up, there had to be a better way. I knew I was well placed to find a solution.
Joined by serial entrepreneur and restaurateur, Josh, and ex-investment banker, Liam, we took on the challenge to clean up sugar in the condiments category and prove that great taste can exist in a healthier product.
What’s your morning routine?
Up at 5:45 AM, warm then cold shower, coffee, three Weetabix, try not to wake the kids up, leave the house at 6:15 AM for an hour drive to the hospital.
Two Weetabix is never enough. What is the biggest mistake you've made as an entrepreneur?
Building the team out too quickly and without the right mix of experience, led to some difficult conversations when we had to let people go.
So, if you were going to invest in a startup business and you could only give one piece of advice to the team running that company, what would it be?
Stay consistent - pick your messaging and stick to it.
Let's talk about your team. How do you keep yours aligned?
We’ve got really strong and engrained values which all of the team are aware of and bought in to so I think it’s fairly easy to stay aligned from that point of view.
We also have a really open, flat structure, so anyone can voice concerns or raise ideas and therefore feel valued.
Do you have a share or option scheme in place for your team?
We do and this has been helpful in attracting talented individuals to come and work with us.
It really helps. In fact, we conducted a survey with YouGov, and when choosing one identical job over another, one-third of respondents told us that a company share scheme would sway them.
Can you share any practical tips or processes to help people work remotely?
Remote working has been a big thing for us. I think there is a risk of people feeling isolated and missing out on the office interactions, we try to keep catch-ups brief but regular which I think is important.
Who’s your favourite band or musician?
Caribou.
And finally, what's your favourite film?
The Darjeeling Limited.
Thanks for your time Will, it's been a real pleasure.