Temp Check: Mark McAulay from Singularity Sauce Co.
Mark McAulay likes it hot. Like…stupidly hot. So hot in fact he launched his own hot sauce company, Singularity Sauce Co. First as a first as a bit of fun, a hobby. It then grew into a side project and somewhere along the way people recognised his hard work and dedication. Before you could blink his hobby had become a proper grown-up craft hot sauce business.
As both of us here at POST are big fans of heat, we thought it was time to find out more about Singularity Sauce Co. and the man behind it.
How are you doing right now? Be honest. This is a safe space.
Oh, I'm doing great thanks. If anything, a little anxious about all the usual things when running a business, but also content with the knowledge that if everything goes wrong, it’s all my own fault.
How it all began
Like many small companies, Singularity Sauce Co. came out of nowhere…after five years of hard work and dedication. Tell us what inspired you to start your own craft hot sauce company, and how that developed into a real-life, grown-up company?
I’d been making my own sauces for a while. I was so bored with the hot sauces which we’re generally available and I decided I could do better. I'd spent a few years living in London and there was so much choice in small indie places that I wanted more choice up here in the frozen north. I’d buy the hottest chillies I could get my hands on and add other flavours and lots of vinegar. At that time, Komodo Dragon chillies had become available in the supermarket. They are bonkers hot and just what I needed.
I quickly moved away from using vinegar as a base because I’d gone off on a mission, one I’m still on today. I’d become fascinated with the flavours found in different types of chillis and I want to continually explore that. Dumping a bunch of vinegar into a sauce unsurprisingly makes it taste like vinegar. That had to stop.
I started experimenting with fermentation and that’s where things started working out. I could achieve low enough PH values to make things acidic enough to be shelf safe and instead of a heavy vinegar flavour, I had a world of funky flavours available. I'll spare you, but I could go on for days about this stuff.
I’d been testing these sauces out on friends, family and neighbours. The feedback had been really positive. One of my friends is a chef in Aberdeen and he’d started pushing me to sell the sauces I was making. Eventually, I did of course, but that was the point I had to get serious. I had to figure out just how you can create food for sale and that took me a while. As I did the dance of environmental health, trading standards, insurance etc, I realised that this couldn't be a hobby anymore.
At the time of transition from hobby to business, I'd suffered a bout of depression which ultimately led to the end of my day job. I had to do some real soul searching to figure out what I was going to do. I chose the most difficult option there is and turned my hobby into my full-time job. The sauce company became Singularity Sauce Co. LTD in November 2019 but didn't start trading until January 2020.
Eventually, I sold a few bottles to people. My friend, the chef, had managed to get me an order from the restaurant he was working in at the time and that snowballed into lots of orders from restaurants/bars. Positive things were happening and I found myself starting to get orders from delis/farm shops/etc too.
The challenges of the pandemic
You launched just as we learned about this crazy virus on the other side of the world…only a few weeks before we went into lockdown. Tell us about that experience.
Oh man, in the book of worst timed business start-ups, you’re going to find Singularity Sauce in the first few pages. All of my larger, wholesale orders were for hospitality venues. Pretty much all of my non-wholesale sales were done at farmers' markets. This was what was keeping the lights on. When the lockdown hit, all of this disappeared overnight.
There were no more orders from hospitality and there were no more farmers' markets. I'm really not kidding, this whole situation was terrifying and there were many moments of serious doubt. Some days it really did feel like the end.
Having no commercial premises meant I wasn’t eligible for the government support and it’s not as if I could furlough myself either. It was decision time, stick or twist.
Mark McAuley | Singularity Sauce Co.
I chose to spend night and day hammering away at my website. What else was I going to do? I went full guns at it, doing a bunch of targeted advertising and really amping up my social media. I knew if I could get a decent volume of online sales I’d live to fight another day. The rise of the "support local" vibe was incredible and I know of several other tiny businesses, much like ourselves, that simply wouldn't have made it otherwise. Online orders started coming in thick and fast. I had to upgrade all our postal packaging to cope.
I also had to locate the post offices closest to me that were less hardline about the number of parcels you could send per visit. Our nearest post office was restricted to 3 parcels per visit at one point. When you've got 20+ orders per day, that's not really going to work out! I found a couple of other post offices who were happy to help :)
How have your different markets reacted to the challenges of the pandemic? Has it refocused relationships or opened new ones you didn’t expect?
Some customers had no option but to stop buying from us. I get that and I don't hold any hard feelings. Every business had to make difficult decisions over the past 18 months and it's not been easy for anyone. As things have started to open up again, wholesale orders have never been better. I've also been able to show face at a few farmers' markets and there has been a real buzz of excitement from people there.
We've found our way into several more shops now. Many through Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, one in Glasgow, a bunch in London and one, in particular, you've probably heard of. We were absolutely blown away to have our full range stocked in Selfridges. Even more amazing was that they approached us.
Collaboration and working with others
You obviously love collaborating with other craft producers. Tell us about some of your experiences with that.
I have a bunch of collaboration sauces with some incredible people. I make the Transatlantic Habanero Express with Lukes Handcrafted Hot Sauces in NJ, USA. The way we go about it might even be a world first, we're not 100% sure of that though. I am so proud every day that I get to make a sauce for Fierce Beer. They're some of the best humans on earth and they'll always be my favourite. 😄
For the past 3 years, we've done a hot sauce ice cream collaboration with Fit's The Scoop over in Culter. This year, we've retired our pioneering "Raspberry Reaper". I guess I can tell you first what this year's is all about. Think blueberry ice cream, rippled with our Purple Naga Viper Brain & Blueberry hot sauce, smashed with lemon coated popping candy. This is a beauty and we can't wait to see it light up your faces.
I'm currently gearing up to launch a sauce built for pizza with The Gaff in Ellon. I also make a pretty unique hot sauce for The Coffee Apothecary based at Udny and Ellon. I've recently been working with Innis & Gunn on sauces for their food offerings in their taprooms throughout Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee.
The Tilly Butcher is doing things with some of our sauce, what that is, we don't know yet but you can be absolutely sure it'll be brilliant. We're up to no good with Bandit Bakery right now too.
You can look out for Singularity Sauce Co. collaborations with other UK food & drink producers. I've also had a few chats with some cool people in The Netherlands, USA and Denmark.
The common experience of working with all of these people, and as a marker for who I'll collaborate with in future is really just that they're lovely people. People I get on with and who I don't have to worry about getting into an argument with. We have to be able to work together and it has to be right for everyone in the collaboration. I don't say yes to everyone.
What makes a great hot sauce?
What do you look for in a hot sauce, whether it your own or somebody else's? Tell us a bit about some of your favourites.
Flavour combinations, less vinegar and I’m not ashamed to admit it, delicious labels! Personally, I look for originality. The sauce industry is at a point where there are dozens of new companies popping up. This is a really exciting time for inventive flavours. Some of my favourite sauce makers out there right now are Thicc Sauce, Lou's Brews, Double D's and Lazy Scientist. You might have noticed that all of these come from the U.K. Traditionally hot sauce has been thought of primarily as an American thing and of course, some of the best sauces in the world come from there.
There are very many influences from the US in lots of the hot sauce brands in the UK, but I think we can stand up and be counted. The UK is really starting to punch above its weight. I've entered some Singularity Sauce Co. sauces into a large hot sauce competition in the US. We're the only Scottish entrant and we're going up against some heavy hitters in the sauce world. You've got to test yourself against the very best from time to time to see how you're getting on. We'll find out in a few weeks time how we've done.
Hot sauces vary a lot and some people are simply scared of the heat. Does Singularity Sauce Co aim its sauces at a specific market or is there a bigger flavour mission at play?
We became well known for big heat almost immediately. I feel that’s a bit of a disservice. It's true that we use a lot of super hot chillies but there's more to this than just trying to hurt everyone. For us, the heat is the consequence of the flavour profile we’re chasing. There are different flavour notes to each chilli. We like to take those flavours and pair them with other flavours, sometimes unexpected pairings. We smashed Carolina Reapers (Officially the hottest chilli) into local Blackberries and won 2 stars at the Great Taste Awards last year for it. We've also done a big citrus sauce with Orange Habaneros, again a hot chilli. The important factor is flavour, even if these sauces end up too hot for some.
It's true that we use a lot of superhot chillies but there's more to this than just trying to hurt everyone.
Marc McAulay | Singularity Sauce Co
Heat is so subjective anyway. We regularly talk to people who feel our mildest sauces are too hot and we often hear that our hottest sauces aren’t hot enough. Everyone experiences the heat differently and we’ve always felt that makes it a weaker attribute from which to define a sauce as a whole. If we're using Moruga Scorpions, Purple Naga Viper Brains or 7Pot Yellows, yes the sauce will be hot. If we're using Jalapenos or Dutch Reds, not so much. That's about as deep as I like to get into the heat discussion.
Keeping up with demand
What's the biggest challenge, finding places to stock your sauce, or keeping up with the demand?
The biggest challenge for me has been finding a commercial kitchen from which to scale. I could be making a lot more sauce but my capacity is limited right now. It has taken well over a year but we do have a new home in the works, still in the mighty village of Tarves, the hot sauce capital of Aberdeenshire.
I guess at this point, keeping up with demand is my number one problem. I've trimmed our range to cope right now but I have several notebooks jammed full of sauce recipes, mustards, syrups and seasonings. I just can't launch any of them until I get the keys to the new lab.
I've been fortunate to find really good stockists. We look for like-minded businesses to work with because we know they'll do our brand the best service. We want to invest in promoting them as much as they'll promote us. I've been approached by some amazing businesses from throughout the UK also. Getting into Selfridges has to be one of the best "good fortune" stories yet. I'll tell you that story in full someday.
The future
What's the big plan for Singularity Sauce Co? Where does the company go over the next few months?
Well, I used to have a big plan and now I don't. That statement will have made all sorts of business advisers and consultants shudder.
Experience has taught me that you can have all the plans in the world but everything can change overnight, rendering those plans obsolete. Spending more energy on them feels wasteful and risky to me. I have targets of course, I have things I am trying to achieve but they're not "change the world" big. They're "make better hot sauce" small. Smaller, more achievable plans will shape whatever the big plan turns out to be. I'm pretty chill about this. I've never been more nimble or light on my feet. I can adapt to change quickly and if the past 18 months are anything to go by, I can be resilient in the face of utter devastation.
There are so many positive things which have happened which have involved no planning at all that I've just gone with it and unshackled myself from a formal strategic plan. Next for us is to move to our own fermentation lab and kitchen. You can ask me what the plan is at that point, once we're in. 😉
We’ve seen you experiment with dill pickles on TikTok. Who do we strong arm to get some?
I've wanted to make pickles forever. I couldn't resist just getting some together and starting to experiment. I've currently got one flavour I'm really happy with and another couple of prototypes on the go just now. I'll launch them a little later this summer. Word has it they might appear at a Market as a sample for people to try sometime. I'll give you a heads up…or maybe I'll eat them all myself. They're just so good!
Find out more
Thank you very much to Mark for his time and his frank answers. The thing we love about Temp Check interviews is people showing a true passion for the thing they do. You can find Singularity Sauce Co. and meet Mark in person at Curated Aberdeen in the Bon Accord Centre between 9 and 11 July. You can also visit their online store, as well as say 'hi' on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Thanks very much to the lovely team at Rosemount Market who generously allowed us to use their amazing shop as a backdrop for photographs.
EDIT 28 APRIL 2022: Mark is currently crowdfunding to help fund a move to commercial premises. Read all about it and consider supporting this amazing project over on Crowdfunder.
Temp Check - Lauren Mitchell from Northsound Radio
Lauren Mitchell's breakfast radio show with co-presenter Jeff Diack is a huge success. The presenters' positive disposition has has solidified their position as North East Scotland's most listened to breakfast show. In more normal times, you could also see them supporting community events in Aberdeen like Celebrate Aberdeen and Grampian Pride.
We thought it was time to catch up with Lauren to see how she's doing as Aberdeen on from lockdown to recovery.
Hey Lauren. Our first question in Temp Check interviews is always the same. It’s a simple question, but the answer is often not so simple…how are you doing right now?
Hiya Chris! Certainly a BIG question… however, the first answer that comes to mind is absolutely fantastic thank you! The sun is shining in Aberdeen today and I bought myself a houseplant this week, saw my family, some friends and had a BBQ! What more can I need in my life?!
Can you tell us a little about your background, how old you were when you started in radio, and how you became a presenter at Northsound?
I grew up all over the place, as my parents were in the Royal Air Force, which meant I had to become used to talking to many different people from a young age. This is where I developed my passion for “communication” and talking to people. When I was younger, I used to listen to the radio and repeat the adverts (usually that’s everyone’s least favourite part…I just loved it!)
We do tend to stay positive in the morning because nobody wants to listen to a negative Nigel do they? I believe it is so important to put your issues aside, unless of course you're sharing part of your life that may help somebody else.
Lauren Mitchell
I knew I wanted to go into Media/Journalism, so I joined college and completed a HND in Radio. From there, I completed my undergraduate degree in Media at Robert Gordon University. I graduated in 2015, moved back to St Andrews and I sent a video of myself doing the travel for a competition Northsound were running called "The Chosen One." About 3 weeks later, I got a call from Northsound telling me I was the CHOSEN ONE! I don't think I've ever been more excited in my whole life. That was 6 years ago which would have made me…. 21! I then moved everything back to Aberdeen and started on the Homerun show as a Travel Reporter.
You and your co-presenter Jeff Diack have a reputation for being hugely positive. How did you manage to maintain that at the start of lockdown when the rest of the world felt very scary?
Hahaha!! I love this question. We do tend to stay positive in the morning because nobody wants to listen to a negative Nigel do they? Being a presenter, I believe, a huge part of it (if not all of it) is being there for your listener and making them smile and laugh in the morning. I believe it is so important to put your issues aside, unless of course you're sharing part of your life that may help somebody else. 99% of the time though, when I walk into the studio, I would leave my personal problems at the door.
Has your outlook to the world changed over the past 12 months?
Absolutely! I’ve become someone who spends less money on clothes and I’m now investing in nice pillows and homely plants for my house… (Have I officially promoted myself to a sensible adult? Oh no!!!) In all seriousness though, I’ve always believed you should say YES to everything and worry about it later, do things that scare you, try new things, explore and make yourself as happy as you possibly can with whatever works for you… but now more than ever, I appreciate my family, my friends and the people around me. I am so grateful for the little things, just like everyone is I suppose. I feel like you will be nodding along there thinking, we definitely did take things for granted a bit, didn’t we?
It’s obvious to everyone that listens that you love your job. What is it about radio presenting that gets you up in the morning?
I really do feel lucky everyday to talk and play songs on the radio, it has its own little challenges like any job but I have to say, for me, it's the first laugh we have in the morning, the conversations we have with our listener, the funny things we talk about. Radio is very much a friend to most and it’s also a friend to me too… It is as much a comfort to me as it is to those who do turn to us in the morning.
Aside from your immediate colleagues, who inspires you professionally?
So many different people inspire me in different ways. My colleagues are great and I'm so thankful for them. My family of course are always driving themselves forward professionally which has always been an inspiration to me. Two people in particular though - 1. Kirstin Gove, who we all know is just an incredible person all round and 2. Pete McIntosh… the person who is always so positive, creative and pushing for his next challenge.
What is your favourite part of your working day?
I love the Win it Minute quiz that we do every morning. It's a really positive fun little way of interacting with every listener, no matter what age. I also reckon I’d be quite good at quizzes now after learning the most random facts from the Win it Minute over the last 5 years!
One aspect of your role at Northsound is to be part of the community they serve. How would you say Aberdeen has changed in the past 5 years?
I think Aberdeen has changed massively and I do believe we’ve become much more of a tight community, it feels like we are one city and we look after each other. When I think of Aberdeen, I think 'creative and innovative'. We have so many fantastic talented people in this city, I'm so proud to live here. Walking around the streets and seeing NUART, the SPECTRA festival, The beautiful Art Gallery and all the pop-up events with local producers and creatives - it is just a great place to be.
I’m determined to get a nugget of negativity from you today…so what pisses you off?
Bad drivers, I’d be a liar if I said I never get a little bit of inner road rage. Too scared to beep my horn though!
You seem to be a very determined and laser focused woman. What advice would you give to young girls who would like to follow in your footsteps.
I have three tips.
1. Find your confidence and own it! You are beautifully unique and you should champion yourself.
2. Don’t give up, get up and try again… If you fail, it is only a bigger lesson and better adventure.
3. Work hard (get experience) but also treat yourself, enjoy the crazy ride that life brings us!
And before we go…my youngest would like to know what your favourite tune is right now?
OH!!! Good question….I know in years to come, I’ll see this and I’ll think “DID I REALLY LIKE THAT SONG?!” but right now, it HAS to be Ella Henderson & Tom Grennan – Let's go Home together!
Ha, she'll love that! She's also a big fan of that song. Your early morning influence is strong! ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ
Thanks very much to Lauren for her brilliant answers to our questions. We're positive that we'll have her back at some time in the future. You can hear her every weekday on Jeff and Lauren in the Morning. The show also has a positive presence on Twitter, and Facebook.
Temp Check - Louise Grant from Aberdeen Brewery Fierce Beer
We chat with Louise Grant about building a brewery, running a business through the covid emergency and bouncing back with the help of community.
Louise Grant has been the friendly face of Fierce since it's inception...the welcoming smile. In our latest Temp Check Interview, we caught up with her to talk about her part in building the brewery, running a business through the covid emergency, and bouncing back with the help of the community. We also touch on her personal challenges and the amazing support from her husband Dave.
Hi Louise. I know life is very busy for you right now as Fierce has begun to welcome consumers face to face so thank you very much for taking the time to answer a few questions. We’ll stick with tradition by opening with “how are you doing right now?”
I am tip top and you?
I’m really good! I’ve been dying to talk to you for ages about your story, so tell us a little about your background and the part you played in starting Fierce family.
I left school (hated it) and had no desire for college or university (probably because I didn’t know what I wanted to do) and landed my first job in an oil service company just before I turned 18. From then I was always in oil, Drilling and Completions, for a couple of operators, but I always had a great job and loved what I did. My husband Dave and I moved to Cape Town in South Africa for a few years with oil, then returned in 2012. I got my job back at Chevron, still at the same desk and all the contents of shit I had left in the drawer!! It felt like I had never been away, ha ha!
Our house was like Breaking Bad, loads of stuff sitting bubbling away.
Louise Grant, Fierce Beer
When we came back, BrewDog’s Flagship bar was open, and Dave and I spent most of our weekends in there making friends with the regulars. When we first tasted Punk IPA we were like “what is this witchcraft?” Having spent years drinking Castle and Windhoek which tasted of nothing, it was a real eye opener for us.
Dave used to cycle a lot over there so when he came back, he was always looking for a hobby. A couple of the regulars used to homebrew, so Dave got chatting to them (Rick the Dentist deserves a shout out), and they inspired Dave to take it up. Our house was like Breaking Bad, loads of stuff sitting bubbling away. I was ‘Assistant to the Brewer’ which technically was a cleaner, but cleaning is one of the most important parts in beer making so I’m OK with that!
How did things develop from a hobby to a business?
Dave enrolled in a weeklong Brewlab brewing course in Sunderland and that’s where he met Dave McHardy who was also from Aberdeen and called Dave…the weirdest thing was my Dave also worked with Dave M’s wife Sheena. So random and yet clearly meant to be. Dave M was working at the time as a brewer (also an avid homebrewer) for Wooha Brewing.
The never-ending turbulence of the oil industry, layoffs, cost cutting etc really got Dave down and he was so fed up. I asked him what he wanted to do, he said make beer. Me being me, said “fuck it, let’s do it!” So we did. It was very scary, exciting and a bit crazy. We then registered Fierce as a brewery from the house with HMRC…that was 23 March 2015.
We used to take samples to the Flagship for people to taste. Dave was so good at it. For having not done it before, the recipes he came up with were brilliant! Cranachan Killer (Kenny Burns needs a shout out for this. His suggestion then Dave developed it), Café Racer and Heffen Heff to name a few were home brew recipes that we still make now.
So we are beginning to see what we now recognise as Fierce Beer today. How did you grow from there?
We built up a great relationship with BrewDog who were super supportive when we started and are still now. James [Watt] said we could do a tap take over at the Flagship. I think we are still the only brewery that has ever had a TTO with homebrew in a Brewdog venue…and it sold out fast. The buzz and the feeling of people enjoying what you have created was so thrilling and so satisfying.
After that it was clear that we could not continue doing this from home, especially full time, so we got our first premises in Dyce. A very surreal day getting the keys on 1st April 2016. We ordered all the kit and by May we had our first commercial beers out on the street.
And you were an integral part of this growing business?
I was still working in oil, at that time we thought I should keep working to keep money coming in. We both had high paying jobs so to go from that to nothing seemed ridiculous. By day three Dave and Dave said they needed me to quit my job, so I joined on May 1st 2016. We went with ridiculous!!
It’s not always been easy though. We ate and breathed nothing but Fierce and it was gruelling.
Louise Grant, Fierce Beer
I would take care of all the admin side, sales, accounts etc (not that I really knew what I was doing) but we managed and now having just celebrated our official 5th birthday, it’s insane and overwhelming to see how far we have come in such a short time.
It’s not always been easy though…cashflow, working 18-hour days, not really knowing what we were doing. We ate and breathed nothing but Fierce and it was gruelling. But when you are so passionate about something, you just do it. 😊 Absolutely no regrets.
I work for a small business and know that job titles often don’t really explain what your job actually entails; so what does a working day look like for you?
My job is a bit of everything to be honest, accounts, payroll, HR (one of our employees said that I was the reason Fierce needs an HR department lol), sales, exports, supermarkets, supporting the bars and customer service which is No. 1 in my opinion.
This might be a difficult question, but I’m really keen to know what your initial feelings were as we all went into lockdown, and how that changed through the following few weeks.
It was the weirdest thing ever. I didn’t really understand it and thought it would blow over in a few weeks (like most people I assume) but yet here we are over a years later! It has been so tough, keeping up with what we can and cannot do under restrictions. Having bars in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Manchester rules were different. It was so hard to get your head around and keep up. Every week it was changing. We had to adapt our business model, going from kegs and cans to all small pack as we had nowhere to sell kegs. It was really challenging. Luckily, we have a very smart, dynamic team and we rolled with the punches!
What was the biggest challenge for you personally through the pandemic.
I have MS so I have been working from home since March 2020. It’s tough not being with your team physically, but I am lucky I can do my job remotely, though you do miss the buzz of being in the brewery. I have had both jabs now so I will be able to work back there too. However, since I’ve been away my desk has been stolen!! Rude!
The stress of worrying if we would come out the other side was hard to swallow. When you have put everything you have into a business, the thought of losing it is the hardest and scariest thing to come to terms with.
We launched a ‘paying it forward’ crowdfund April 2020. People would invest and get 1½ times back in beer, discounts at our bars and online for life, and rewards for different amounts invested. If we did not have the support of those investors we would not have survived, and for that I am forever grateful. Typing this I have a lump in my throat 😔
Have challenges faced by your industry pulled independent breweries together in any way? Equally…have they driven some apart?
We are very lucky to have great relationships with other breweries. We used to do beer swaps so we would stock their beers in our bottle shops and vice versa. That really worked well. I don’t know of anything that has driven some apart but there have been many breweries that have had to close their doors, which is heart breaking. If you don’t have an outlet like we do to sell beer you have literally nothing coming in. Having an online web shop and bars to open as bottle shops helped us enormously.
Having the furlough scheme available was amazing. We managed to keep all our team employed which was ace!
What lessons do you think you will you take forward to the future as we cautiously move to the end of the pandemic emergency?
The world will never be the same again and this pandemic has taught us to never take anything for granted. We will always be cautious of how we operate now, ensuring we make the best quality products we can. Beer is a luxury item; many people have lost their jobs so making sure we have top end ingredients and beer for people that is affordable. Customer loyalty is important to keep Fierce alive. Looking after the team has been top priority for us. We are so lucky to have a dedicated long serving team, which is unique in this industry.
Fierce have been on the go for over five years now. What are your hopes for the evolution of the company through the rest of this year and beyond?
This year, plans are in motion to double capacity. We have ordered more tanks and a new canning line which we will have over the next few months. We have also employed new people to help grow the business (people who know what they are doing, ha ha.) A financial controller, Anel, who is doing a brilliant job keeping us right, and a General Manager who starts next month. She will be able to take work off myself and the Daves and have proper focus.
Dave and Dave still currently do packaging and brewing. They need to take a step back from that and do their jobs.
How do you see those roles?
Dave G doing what he does best. New strategies to grow the sales side and developing new recipes. We have two excellent brewers in Neil and James who have really helped improve our beers. They are tasting the best they ever have.
Dave M concentrating on the operations side and making sure the equipment is top and working more efficiently.
I will be focused on sales and customer service and that is what I do best, if I have all the other tasks, I mentioned before away from me I will be able to get stuck in.
Surviving! Things change all the time, but I think if we continue to do what we are doing we should be ok.
Community obviously means a great deal to Fierce Beer. What’s your secret for keeping your people engaged?
Community is EVERYTHING to Fierce. I think making interesting good beer to keep people engaged is the most important, and listening to your customers feedback to improve. Showing respect, being normal, approachable and treating people the way you want to be treated goes a long way. Be kind and honest. We are super transparent as a company, maybe too much. We are all human we make mistakes but when that happens just say “yes, we mucked up,” then learn from it and move on.
I love people. I’m a people person 😊
Who inspires you, and why?
Don’t get the sick bucket out, but my husband. Dave is the most hard-working person I know, takes everything in his stride and adapts when necessary. He is my hero, I am very proud of him. When I was diagnosed with MS not long ago, I think he was a bit traumatised. He worries about me a lot.
How have you coped yourself with the diagnosis?
I am honestly good, keeping well and working hard. We are the best team and lucky to have survived running a business together and being married. We live another day!
I’m going to pull out a classic job interview question…Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
I’ll put it back to your readers. Is there anything you would like to tell us? Anything we can improve on or do better. Any feedback positive or negative is always appreciated.
Thank you so much to Louise for her time. You can find Fierce Beer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Go follow, say hi, and let them know your thoughts on their amazing beers. They really are a friendly bunch.