Bread & Jam Festival 2026
It’s back! And it’s massive. Join 1000+ challenger brands, 100+ retail buyers, industry investors, thought leaders & industry experts for a gamechanging 48 hours.
Business Design Centre, London | 14th - 15th July, 2026
Powered by GS1 UK
Bread & Jam is a great name but it is much more like Caviar & Champagne! The value the two days delivered is exceptional.
Jennie Bayliss, Letterbox Cocktails
Trailblazers. Disruptors. Challengers. Innovators. Welcome home.
Early-stage founders
Founders of challenger FMCG brands looking to supercharge the growth of their business.
Pre-launch entrepreneurs
Aspiring founders who want to check out the market and understand the opportunities.
Scaling FMCG brands
More established challenger brands focused on scaling distribution, sales and awareness.
Team members
Team members of FMCG brands looking to up-skill and gather industry insights.
Retail-ready brands
Brands ready to secure retail listings and strengthen relationships with buyers.
Investment-seekers
Founders looking to connect with investors and unlock funding opportunities for growth.
“You’ll learn things at Bread & Jam that could end up saving you 100x the cost of the ticket.”
Stu Macdonald, ManiLife
The Talks - Day One: Tuesday 14th July
-
LEADERS’ ROOM Chef and cookbook author (Penguin, Yellow Kite) Rachel Ama spent seven years writing recipes, building a 1M-strong community, and refusing to launch anything that didn't honour the Caribbean food she grew up on - and the joy, spice and modern craft she brings to it as a chef. From sharing online to running supper clubs and selling out every test drop, she built trust - slow, attentive, relentless - long before she built a brand. The result: a Caribbean food brand that hit national retail in 12 months, without a single paid ad. She shares the practical lessons: how to build a community before a brand, why cultural integrity beats marketing budget, and what it really takes to build a category-defining brand from the plate up.
Rachel Ama - AMA's -
LEADER’S ROOM Founders from Better Nature, Doughlicious & Blue Turaco Coffee share the real stories behind successful pitches & how to craft a narrative that wins buyers & investors.
Elin Roberts - Better Nature, Kathryn Bricken - Doughlicious, Wycliffe Sande - Blue Turaco Coffee -
LEADERS’ ROOM In this session, Levi Levenfiche, co-founder of PerfectTed, shares how they built Europe’s largest matcha brand by breaking the rules - from early positioning decisions and retail strategy to the mistakes, trade-offs, and bold bets that fuelled rapid growth.
Levi Levenfiche - PerfectTed -
LEADERS’ ROOM Learn how to make and keep your business profitable with founders from Cheeky Panda & Miso Tasty, investor Kristian Li and law firm Joelson.
Phil Hails-Smith - Joelson, Kristian Li - Angel, Julie Chen - Cheeky Panda, Bonnie Chung - Miso Tasty -
LEADERS’ ROOM Landing a retail listing is part art, part science. Waitrose, Ocado, and Whole Foods buyers break down what they look for in a pitch (from product innovation and storytelling to supply readiness and category fit) and the red flags that make them pass.
Laura Tudor - Waitrose, Genevieve Fitch - Ocado, Jade Hoai - Whole Foods Market
Leaders’ Room: Keynotes & Panels
-
FMCG MASTERCLASS - AI As your food or drink brand grows, finance and operations quickly become more complex — and more critical. In this practical session, we’ll show how founders can use tools like Xero, inventory systems such as Unleashed, and AI (including Claude) to gain better visibility, improve decision-making, and stay in control of cash and margins. We’ll walk through real examples of how to streamline processes, connect systems, and use AI to unlock insights from your numbers.
Phillip Oakley - Outserve -
FMCG MASTERCLASS - OPERATIONS Picking the wrong manufacturing partner can quietly destroy an early-stage brand long before most founders see it coming. This session covers what to look for, what to ask and the warning signs most founders miss. Practical guidance from the YF Supply Chain team, bringing years of experience working alongside challenger brands navigating the make-or-break manufacturer decision.
Phil Peters, Lara Rodriguez & Tom Felice - Young Foodies -
FMCG MASTERCLASS - FINANCE Raising funding can feel complex, overwhelming, and full of unknowns. In this session, Johnston Carmichael simplify the process by breaking down the five key rules every founder should follow – from understanding your numbers to building investor-ready financials.
Stewart Pennington - Johnston Carmichael -
FMCG MASTERCLASS - FINANCE Margins, COGS and cash flow can make or break a food business. In this session, Marcus Carter breaks down the fundamentals of building a profitable food brand – from understanding your costs and value chain to launching on a lean budget and preserving cash. Learn how to build smarter financial habits, and a clearer roadmap for sustainable growth.
Marcus Carter - Artisan Food Club -
FMCG MASTERCLASS - SALES One deck does not fit all. This session will unpack the strategic blueprint behind a professional sell-in deck that balances the commercial data expected by supermarket buyers with the compelling storytelling that resonates with speciality retailers like Selfridges and Whole Foods Market.
Julie Mills - Shrewd Foodie -
FMCG MASTERCLASS - SALES Amazon and retail media can be powerful growth channels for FMCG brands, but they can quickly drain cash if the numbers are wrong. This practical session shows founders how to assess the opportunity, protect margin, avoid wasted ad spend and build profitable momentum on the digital shelf.
Ali Shariat - This Way Up -
FMCG MASTERCLASS - OPERATIONS This session will explore what retailers really look for in their supplier relationships, from the key metrics they measure to the hygiene factors that set top-performing brands apart. We'll discuss how to drive strong in-store performance through promotions and retail media, navigate launches and supply chain challenges effectively, and understand how priorities evolve as your retail partnership grows.
Rosie Long - Blue Turaco Coffee
FMCG Masterclasses
-
ROUNDTABLE Great product, growing demand, but production holding you back? In this practical session, Mentors for Makers from Adelphi Manufacturing, reveals how artisan producers can scale efficiently without compromising on quality or craftsmanship. Learn how the right filling and capping setup can streamline production, eliminate bottlenecks and free you to focus on innovation, product quality and business growth. We'll also explore the wider decisions that shape successful growth from production planning to preparing your business for the next stage.
Lena Hebestreit, Lydia Robinson, Bruce Girvan - Mentors for Makers by Adelphi Manufacturing
Saif Rafiq - Organic Jinger Health Drinks -
ROUNDTABLE Your packaging is not just a cost line - it can be the thing that helps you launch, scale and react to an ever-changing market. Join Harry Baker from BakPac, a UK flexible packaging manufacturer based just outside London, and guest client Lauren Calvert, Commercial and Technical Lead at MP BioScience, for a wholistic discussion on preparing your packaging supply chain for growth. We’ll explore Price vs Value, hidden costs of low unit pricing, supplier agility, stock risk, demand spikes and how smarter packaging decisions can help brands leapfrog their competitors.
Kirsty Dailly, Harry Baker, Jamie Doogan - BakPac
Lauren Calvert - MP Bio Science -
ROUNDTABLE Great product, slow sales? Something is off. In this fast, interactive session, Treatt breaks down the hidden barriers killing your rate of sale, from taste and sweetness to “clean label” and flavour impact. Through a live reformulation (with samples included), you will see exactly how to fix these issues and turn your drink into something people actually come back for.
Tracy Gorman, Emma Bowles, Hannah Ramsey, Magdalena Peake - Treatt -
ROUNDTABLE How can early-stage founders build their business with the end in mind? We guide founders through the concept of 'Exit Literacy,' helping them visualize a variety of entrepreneurial outcomes so they can plan intentionally and succeed on their own terms.
Bonnie Chung
Zoe Stanton -
ROUNDTABLE
Kate Hoffman, Sanjay Sood-Smith - Pesto
Lucy Barks - Bold Bean Co
Sophie Gates - Nice -
ROUNDTABLE Learn how to harness the power of influencers through disruptive sampling and gifting campaigns that generate buzz, spark social sharing and put your brand in front of the right audiences.
Rob Curson, Colin Butcher - N-Fuze -
ROUNDTABLE Discover why AI ignores most small brands — and how to fix your content, positioning and visibility without big budgets.
Rachel Havers, Matthew Fenemore - NIQ -
ROUNDTABLE
Thomas Bourne - Greenheart -
ROUNDTABLE
John Wood, Jamie Derrick, Andy Crathorne - Real Agency
Roundtables
The Talks - Day Two: Wednesday 15th July
-
LEADERS’ ROOM From a hangover epiphany in Spain to becoming one of the UK’s most exciting food brands, Founder Amelia Christie-Miller shares how Bold Bean Co turned a store-cupboard staple into a category-defining hero. Discover how putting mission at the heart of the brand unlocked standout positioning, major retail listings, award-winning products, and a best-selling cookbook — all while navigating the realities of building a brand people truly care about and balancing purpose with commercial success.
Amelia Christie-Miller - Bold Bean Co -
LEADERS’ ROOM Learn how to scale production without compromising on quality, and what to look for when choosing the right manufacturing partner.
Gulrez Arora - Gymkhana Fine Foods, Tom Partridge - HOLOS Kombucha, Riya Patel - All The Aunties -
LEADERS’ ROOM Before Two Chicks, liquid egg whites didn’t exist in UK supermarkets. Founder Anna Richey shares how they built an entirely new category, landing listings in Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, and scaling into France, the Netherlands and the UAE. She also reflects on the highs of rapid growth, alongside the realities of how long, tough, and even ulcer-inducing (!) the exit process can be. Not to be missed for founders looking to scale a category-defining FMCG brand and understand what it really takes to build — and exit — successfully.
Anna Richley - Two Chicks -
LEADERS’ ROOM Join the founders who appeared at our very first festival as they reflect on a decade of building and falling. From first listings and big order disasters to pivotal decisions and near-misses, they’ll discuss the common attributes that have helped their brands last 10 years.
Cemal Ezel - Change Please, Segun Akinwoleola - The Gym Kitchen, Annie Morris - Spoon Cereals, Eugene Patterson - Revibed Drinks (chair) -
LEADERS’ ROOM Looking to raise? Head to the Leaders’ Room to watch 6 challenger brands pitch live on stage to investors in the Bread Winner final! Watch, learn and take notes on how to smash your own pitch.
Leaders’ Room: Keynotes & Panels
-
FMCG MASTERCLASS - AI AI is changing how brands capture knowledge, make decisions, and grow. Learn how to build a “company brain” in Obsidian and discover how emerging CPG brands can use AI to unlock efficiency, better decisions, and faster growth.
Robert Berry - Asterley Bros -
FMCG MASTERCLASS - SALES You’re doing “all the marketing”, posting, running ads, sending emails, but revenue still feels unpredictable. In this session, Kate Williams from KW Marketing breaks down what’s actually driving sales for food & drink brands right now, and how to turn email into a consistent, revenue-generating channel using proven flows, campaigns, and real brand results.
Kate Williams - KW Marketing -
FMCG MASTERCLASS - OPERATIONS This session breaks down how logistics and operations underpin successful growth across Amazon, retail, and D2C. We’ll highlight the common profit leaks that appear as businesses scale, and how smarter supply chain management can improve availability, reduce costs, and protect margins. Attendees will leave with a practical framework to support sustainable, profitable growth.
Angelos Panayiotou & Alex Hart - Windfall Logistics -
FMCG MASTERCLASS - FINANCE The cash imperative changes at every stage of growth. As you scale, the complexity and operational burden shift, and your brand's approach has to flex with them. In this session, former Amazon Director Stacey van den Aardweg shows where the leaks hide at each stage, and the tactics that get you paid faster.
Stacey van den Aardweg - Fluxo
-
FMCG MASTERCLASS - AI How do you stay lean as you scale? In this Commercial + Ops-led session, discover how Bold Bean Co uses AI across the business to turn data into action, uncover insights faster, and make better decisions. Learn how smarter systems are helping the team move faster, drive growth, and focus on the work that matters most.
Alex Haldane, Lucy Barks - Bold Bean Co.
FMCG Masterclasses
-
ROUNDTABLE In a competitive market, where almost all consumers can buy the same or similar products elsewhere, how do you use your brand to stand out from the crowd, connect and ultimately achieve brand loyalty?
Marcus Allan, Jon Dignam, Kim Van Elkan, Jody Monteith - OurCreative -
ROUNDTABLE When do food brands actually need certification — and when is it just unnecessary pressure? This session will unpack retailer vs DTC vs foodservice expectations, what buyers really look for versus founder assumptions, and the most common timing mistakes. We will also demystify certification routes in simple terms (cost, complexity, and what stage they suit) and what “audit ready” really means in practice — from food safety and compliance systems, to traceability and allergen control.
Rebecca Hale, Beth Winters, Zoe Plant - The Food WorksSW -
ROUNDTABLE
Celine Parró Ricci, Marie Petrovicka, Alice Polle - DELLI -
ROUNDTABLE
Ed Mitchell - BluNiche UK
Craig Leadley - Institute of Food Science & Technology
Dr Greg Jones - ALS Global -
ROUNDTABLE
Jamie Law, Sherissa Naicker, Tyson McKeown, John Miller - Brand Traction -
ROUNDTABLE
Beril Oturmazer, Nil Nurlu Deniz, Aybuke Abaci - Depodone, Susanna Encarnacion, Alexa Fernandez
Roundtables
Get the full picture & find out what else to expect at the Bread & Jam Festival 2026
Why should I be there?
Get listed
The Pitching Zone: Meet 100+ buyers in 1-1, 10 minute meetings. Apply now!
Indie Walkway: Quick-fire pitching with buyers from farm shops, delis and speciality stores.
International Pitching Zone: Meet buyers from all over the world!
Buyer panel: Hear what Ocado, Waitrose & WFM buyers really look for, straight from the horse’s mouth.
Get funded
The Bread Winner: Pitch live on stage to a panel of investors & win an epic grand prize worth £90K! (applications now open! Check it out ↓).
Networking sessions: Catch investors in the breaks, business cards at the ready.
Get connected
The Marketplace: Chat to 60+ service providers tailored to your needs.
Mingle With 1000+ Peers: Get amongst the brands, buyers, investors, industry experts, press & influencers.
The Advisor Zone: Get bespoke, tailored advice on your sales, branding and strategy from industry experts.
The Chill Zone: Take a break & catch up with new friends.
Get seen
The Producers’ Shop: Showcase your product to 1000+ attendees.
Concept Corner: Check out the hottest up-and-coming early stage brands looking for your advice.
Tasting Panel: Sit down with a panel of two retail buyers and get their live, honest feedback on your product.
Sampling Station: Stop by, taste something new and meet the founders.
Yeah yeah… but what about pitching to the retailers?
Apply online from 9th June to each individual retailer (you can apply to as many retailers as you wish). Applications close on 7th July. All eligible applications will be sent to the buyer, who will select the brands they wish to meet in person. If you’re successful, you’ll have 10 minutes to pitch to them on a one to one basis at the Festival in the Pitching Zone. You’ll find out via email on 10th July if you’ve been chosen. You must have a Festival ticket to apply.
Early Bird
£275 (inc. VAT)
Congrats to all you eager beavers who managed to score an Early Bird ticket before they sold out. See you in July.
Standard Rate
£335 (inc. VAT)
2 day all access ticket for FMCG brands
✓ Unlimited retail pitches
✓ 70+ hours of legendary content
✓ Apply to The Bread Winner competition
✓ Showcase your product in the Producers’ Shop
✓ Free lifestyle shots at the Photo Studio
✓ Pitch to angels & VCs
Late Bird
£450 (inc. VAT)
Late Bird tickets go on sale on 11th July. Grab your Standard Rate ticket while you still can for all the same benefits.
The Bread Winner
Ready to step into the spotlight and pitch your brand directly to investors live on stage? Get in front of a specially curated panel of seasoned FMCG focused Angels, VCs, Private Equity & Family Offices in a series of knockout rounds to win an incredible grand prize to propel your growth trajectory. Check out the prize pot here.
Applications open now! - you will need a Festival ticket to apply.