Lakeland Mues…it is all about trust and product, a SPACE and TIME dimension.
A great morning out and an opportunity to talk to the Lakeland Mues guys, two young lads whose passion for quality muesli led to a starring role in BBC Two’s recent ‘Back to the Land’ documentary on local food producers.
Arriving at Lakeland Mues HQ we were met by Luke clutching a bag of their new ‘Total Nutter’ blend, Luke had a broad grin on his face that to be honest we’ve always seen him wearing.
First met the Mues guys when we were manning a market stall next to them on a particularly wet and windy Cumbrian autumn day. Their belief in their product shines through despite their practiced nonchalant style. They truly appreciate the lifestyle they can have in this wonderful part of the world – #Cumbria – and also have the talent and work ethic to make sure they have a business that will succeed and thrive. They are already coaching a roaster in the fine details of producing their muesli and have a small team of people assisting with the bagging.
We sit down with Tim and Luke over a cup of tea and try to capture what drives them and how they manage to thrive in a highly competitive market place. The answer as always is both simple and complicated. They both agree that food businesses always learn from each other and they are always looking for tips on doing things. A growing business always has new demands on your time and there never seems enough time to do all the things they need to do, but that stops them from getting bored and you get the feeling they quite like taking on new challenges. The greatest balancing act of all, SPACE (both Physical and Head, the SPACE to think and plan) and TIME – the elusive commodity which can be easily lost and hard to find!
They both agree that they work well together both have separate roles, one more creative and one more on the financial side of the business. But both are happy to work on getting large orders out or working jointly on anything else that a growing business inevitably faces above all else whatever happens always have a laugh about it.
The Lakeland Mues business is currently based in two units one for storage and office work and one just down the road where the alchemy happens roasting the seeds and nuts that goes into their generous muesli. They would ideally like to merge this into one location and plans are in motion to get this done (again showing that they are not just working on the day to day of the business).
They have a growing order book from retailers and farm shops which clearly demonstrates how their drive is growing their business and they also have quite a loyal on-line fan base who regularly buy their product (the appearance on the TV definitely helped this). And they have just won a coveted Guild of Fine Foods 2 Star TASTE Award! OUTSTANDING!
Above all else they have a belief in their brand and work with people they trust, you just know these guys are going somewhere, watch out Kelloggs, the Cumbrians are coming.
How are you feeling about your business – are you ON IT? If YES, get in touch and tell us your story, if No, get in touch and see what we can do to make your life better – at the very least you’ll experience an exceptional cup of coffee!
email: hello@thomasjardineandco.co.uk
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