Registration is now open for the GS1 UK Healthcare Conference. Join us on 29-30 April at QEII, London.

Biotiful Dairy’s recipe for success

How Biotiful Dairy founder, Natasha Bowes, took her business from fledgling startup to the UK's leading kefir brand.

How Biotiful Dairy transformed from a fledgling startup to the UK's leading kefir brand.

Biotiful Dairy was founded in 2012 by Natasha Bowes. 

Growing up, Kefir and other cultured milk products were a regular part of Natasha’s life due to their gut health benefits. It continued to be part of her diet and health regime as she trained as a figure skater, competing for her country up until the age of 13. 

But when Natasha moved to London, there was nothing that lived up to her memory of the Kefir she used to drink every day. So, spotting a clear gap in the market and having already pursued a successful corporate career, she decided to bring her experience to the table in creating Biotiful Gut Health. 

Natasha’s vision was clear. She wanted to educate the UK about the importance of gut health and develop the perfect Kefir by combining ancient recipes with specialist production methods.

From finance to fermentation

The early days were marked by hands-on hard work. Natasha took on multiple roles, from product development and marketing to sales and operations. “I had to wear many hats in the early days,” she recalled, “from making the product to pitching it to retailers. It was tough but incredibly rewarding.” It wasn’t until two and a half years into the journey that she made her first hire, a marketing assistant, to help alleviate some of the workload. 

Natasha Bowes

Natasha Bowes

Navigating the food and drink sector presented unique challenges compared to the corporate finance world. However, Natasha found joy in an industry driven by passion and purpose. 

“Coming from a corporate background, I was struck by how passionate people in the food industry are. They genuinely care about what they create, which was refreshing and inspiring” she said. 

Biotiful Dairy’s big break came in 2016 with their first major grocery listing with Sainsbury’s. 

Kefir quickly proved to be a huge hit with UK consumers, and, by 2018, their products were available across all major UK supermarkets, firmly establishing Biotiful as the first kefir brand to be listed in the plain dairy aisle.

Lessons learned

While her brand has enjoyed enormous success, Natasha still had to overcome a variety of hurdles on her journey to success and approach to navigating change offers some valuable lessons for fellow founders. 

In the early stages, she was cautious about hiring, waiting until she was confident in the business’s direction. This strategic patience ensured that each new hire added genuine value and supported the businesses objectives. As the company evolved, Natasha recognised the delicate balance between investing in people ahead of revenue growth and maintaining operational efficiency, finding that measured investments often yielded better outcomes. 

As Biotiful grew, understanding the changing needs of the business was crucial. Natasha learned that the skills required during the startup phase were not always suited to the demands of scaling. To support this growth, she transitioned from a flat structure with multiple direct reports to a streamlined, cross-functional leadership team. This structural shift enabled better decision-making and greatly improved operational efficiency. 

According to Natasha, trust and communication were perhaps the most critical pillars of her leadership approach. She believes that trust must be earned and cultivated through transparent communication, creating a positive and productive work environment where employees can thrive. She also credits her ability to adapt, invest strategically and foster trust with having a significant impact on the business's development and long-term success.

Staying connected & continuous learning

One of the key challenges Natasha faced was staying connected to all aspects of the business, especially as it grew.

Staying connected & continuous learning

She overcame this by establishing a cross-functional leadership team, including roles such as chief commercial officer and chief financial officer, which allowed her to delegate responsibilities while maintaining oversight.

She also made a concerted effort to always seek feedback. “Feedback is invaluable,” Natasha noted. “It helps us see our blind spots and improve both individually and as a business.” 

She also attributes a big part of the brands success to success to staying agile and leveraging diverse sales channels. Staying flexible and exploring opportunities beyond traditional grocery markets was crucial when navigating the complexities of the food and drink sector.

Innovate and expand

Looking ahead, Biotiful Dairy will continue to innovate and expand. Their impressive journey serves as an inspiration for entrepreneurs and established businesses alike.

By staying true to their values, embracing change and investing in people, Biotiful has cemented its place as a leader in the health-focused dairy market.

Tags

Industry news