Gourmet Partners – UK Food & Drink Consultancy & Brand Builders
Partnering and collaborating with premium food & drink brands to unlock growth across UK independent and speciality retail
Gourmet Partners & Brand Builders is a specialist UK food and drink consultancy and brand support partner, collaborating with premium UK and international brands to build sustainable success within the UK retail market.
We partner with ambitious brands at every stage of their journey — from UK market entry and route-to-market strategy through to distributor alignment, retail listings and in-market execution. Our expertise spans the UK’s independent retailers, farm shops, delis, health food stores and specialist food stores, creating strong commercial foundations for long-term growth.
By connecting brands, distributors and retailers, we create momentum in the market — combining strategic direction with hands-on activation to drive performance, visibility and expansion.
Our Services
UK food brand consultancy
We provide strategic and operational consultancy for UK and international food and drink brands looking to enter, grow and scale within the UK retail market.
Our consultancy services include UK route-to-market planning, distributor introductions, retail buyer access and commercial development tailored to the speciality food sector. As a specialist UK food brand consultancy, we help brands establish credibility within independent retail while positioning them for broader national opportunities, including the multiples.
Brand Builders
Our boots-on-the-ground Brand Support Managers enhance in-store visibility, deliver tastings and sampling, build meaningful retailer relationships, and drive sell-through across the UK’s independent and speciality retail network.
Beyond activation, we gather actionable in-market data and retailer insight — identifying opportunities, refining strategy and strengthening distributor performance. This intelligence equips brands with the commercial evidence required to expand distribution and secure further retail listings.
From strategy to shelf
Growing a food or drink brand in the UK takes more than a great product—it requires sector expertise, strong industry relationships, consistent retail presence, and clear commercial insight.
As a specialist UK food brand consultancy, we support brands from initial market entry and route-to-market strategy through to distributor alignment, in-store activation and measurable retail performance.
Our integrated approach combines strategic consultancy with experienced Brand Support Managers on the ground, supported by transparent reporting and actionable insight. Working collaboratively with founders, commercial teams, distributors and retail partners, we ensure strategy translates into sustained retail growth — strengthening distribution, improving sell-through and building long-term presence within the UK retail market.
Supporting brands at every stage
Whether entering the UK market for the first time or scaling within established retail channels, we partner with brands to build profile, credibility and commercial momentum.
Our approach focuses on creating strong foundations in independent and speciality retail — enabling brands to unlock wider national distribution and long-term success within the UK retail landscape.
“Working with Gourmet Partners Brand Builders has been a true game-changer for our business. Their strategic guidance helped us clearly define our positioning and develop a distribution plan that was genuinely aligned with our stage of growth in the UK market.
What really sets the team apart is their hands-on approach. They opened doors, made key introductions, and directly supported retail listings, confidently presenting our brand to distributors and major supermarkets. This resulted in securing partnerships with two leading speciality food distributors and gaining exposure with top-tier retailers, including Waitrose.
Thanks to their expertise, industry relationships, and ongoing support, we were able to get our brand in front of the right buyers and take a significant step forward in our UK retail journey.”
Stephen Firth, Azouro
“STOKED! began working with Gourmet Partners in 2025 with a half-finished product range and no prior experience of retail.
From the outset, Gourmet Partners provided invaluable guidance — from industry insight and branding expertise to pricing, sales channel strategy, and access to key contacts. Their support helped transform our initial products into a fully formed brand that has now successfully launched.
Through their Brand Builders programme, we continue to work closely with the team to build brand awareness within the independent speciality food retail sector.
Even at this early stage, Gourmet Partners have already presented STOKED! to multiple distributors and buyers, resulting in early listing opportunities.
If you have a product you want to see on retail shelves, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend working with Gourmet Partners.”
James & Iszy, Stoked!
“Fine Food Holdings has been working with Gourmet Partners – Consultancy & Brand Builders since 2020. From our initial setup in the UK market, they have built sales from zero to in excess of AU$1 million.
Having secured listings with key UK distributors, Gourmet Partners then helped us build brand awareness at retailer level — supporting our wholesale partners to win new customers and drive sell-through. This ultimately resulted in securing partnerships with leading UK retailers, including Waitrose.
It’s the perfect solution for driving sales from the warehouse to the shop shelves and, ultimately, to the consumer’s plate.”
Daniel Tamburrini, Olina’s Bakehouse
“I’ve been working with Gourmet Partners – Brand Builders for two years, and they’ve been essential in growing our business in the independent sector. The team supported us in developing a strong launch strategy and securing listings with major wholesalers.
Their knowledge and insight have been invaluable—and they’re a great bunch to work with. We couldn’t have grown this quickly without them, and I can’t recommend them highly enough.”
Craig Harries, Flavour Head
“As a European brand, partnering with Gourmet Partners – Brand Builders has been instrumental to Mellona’s success in the UK. Their expertise, strategic support, and proactive approach have secured a key distributor listing and expanded our retail presence—helping us build strong relationships and drive both brand awareness and sales growth.
Their Brand Development and Sales Managers sustain retail momentum, winning new customers, and provide detailed monthly reports that continually refine our strategy. The team’s transparent, hands-on approach delivers valuable insights, impactful marketing, and honest guidance—driving sales and generating meaningful customer feedback.”
Stelios Stylianou – Mellona