MEMBER SPOTLIGHT The Naked Collective, speaks to us about their eureka moment that led to the creation of Mude and So.Beer Tell us a little about your background before setting up The Naked Collective?
Tell us about The Naked Collective and how it came to fruition?
Catherina and Niall have over 50 years experience between them working on top tier fmcg food and drink brands. Niall has held senior roles in Nestle & Molson Coors, and Catherina has held senior roles in Ikea, Lifestyle sports and United Drug.
Cat and Niall we’re looking at a project and over a coffee, chatted about the type of company they’d like to build, culturally and form a legacy perspective. As they talked about their hectic schedule and trying to find healthy choices for their daughters, they had a eureka moment. How could they change the face of soft drinks and beer with a completely different approach to business and drinks. And so TNC was born.
What do you enjoy about running your own business? Everyday is completely different. You are running the gauntlet between growth, fire fighting and innovation. Days can start one way and finish completely different, with any amount of twists in between. Like Irish weather on any day in April.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced on your journey so far? Covid, Brexit, supply chain crisis…..and on. Its been a journey of world firsts and we’d be happy if we only saw one more world first in our journey. And that is our brands sitting at the top of the sales charts. How has COVID-19 impacted your business and what do you think will be the longlasting affects for Irish business and consumption trends? We basically lost 2021. It was planned to be a big launch and growth year, but it has taken us till Q4 to really build momentum. The big change is that consumers are putting their health and wellness first whilst also looking for little indulgences.
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