As he happily admits, Turton has been on a slightly different path to many people that hold senior positions within the food and drink sector.
Prior to coming on board at Pact, he spent almost 25 years working in a variety of sales and business development roles for firms including Hays and Office Depot, but had no direct F&B background.
“When I left the corporate world I was looking for something that was going to be smaller and more entrepreneurial, something I could really get my teeth into and really shape,” Turton told the podcast.
“So in 2017 when I met Pact Coffee founder Stephen Rapoport, I knew straight away that this was where I wanted to be because it felt right. There was a great energy that you could literally smell in the air.”
Turton joined at a time when investment funds were running low and was briefed to put the business on the road to profitability. Surrounded by entrepreneurs, he was excited by the opportunity and leant on his experience in the corporate space to help reshape the business. However, he knew nothing about coffee.
“I was asked on my first day what my favourite brew method was and it completely foxed me,” Turton recalled.
“I can give an answer now, but I got the role based on my skillset rather than my knowledge of that particular market, which is what Stephen wanted at the time.”
The transition period was rapid, much like “ripping off a plaster”, but Turton has not looked back ever since.
“He gave me the keys to the business and the rest is history,” he added.
Once in place, Turton set about building up his team and getting under the hood of the business. Seven years on there have been a few personnel changes, but many of the people put in place at the start are still with Pact today.
“I was conscious of bringing in control and professionalising the business, but I never wanted to cut off that entrepreneurial spirit,” Turton explained.
“You have to empower people and let them make mistakes. If you don’t let people fly, they will leave and you will lose the essence of what is great about the company.”
The success the firm has enjoyed since has been impressive, especially on the subscription service front.
“We are dominant with regards to subscriptions,” Turton said.
“There are no players in speciality coffee that comes close to Pact in terms of subscription revenue.”
To hear more from Turton, listen to the full episode above.
