In this episode of Food Manufacture we meet Rachel Kettlewell who founded Fearne and Rosie in 2019, named the business after her first two children.
She started the venture whilst still in her previous role as a primary school teacher. Whilst Kettlewell agreed teaching can be a stressful career path to follow, she didn’t leave because she fell out of love with the profession, but rather because she didn’t have enough time to pursue both.
Her business began like many start-ups do – experimenting in the kitchen; with her the idea driven by a want to offer a natural jam with less sugar.
Her products are mostly labelled as preserves due to UK regulation. The Jam and Similar Products (England) Regulations 2003 sets out that jam must contain a minimum of 60% sugars (including natural fruit sugar and added sugar) and contain a minimum of 35% fruit, with some fruits given an even lower percentage.
Kettlewell wanted families to be able to pick up a jar without having to worry about the sugar levels or compromising. The result of her work is an all natural ingredients list, with 40% lower in sugar than standard UK jams and around 70% fruit in a single jar.
Like many start-ups, Kettlewell has learned on the go and the business strategy has been refined and sharpened alongside her own know-how.
“The original barcodes were Fearne and Rosie’s birthdays! I didn’t know about GS1,” the founder reminisced. “We’ve come a long way from there.”
In 2024, the brand unveiled new packaging, which included stronger visuals, a cleaner looking design, and a new lid decorated with seeds which Kettlewell said allows the business to diverge into new categories as well as representing the business’s ambitions to grow.
But the other notable difference is that the ‘reduced sugar’ message isn’t part of its main on-pack sell.
“We kind of pulled back on that messaging. Only some consumers want to hear that. Actually, the majority of purchase decisions are themed around taste, so we’ve got to sell on the fact it tastes delicious.
“So rather than leading on what we we’re taking out, we’re leading on what we we’re putting in – which is these are delicious preserves crafted with 70% fruit. Health is almost a by-product to it.”
She continued: “We’ve definitely been on a real journey with our recipe and product development.”
When chatting about the intricacies of taking out sugar, Kettlewell said she the process is “that simple”.
“I’m not from industry and therefore didn’t recognise kind of the complications behind that [taking out the sugar]. I was like: why would you not just take out the sugar and put in more fruit?”
And Kettlewell said she maintains that ethos, with that “naivety” being a big part of why her business was founded in the first place.
Commenting on the range the business offers today, she added: “The product that we have […] I’m so proud of it and I think there were times in the past when we were really early doors where things were going wrong and that wasn’t always the case. Sometimes I’d be a bit worried, whereas now I know whichever store you go to, wherever you pick up Fearne and Rosie, we’re all really happy with that product that you’re going to pick up.”
Listen to the full interview above or whenever you usually get your podcasts.
