Q & A with Elliot Day, Co Founder of FieldGoods 

What do you love most about the brand you’ve created? 

We love our FieldGoods packaging! It’s like nothing else out there. We love creating banging food and bringing people together around the table with it! Knowing that we are making something that people enjoy, that they eat and think – “Dang that’s delicious” is such a great feeling. We love doing things the way we are – especially working with pioneering environmental brands. 

Have you always wanted to work in this industry?

Yes! For as long as I can remember I have wanted to work in food. I love it and it’s what makes our family tick. Combine that with our passion for the environment and I’d say we’ve ended up just where we wanted to be.

What are you most proud of? 

We’ve won 20 Great Taste Awards and we became the first ever ready meal in Fortnum and Mason. 

What advice would you give to someone keen to start a business but unsure where to begin?

Always make sure it’s something you’re passionate about – it takes a shit load of work and then some, so you better love the subject you’re working on!

Do it with people you like and trust – if you’re having fun, the work doesn’t seem like work – I see Sam for at least 70 hours a week, luckily we’re laughing for about 50 of those. 

Who is one of your biggest inspirations – either professionally or personally?

Personally – I think we take bits of inspiration from the hundreds of people we know; that work ethic, that positivity, that can-do attitude, that resilience, it’s hard to attribute to a single person. That said, it is fair to say that our parents have instilled most of these in us and act as an inspiration.

Professionally – it’s a cliche but Yvon Chouinard is a great. The way he has grown Patagonia while sticking to his principles is an inspiration. 

As companies go I love what FeverTree did to the drinks game and how Kikkoman (this is quite niche) has just owned the soy sauce game – it’s more expensive than everything else on the shelf yet they dominate, simply because it’s a better product in a better bottle.. I love that.

If you could attribute your success to anyone who gave you your big break?

We owe our success so far to a huge number of people along the way and who are still with us, from our parents and team members to investors and retailers. One name that will always be with us is Fiona Peck who runs the wonderful Pecks Farm Shop – she was the first farm shop to stock us and still does to this day. Gracias Fiona.

What’s the hardest thing about your job?

Managing a growing team, my brother and I included. This is one of the aspects I love most and also one of the most challenging as we get bigger and bigger. It takes a lot of time and love to get it right. Everyone we work with a vital part of the business and we are keen to always make sure that’s communicated 

Which part of your job do you most enjoy?

Developing new dishes and packaging. It’s a creative, iterative process including almost everyone in the business. We always open it up to the team for suggestions, and then taste everything together too. 

Packaging is often inspired by a particular memory from our family, sometimes a travel experience, sometimes ingredients. We always start with an open conversation and let it flow from there. 

Events. While we’ve left hospitality behind for the most part, there’s nothing quite like bringing people together with food. It’s such a high, and it’s awesome to do that by surprising people with FieldGoods.

Do you find it easy to balance work and play?

Yes – we decided a while ago to just play. Every day is rammed beyond belief, so our Monday – Friday is pretty wild, but we are good at drawing a line; a holiday’s a holiday and a weekend’s a weekend, this is one of the most important things we do. It keeps you enthused about what you are doing in the week and what you’re looking forward to at the weekend!