E298 That Great Business Show - They accidentally built a sauce empire - Garret FitzGerald & Sofie Rooney, Chimac
That Great Business ShowShow Notes
They built a fried chicken restaurant. Then accidentally built a sauce empire.
Most couples argue about whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher. Sofie Rooney and Garrett FitzGerald argue about chicken. And somehow that turned into Chimac — one of Ireland's most talked-about restaurant brands and now a fast-growing food business stocked in Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Selfridges, Whole Foods and beyond.
On this episode: How a trip to South Korea changed their lives Why Sophie got scurvy from eating too much fried chicken (true!) The restaurant that nearly broke them The US distributor disaster that left them stranded How they went from packing sauce bottles in their sitting room to exporting internationally Why food businesses are brutally difficult Why they still think it's worth it
And yes, Garrett also explains why Ireland should become a global ham superpower. This is business at its messiest, tastiest and most entertaining. Their 'hire in a heartbeat'? Sophie went for Fiona Fitzpatrick, founder of Brand Growth Heroes and former Nestlé, Gü and Japoni executive. Sophie describes her as one of the most insightful consumer-brand strategists she has encountered and would hire her to help Chimac scale internationally. Garrett chose William Exner, a former Chimac team member from Brazil. Garrett highlighted his intelligence, work ethic, adaptability and positive attitude, describing him as someone he would hire again immediately.
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