Gourmet Partners – speciality food & drink Consultancy & Brand Builders
Collaborating with premium food and drink brands to help them succeed in UK speciality retail
Gourmet Partners & Brand Builders is a specialist food and drink consultancy and brand support partner helping premium UK and international brands grow within the UK’s speciality retail sector.
We work with ambitious businesses to build brand visibility, secure meaningful retail listings, and deliver sustainable growth across independent retailers, farm shops, delis, and specialist food stores—combining strategic consultancy with hands-on, in-market execution.
By connecting brands, distributors, and retailers, we create momentum in the market and provide the strategic direction and on-the-ground support needed for long-term success across the UK’s independent and speciality retail landscape.
From strategy to shelf
Growing a food or drink brand in the UK takes more than a great product—it requires sector expertise, strong industry relationships, consistent retail presence, and clear commercial insight.
Our integrated approach combines strategic consultancy, experienced Brand Support Managers on the ground, and transparent reporting to deliver the structure and execution needed for sustainable growth.
From market entry and distributor support to in-store performance and sell-through, we turn commercial ambition into measurable retail results.
Our Services
Consultancy
Strategic consultancy supporting premium food and drink brands with UK route-to-market planning, distributor introductions, retail buyer access, and commercial strategy within the speciality food retail sector.
Brand Builders
Our boots-on-the-ground Brand Support Managers increase in-store visibility, deliver tastings and sampling, build retailer relationships, and drive sell-through across the UK’s independent and speciality retail network.
“Working with Gourmet Partners Brand Builders has been a true game-changer for our business. Their strategic guidance helped us clearly define our positioning and develop a distribution plan that was genuinely aligned with our stage of growth in the UK market.
What really sets the team apart is their hands-on approach. They opened doors, made key introductions, and directly supported retail listings, confidently presenting our brand to distributors and major supermarkets. This resulted in securing partnerships with two leading speciality food distributors and gaining exposure with top-tier retailers, including Waitrose.
Thanks to their expertise, industry relationships, and ongoing support, we were able to get our brand in front of the right buyers and take a significant step forward in our UK retail journey.”
Stephen Firth, Azouro
“STOKED! began working with Gourmet Partners in 2025 with a half-finished product range and no prior experience of retail.
From the outset, Gourmet Partners provided invaluable guidance — from industry insight and branding expertise to pricing, sales channel strategy, and access to key contacts. Their support helped transform our initial products into a fully formed brand that has now successfully launched.
Through their Brand Builders programme, we continue to work closely with the team to build brand awareness within the independent speciality food retail sector.
Even at this early stage, Gourmet Partners have already presented STOKED! to multiple distributors and buyers, resulting in early listing opportunities.
If you have a product you want to see on retail shelves, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend working with Gourmet Partners.”
James & Iszy, Stoked!
“Fine Food Holdings has been working with Gourmet Partners - Consultancy & Brand Builders since 2020. They have built sales in the UK from zero to in excess of AU$1 Million. Having won listings with key UK distributors, we are now in the position where the Gourmet Partners - Brand Builders solution will help us build brand awareness at the retailer level, supporting our wholesale partners to win new customers. It's the perfect solution for driving sales from the warehouse to the shop shelves and, ultimately, to the consumer's plate.”
Daniel Tamburrini, Olina’s Bakehouse
“I’ve been working with Gourmet Partners – Brand Builders for two years, and they’ve been essential in growing our business in the independent sector. The team supported us in developing a strong launch strategy and securing listings with major wholesalers.
Their knowledge and insight have been invaluable—and they’re a great bunch to work with. We couldn’t have grown this quickly without them, and I can’t recommend them highly enough.”
Craig Harries, Flavour Head
“As a European brand, partnering with Gourmet Partners – Brand Builders has been instrumental to Mellona’s success in the UK. Their expertise, strategic support, and proactive approach have secured a key distributor listing and expanded our retail presence—helping us build strong relationships and drive both brand awareness and sales growth.
Their Brand Development and Sales Managers sustain retail momentum, winning new customers, and provide detailed monthly reports that continually refine our strategy. The team’s transparent, hands-on approach delivers valuable insights, impactful marketing, and honest guidance—driving sales and generating meaningful customer feedback.”
Stelios Stylianou – Mellona