Video
The Disruptors: The protein drink start-up finding a novel use for unwanted eggs
"You have to show that your business idea solves a problem or genuinely changes things for the better" says Matthew Havers, managing director at PECK Drinks Photograph: Alistair Grant - Credit: bokeh photographic - Alistair Grant
What to do with the abundance of eggs that don't make it onto supermarket shelves? For the latest installment in The Disruptors video series, Matthew Havers of PECK Drinks explains his cracking idea.
What was the opportunity you identified that led to the launch of your business?
There's an abundance of second-grade eggs that don't meet the size, appearance and weight criteria for farmers to sell to supermarkets. Plus, we could see that no-one was making products from egg whites that appealed to growing consumer drivers like convenience, busy lifestyles and health.
What were the challenges you faced along the way and how did you learn from them?
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We'd envisioned finding a contracted manufacturer for our products, but no-one was capable of achieving what we wanted to achieve, so setting up manufacturing with no prior experience was a massive headache.
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What has been the moment you are most proud of so far in your business' development?
Being approached by Sainsbury's for a trial listing. Many food and beverage start-ups hold that up as an end goal, but for us it came out of the blue before we'd even sold 1,000 bottles.
What would be the single most important piece of advice you would give someone launching a disruptive start-up?
Do proper, thorough market research. Commission a survey of your key audience, or undertake your own quantitative research. You have to show that your business idea solves a problem or genuinely changes things for the better.
Also, don't be afraid to wing it - we pretended to be a fully running company at a massive trade show, but in reality we had nothing more than frozen prototypes. We had less than £500 left in the bank were there to either call it a day or dig deep, find investment and make it fly.
What are your plans for the future?
We have a new product launching this year that will totally change our business, and will finally start to build a sales and marketing team.
The Disruptors is a new video series highlighting the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge businesses shaking up their respective industries. Read more and follow the series here.Want to tell us about how your business is disrupting its sector? Contact David Fieldhouse on 01603 772456.
