Meet the founder of The Berry Company

Khaled El-Yafi is a British-Lebanese entrepreneur. Khaled graduated with a business degree in 2001, before going to work for his father's food distribution company. Following three years with his father, Khaled founded The Berry Company in 2007, having been inspired by the publicity surrounding superfoods and their nutritious benefits.

The Berry Company’s blueberry juice blend was their first product, which was rich in Vitamin C and K, and led them to win the ‘Best New Brand’ at the 2007 Beverage Innovation awards. This early success allowed Khaled to shape the berry company’s long-term strategy that eventually extended to over 40 products and sold to over 40 countries around the world.

Khaled is an avid 80’s film/tv enthusiast and loves working out at the gym and eating at restaurants with family and friends.

There’s always a lightbulb moment before the beginning of a new venture. What was that moment for you?

My lightbulb moment was back in 2005, when I was working for my father’s ethnic food distribution company. I observed a trend in fruit juices, specifically the importance of antioxidants, which has taken centre stage along with the concerns over sugar levels in drinks.

How do you prepare for all the unknown obstacles when running your business?

I try to keep the operation as lean (cost wise) as possible. I also read as many industry journals as possible, to keep up to date with new trends and external challenges that the industry is facing.

Tell us about your experience prior to launching your business?

Prior to launching The Berry Company, I worked in Sales and Merchandising for three years with the family business, which is rooted in ethnic food distribution. This proved exposure to the way in which the market worked, supply chain structure, head office decision making and wholesaler activity, and gave me a great breadth of information to start my own business.

What inspired you to launch your business and what is the end goal?

I think it was the desire to do something solo; to be the master of my own destiny. I also wanted to capitalise on what I had observed in the industry - trade restrictions had now been overcome and the ability to export was so easy; it made it very appetising, how one could scale up a small business into a global brand.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

That you have everything to gain by giving it a shot and that you can gain lots of traction without spending through the nose in today's climate.

Do you have a morning routine or ritual to get your day started on the right foot?

I’m lucky enough to be within walking distance to my office, so I start each day with a walk to work, picking up a coffee at my local coffee shop en route. I enjoy this moment each day; you could say this is my morning ritual.

What is your day-to-day role with the company?

I don’t tend to have a fixed structure. When you run a small-medium size business, you have to juggle many things and dedicate time to all areas of the business. I check in with my team every day and speak with our warehouse company so I’m up to date with all projects.

As a business owner, do you know when to walk away from a sale?

Yes, when the commercials no longer work and when the opportunity does not appear to have long term synergies, I walk away. I tend to get a gut feeling.

If you could be in a room with 4 entrepreneurs, who would they be and why?

Any entrepreneur, regardless of their success. Success and lack thereof is greatly important - one can always teach you something, which is important to shape your own path.

Any moments where you thought you’ve bitten off more than you can chew?

Yes, when we launched the low-sugar range in 2016, that aimed to capture the low calorie zeitgeist of that time, it badly backfired. We had underestimated the importance of taste to the consumer and had been seduced by the market constantly bringing their products to as low calorie as possible. AS a result, we lost what The Berry Company has always stood for, taste being King. Ultimately fiddling with a great product can be catastrophic.

What keeps you motivated as an entrepreneur when you hit bumps in the road?

That ultimately, I'm not alone in experiencing bumps in the road and this is part of running and business. I have a very good team that I trust and can lean on in difficult times. I wholeheartedly believe in the brand and how innovation can take us out of any holes.

Berry Company celebrates 15 years in January 2022 as well as a launch into the On Trade.