Kate Williams joins Food WorksSW board

Some moments in business feel really special. And this is definitely one of them. I’m incredibly proud (and honestly still slightly pinching myself) to officially be joining the board at Food WorksSW.

Food WorksSW plays a huge role in supporting food & drink businesses across the South West, helping brands navigate everything from product development and innovation to manufacturing, commercial growth, and scaling.

And if there’s one thing I know after the last nine years building KW Marketing, it’s this… the South West is FULL of ambitious food & drink brands doing incredible things.

Why joining the Food WorksSW board matters

Food & drink has never just been a “sector” for us. It’s personal.

Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working alongside some incredible founders and brands. The kind of businesses pouring everything into what they do. The late nights. The risks. The constant pressure of trying to grow whilst spinning 100 plates at once.

And honestly? I so care deeply about making sure those businesses get the support, visibility, and opportunities they deserve. Because too often, incredible South West brands can feel overlooked compared to London or larger cities.

But the reality is, some of the UK’s most exciting food & drink businesses are being built right here. That’s why joining the Food WorksSW board feels like such an important opportunity. Not just personally, but because it aligns so closely with what we’ve always believed at KW Marketing – helping ambitious food & drink brands scale sustainably and grow online.

Whether that’s through email marketing, paid social ads, content, SEO, or events like FUEL LIVE, our mission has always stayed the same… helping good brands get seen by more people.

Supporting food & drink brands across the South West

I genuinely believe the South West has one of the strongest food & drink communities in the UK. The innovation happening here is incredible.

You’ve got challenger brands, artisan producers, scaling eCommerce businesses, manufacturers, hospitality concepts, and founders building seriously exciting businesses from scratch. But alongside that ambition comes real challenges too.

Margins are tighter. Competition is fiercer. Marketing is noisier than ever. And founders are under huge pressure trying to make everything work. Which is exactly why organisations like Food WorksSW matter so much. Because sometimes founders don’t just need another webinar or generic business advice.

They need practical support. Connections. Strategy. People who genuinely understand the industry. And I think that’s especially important right now as food & drink brands navigate changing customer behaviour, rising acquisition costs, and the pressure to grow profitably.

We see those conversations every single day through our agency work, but also through initiatives like our FUEL LIVE event and the Fuelling Foodies Podcast, where founders openly share the realities behind scaling a brand in 2026.

The future of food & drink growth is changing

Marketing has changed massively over the last few years. The brands winning today aren’t always the biggest. They’re the ones building communities, owning their customer data, understanding retention, and creating brands people genuinely connect with. That’s the stuff I’m obsessed with.

We’ve moved far beyond the days of simply “posting on Instagram and hoping for the best.”

Modern food & drink growth now sits across multiple touch points:

  • Email marketing
  • Paid social ads
  • SEO
  • Influencer marketing
  • Retention strategies
  • Community building
  • Content that actually converts

And founders are expected to somehow understand all of it whilst still running operations, managing stock, handling finance, and trying not to burn out in the process.

That’s why I’m excited to bring a strong digital and eCommerce growth perspective into conversations at board level. Because supporting food & drink brands today isn’t just about manufacturing or retail opportunities anymore. It’s also about helping brands build sustainable, profitable growth online.

What this means for KW Marketing

This also feels like a huge milestone for us as an agency. When I started KW Marketing nine years ago, I never imagined we’d one day be helping shape conversations at an industry level like this.

Back then, it was just me trying to figure things out as I went. Now, to be joining the board of an organisation supporting the future of food & drink businesses across the South West genuinely means a lot.

It’s also incredibly exciting to now be working even more closely alongside Food WorksSW as an official partner of FUEL LIVE, bringing together organisations that are genuinely invested in helping food & drink brands grow. And, moments like this are also a reminder of the power of community.

So much of the growth we’ve experienced as a business has come from relationships, collaborations, conversations, and being surrounded by people who genuinely care about the industry. That’s something the South West does brilliantly.

Looking ahead

The future of food & drink in the South West is incredibly exciting. There’s so much innovation, creativity, and ambition here already, and I truly believe we’re only scratching the surface of what this region is capable of.

I’m incredibly proud to play a small part in helping support that next chapter. And, I think the South West food & drink industry is only just getting started. Big things ahead!

Posted in About Us and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,