Business and a Brew

Grab a brew and a custard slice, because this one is proof that sometimes the prettiest shop window hides the messiest books. ☕🍰Dani and Si dig into the very British scandal behind Patisserie Valerie, the high street favourite that looked like the perfect success story right up until a £40 million black hole appeared in the accounts.We start with the nostalgia. Strawberry tarts, fancy coffees, little French café vibes and queues out the door. On the surface, the business looked polished, profitable, and booming. Behind the scenes, fictional finances and serious questions about oversight were quietly building for years.We unpack how the company grew from a single Soho patisserie into a national chain backed by entrepreneur Luke Johnson, and how everything unravelled almost overnight after a routine bank check uncovered a winding up petition no one seemed to know about. We get into the alleged role of a small group inside the finance team, why prestigious auditors Grant Thornton missed warning signs for so long, and the millions Luke Johnson poured in trying to stop the collapse.Along the way, we talk about the human fallout too. Store closures, lost jobs, wiped out investments, and a legal case that still hasn’t reached trial despite the scandal breaking back in 2018. Because apparently corporate justice moves slower than the queue for brunch on a Sunday morning.And somehow, despite all of it, Patisserie Valerie still survives in a handful of locations. Cakes and all.A conversation about growth, greed, blind spots, and why sometimes the numbers behind the counter matter a lot more than the pastries in the window.About Simon and Danielle:Simon and Danielle are both business owners, based in the East Midlands, who met through mutual business contacts and who share a love of all things business. Simon runs Skylight Media – Award-winning experts in Website Design, E-commerce & Marketing running since 2003.Danielle runs Goldspun Support – a multi-faceted support service for fractional directors and small business owners across the globe, running since 2009.Since they first met Simon and Danielle have spent a ridiculous amount of time talking about the subjects that interest them – usually over a drink in the pub – and they decided that now was the time to bring these conversations to a wider audience and invite them to join the chat. Both Simon and Danielle are successful business owners in their own rights with big plans for the future but will never lose their love of talking all things business… and the pub.

This one starts with a tired businessman in a taxi and ends with Formula One dominance, space jumps, and one of the most powerful lifestyle brands on the planet. ☕️🥤We crack open the surprisingly wild story behind Red Bull, from its roots as a Thai roadside tonic for truck drivers to becoming a global brand selling billions of cans worldwide. We follow Austrian marketer Dietrich Mateschitz from the moment he discovered “Krating Daeng” during a jet lagged trip, through years of experts insisting there was no market for energy drinks, to building a company that completely rewrote the rules of branding.This isn’t just about a fizzy drink. We get into how Red Bull sold identity, adrenaline, and lifestyle instead of ingredients, sponsoring extreme sports, creating its own outrageous events, and somehow turning a Formula One team bought for $1 into a dominant force on the grid.We also dive into some of Red Bull’s boldest moments, including the Stratos space jump, the ongoing debates around energy drinks and health, and why Mateschitz refused to take the company public in order to protect long term brand building over quick shareholder wins.From marketing genius to modern mythology, this conversation explores how Red Bull became far bigger than a drink, and whether the brand can keep its wings without the visionary founder who built the empire.About Simon and Danielle:Simon and Danielle are both business owners, based in the East Midlands, who met through mutual business contacts and who share a love of all things business. Simon runs Skylight Media – Award-winning experts in Website Design, E-commerce & Marketing running since 2003.Danielle runs Goldspun Support – a multi-faceted support service for fractional directors and small business owners across the globe, running since 2009.Since they first met Simon and Danielle have spent a ridiculous amount of time talking about the subjects that interest them – usually over a drink in the pub – and they decided that now was the time to bring these conversations to a wider audience and invite them to join the chat. Both Simon and Danielle are successful business owners in their own rights with big plans for the future but will never lose their love of talking all things business… and the pub.

Is there a hidden ingredient in your pint?In this episode of Business & a Brew, we dive into the surprising story behind glyphosate – the active ingredient in Roundup weed killer – and its journey from farm fields to your beer glass.We unpack how a herbicide developed by Monsanto and now owned by Bayer became one of the most widely used chemicals on the planet, and why World Health Organization has classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen, what that actually means in real terms, and why regulators like the US EPA and the European Food Safety Authority don’t all agree. We get into how glyphosate ends up in everyday products like barley, beer and wine, often at trace levels, and the implications of a major US Supreme Court case that could reshape how chemical companies are held accountable for harm. Along the way, there’s a personal story from Si’s allotment days, including what “I’ll nuke it” really meant, a breakdown of the multi billion dollar lawsuits facing Bayer, and an honest chat about what consumers can realistically take from all of this, including whether it would actually stop anyone ordering a pint.We also touch on the wider context, including the fact that glyphosate has been found in many popular beer brands, typically at levels well below legal limits, and why “probable carcinogen” doesn’t mean a pint is going to give you cancer but does raise important questions about long term exposure. We explore how regulators and researchers often approach risk differently, asking whether something can cause harm versus whether it does under real world conditions, which is why conclusions can conflict. The conversation rounds out with what this means for the future, from the potential impact of ongoing legal cases to the growing importance of transparency in brewing, sourcing and farming practices as part of building trust with consumers.If you haven't listened to our Monsanto/Bayer episodes - heres the quick link to Part 1 and Part 2 About Simon and Danielle:Simon and Danielle are both business owners, based in the East Midlands, who met through mutual business contacts and who share a love of all things business. Simon runs Skylight Media – Award-winning experts in Website Design, E-commerce & Marketing running since 2003.Danielle runs Goldspun Support – a multi-faceted support service for fractional directors and small business owners across the globe, running since 2009.Since they first met Simon and Danielle have spent a ridiculous amount of time talking about the subjects that interest them – usually over a drink in the pub – and they decided that now was the time to bring these conversations to a wider audience and invite them to join the chat. Both Simon and Danielle are successful business owners in their own rights with big plans for the future but will never lose their love of talking all things business… and the pub.

BrewDog was once the poster child for punk business – cult branding, guerrilla marketing and a loyal army of “equity punks” behind it. So how did a billion‑pound craft beer darling end up as a cautionary tale?In this episode, Danielle and Simon revisit BrewDog – not just the headlines, but the actual full story. From two mates with a van and a second‑hand brewing kit to global bars, a US expansion and sky‑high valuations, they unpack how the brand rose so fast… and why it all started to unravel.They dive into:How BrewDog used controversy, stunts and storytelling to build a movementThe power and pitfalls of “equity punks” and crowdfunding your superfansThe toxic culture allegations and open letter that lifted the lid on life inside the businessWhat went wrong financially – from rapid global growth to a risky push into the USThe role of the founder’s personality: when a strong personal brand becomes the biggest riskThe deeper questions around growth, ego, and what “success” should really look likeIf you’re building a personality‑led brand, scaling a values‑driven business, or just fascinated by how quickly a darling brand can lose its shine, this conversation is packed with lessons – and a bit of beer‑fuelled nostalgia along the way.About Simon and Danielle:Simon and Danielle are both business owners, based in the East Midlands, who met through mutual business contacts and who share a love of all things business. Simon runs Skylight Media – Award-winning experts in Website Design, E-commerce & Marketing running since 2003.Danielle runs Goldspun Support – a multi-faceted support service for fractional directors and small business owners across the globe, running since 2009.Since they first met Simon and Danielle have spent a ridiculous amount of time talking about the subjects that interest them – usually over a drink in the pub – and they decided that now was the time to bring these conversations to a wider audience and invite them to join the chat. Both Simon and Danielle are successful business owners in their own rights with big plans for the future but will never lose their love of talking all things business… and the pub.