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About YF
Nowhere needs change more than the consumer goods industry, but nowhere is change harder.
The products we consume every day have a profound impact on our health, wellbeing, and that of the world around us. However, what is accessible to the average consumer remains stuck in the past.
YF is here to fix that.
Our goal is to drive innovation in FMCG
We do this by working hand in hand with retailers and investors to make it easier for them to find and scale high potential brands. At the same time, we provide advisory and support services to brands to help them achieve their potential.
Together, we believe this drives the flywheel of progress.
for Brands
Brands work with us on their journey to mainstream success. Our broad capabilities, combined with our deep knowledge of the market allows us to impact brands quickly and effectively in the areas they need the most.
for Retailers
Retailers work with us to serve shoppers better. We provide streamlined innovation discovery for buying teams and actively support with the management of high-potential suppliers.
for Investors
Investors work with us to feel confident in their portfolio. We provide intelligent investment and buy-side sourcing, and our world-class platform team supports everyday portfolio needs.
Unique insight over the full market
Applying our insight from thousands of brands and hundreds of thousands of pieces of data, we have established a methodology to understand the biggest predictors of future success in the FMCG market.
We have turned this into 2 useful tools: our Growth Model© which helps us assess the business in the context of a standard growth journey, and our Intello© dataset which gives us 100% read over the UK FMCG market and allows us to identify the most interesting propositions.
We understand each stage of a brand's growth
We have more experience of scaling FMCG brands than anyone else in the UK. This has allowed us to crystallise the levers that make a successful brand – and those that create growth blockers.
We have designed our Growth Model to ensure all support is best-fitting to the brand we are working with, and the data tells us it works.
From our research, brands working with YF grow on average 27x faster than the market.
In Growth Stage 1 you are testing your product and brand proposition with feedback from both your buyers and your consumers. It involves setting your business up for scale, establishing your brand strategy, setting your commercial strategy and beginning to win your first accounts.
In Growth Stage 2 you have validated your product and brand in market and are starting to build traction. Stage 2 is focused on distribution gains in multi-site operators and establishing a scalable model. It is common for the Stage 1 bootstrapping to begin to show cracks in the form of unexpected costs and supply chain failures. The founder can no longer do everything.
In Growth Stage 3 the drive for distribution gains in Stage 2 has won you some larger accounts. The focus now splits into optimising and managing those accounts while also winning new ones. New channels are tested and international is explored. Working capital becomes more constrained and the team and corporate affairs take up more time.
In Growth Stage 4 you are constantly hiring but generally departments are stable. You are in most major target customers and all attention is on seeking distribution and range gains. The international business takes shape and becomes a material driver of revenue. Big supply chain and product projects drive margin gains. The leadership team stabilises and growth capital comes in.
In Growth Stage 5 you are focused on omni channel strategy at this stage – driving online sales, expanding into new routes to market and going deeper into key international markets. Revenue is the primary driver – new categories are explored and range expansion is planned. The business formalises core processes and often early employees leave at this point.
In Growth Stage 6 your product range is expanding and moving cross-category and cross-occasion to create more purchase occasions. Your brand is close to a household name in the UK and all focus is on driving revenue and scale. Nationwide distribution exists in at least 1 additional market.
In Growth Stage 7, as you talk more about the value of the business and its eventual sale or continued investment case, you are focused on demonstrating a story of global scalability and replicability. Growth, revenue and EBITDA become the core measures of success.
Stage 1 < £250k
In Growth Stage 1 you are testing your product and brand proposition with feedback from both your buyers and your consumers. It involves setting your business up for scale, establishing your brand strategy, setting your commercial strategy and beginning to win your first accounts.
Stage 2 £250k - 2m
In Growth Stage 2 you have validated your product and brand in market and are starting to build traction. Stage 2 is focused on distribution gains in multi-site operators and establishing a scalable model. It is common for the Stage 1 bootstrapping to begin to show cracks in the form of unexpected costs and supply chain failures. The founder can no longer do everything.
Stage 3 £2m - 5m
In Growth Stage 3 the drive for distribution gains in Stage 2 has won you some larger accounts. The focus now splits into optimising and managing those accounts while also winning new ones. New channels are tested and international is explored. Working capital becomes more constrained and the team and corporate affairs take up more time.
Stage 4 £5m - 12m
In Growth Stage 4 you are constantly hiring but generally departments are stable. You are in most major target customers and all attention is on seeking distribution and range gains. The international business takes shape and becomes a material driver of revenue. Big supply chain and product projects drive margin gains. The leadership team stabilises and growth capital comes in.
Stage 5 £12m - 20m
In Growth Stage 5 you are focused on omni channel strategy at this stage – driving online sales, expanding into new routes to market and going deeper into key international markets. Revenue is the primary driver – new categories are explored and range expansion is planned. The business formalises core processes and often early employees leave at this point.
Stage 6 £20m - 30m
In Growth Stage 6 your product range is expanding and moving cross-category and cross-occasion to create more purchase occasions. Your brand is close to a household name in the UK and all focus is on driving revenue and scale. Nationwide distribution exists in at least 1 additional market.
Stage 7 > £30m
In Growth Stage 7, as you talk more about the value of the business and its eventual sale, you are focused on demonstrating a story of global scalability and replicability. Growth, revenue and EBITDA become the core measures of success.
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