From Medical Aspirations to Snack Empire: The Olly's Success Story
A former medical student abandoned his studies to build a successful healthy snack brand, Olly's, now projected to generate millions in revenue.
Olly Hiscocks traded the path to a medical degree for the world of healthy snacks, founding Olly's brand from his parents' garden in 2016. What began as a personal project marinating olives to sell to friends has evolved into a business expected to achieve £3.8 million in turnover this year, with profitability anticipated within 12 months.
Hiscocks, now 34, was pursuing a postgraduate medical degree when he decided to fully commit to his burgeoning olive business. Despite initial parental expectations that the venture was a temporary pursuit, Hiscocks saw a significant market gap. He observed a lack of innovation and character in supermarket olive offerings.
After graduating with a neuroscience degree, Hiscocks began experimenting with marinating olives at home. Initially, he supplied local markets and then expanded to food service businesses, supplying pubs and hotels. His early days were marked by challenges, including food safety concerns and a steep learning curve regarding product shelf life, leading to product spoilage.
Despite moments of doubt and the isolation inherent in entrepreneurship, Hiscocks' belief in his product concept persisted. He attributes his "love of product" to his father, who worked in advertising, a trait that fueled his continuous generation of startup ideas since university.
A pivotal moment came with a £50,000 investment from the Startup Funding Club, which enabled the first significant order. By late 2018, Olly's secured listings with Eurostar and Sainsbury's for its unpasteurised olive pouches. The brand's distinctiveness was key to its initial success in supermarkets.
Over five years, Olly's has sold 3.5 million pouches and expanded its product line beyond olives. A brief foray into nuts was overshadowed by the pandemic, but a trip to the United States in 2021 inspired a successful move into pretzels. This range now accounts for half of the company's revenue, driven by workplace snacking and supermarket listings.
Future plans include expanding the chilled olive pot range, with potential launches of platters and dips. Hiscocks emphasizes the importance of taste in driving repeat sales, stating, "We know how underrepresented snacking is with things that taste good. If you want your food product to sell and sell again it needs to taste good. We’re focused on health and flavour."
While Olly's is not yet profitable, Hiscocks is optimistic about reaching that milestone in 2027. However, the business faces external challenges, including rising costs across the supply chain, potential impacts of climate events on olive harvests, and competition from supermarket own-brand alternatives. Hiscocks remains confident in his brand's ability to compete, especially after a strong summer performance.