Tricia McNeilly, Founder
ötzibrew

Gama spoke to Tricia McNeilly, Founder, ötzibrew.

 

What does it take to develop a successful FMCG brand?

I believe that when you’re building a brand, that you really have to build it from passion, and you have to come from integrity. You have to come from your heart when you’re creating products, because when you go through the journey of being an entrepreneur, you go through so many different challenges. If you’re not coming from the right place, you could quite possibly fall off the cliff quite along the way. Then there is the importance of market research and being an early adopter: timing has been key in the launch of ötzibrew.

 

What trends have you seen in the health and nutrition space over the last ten years?

Timing is everything with trends:  2013 saw the rise of turmeric as a superfood, while adaptogens started gaining ground in 2015, mushroom coffee became popular in 2016, and 2018 saw an explosion in plant-based diets. Then in 2020 we saw the immunity craze, followed by the mental health and wellness boom in 2021. Where we are up to now is biohacking and personalised nutrition: being very targeted in what area of the body you want to go for, and also understanding that what you need might be very different depending on  your stage of life. Since we’re all individual, our bodies all have different needs – one size doesn’t fit all.