Ten years in brand strategy taught me how "healthy" gets sold. Training as a coach taught me how it actually works in a body. My work is helping people, families, and brands tell the difference.

How I think with brands.

I sit with your product the way a thoughtful customer would — reading the label, considering the price, thinking through who's reaching for it. Then I bring the brand-strategist's view back into the conversation.

Who I work with

Food and wellness brands building healthier products for South African shoppers. Independent founders. Small teams. Established brands reworking their range. Restaurants thinking about a product line.

I take on a handful of brands a year. I won't take on a product I wouldn't put in my own trolley — and I'll say so honestly if the fit isn't right.

What we'd work on

  • Your product

    I eat, cook and live with the products I assess. You get an honest read on your range — what works, what doesn't, and what I'd change if it were mine to sell.

  • Recipe direction

    Thinking through new recipes for your line. What works in a real SA kitchen, what allergy-friendly families actually buy more than once, what kids will eat without being convinced.

  • Healthier reworks

    Taking a product people already love and thinking through a healthier version — what to keep, what to swap, what customers will recognise and trust.

  • Allergy-friendly perspective

    Gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free, egg-free. I've lived in this space for over a decade. I know what works, what doesn't, and what allergy-friendly customers actually buy more than once.

  • Honest label review

    A close read of your label from the customer's side. Ingredients, claims, nutritional information, allergen disclosure — what works, what raises questions, and what a thoughtful SA shopper would actually trust.

  • Positioning and market

    Where your brand sits on the shelf, who's actually reaching for it, what SA shoppers are looking for in healthier alternatives, and what "healthier" actually means to the customer reading the label. Practical, decision-grade thinking.

What I'm seeing in the SA healthier-alternatives market

Shoppers want healthier — but they want it to taste like what they already love, work in a busy week, and not make their families feel deprived.

Allergy-friendly is no longer niche. Gluten-free, dairy-free, low-sugar and refined-sugar-free are moving from specialty to mainstream alternative. The brands building those alternatives properly are quietly winning shelf space.

The gap most brands miss: a healthier version doesn't sell because it's healthier. It sells because it tastes right, looks familiar, fits a busy week, and earns the customer's trust the first time they read the label.

Start a conversation

Tell me what you make and who it's for. I'll tell you honestly whether I'm the right person to help.

Get in touch