UK Food & Drink Success Stories: Q&A with Luxwells Founder, Kristal Baker, On Landing A Listing With Selfridges

Luxwells is stocked in Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and several other speciality and independent retailers.

1. Tell us about Luxwells how did it all start?

I came up with the idea for Luxwells after a difficult pregnancy, which really required me to stay hydrated. I’ve always found the taste of plain water to be quite boring and bland, so the requirement to drink even more water than usual, posed a personal fatigue for me.

This fatigue exposed to me as a consumer, just how much sugar and other nasties must have been in my favourite beverages. Also, not really being able to have coffee or tea during my pregnancy and finding the caffeine-free alternatives to be especially dire, this array of personal beverage despair caused me to initiate the first steps to begin my exploration journey.

2. How did you go from an idea to an actual product, and did you encounter any challenges along the way? 

There were most certainly a lot of challenges. To start with, I undertook a lot of research as it was my first venture into the entrepreneurial space. As an initial starting point, experimenting with flowers in water as a drink, was not really a thing.

I asked myself what would be the most luxurious ingredient that I would want to add to my water to make it exciting and special. This is when the idea of roses immediately came to mind. I eventually decided to begin with 3 flowersthat people would at least recognise, given that the concept of drinking flowers in water was going to be new to people.

The blending composition was a very challenging process, especially as it was imperative that the product proposition remain natural. With the flavours finally decided the next step was trying to find a suitable manufacturer, which also proved difficult for small MOQs. When I thought I had found a manufacturer with achievable MOQs, the next barrier presented was my chosen bottle type, which I had selected to represent the shape of a birdcage. (Uncage your hydration)

The manufacturers that did offer smaller MOQs only had machinery for cans and tall necked bottles, neither of which worked with packaging my plans. However, after many setbacks I worked with an agency who assisted me massively with bringing my flavour profiles to life. This then enabled me to bring my full idea to life in the exact way that I wanted.

3. Have you encountered any moments where being a female founder presented unique challenges? How did you navigate through them?

I would say that for me personally the most unique challenge was being a new mother and a new Founder. I essentially have two babies, both I gave birth to in different ways, each with varying but highly important needs to be nurtured and specifically focused upon. If you have twins and they’re both crying at the same time do you pick one up first and leave the other to cry or do you try to carry them both at the same time and hope to serve both equally, in line with their individual needs? It’s very much a juggling act, but I am constantly learning how to manage the circus of life.

As they both become older in age and a more structured routine for growth and development become established, the balance of a better rotation may eventually in time be sought.

Until then if anyone has any tips please let us know!

5. How did you get listed in Selfridges?

Amazingly through a Bread & Jam! I already had a ticket to attend the 2-day Food Founders Festival and there was a chance to apply to pitch to a selection of buyers. Luxwells had literally just launched so I ambitiously applied, really not expecting to hear anything back and was completely ecstatic to have had the opportunity to pitch my new brand.

6. Why do you think your pitch at Bread & Jam Festival was successful? Any tips for others hoping to pitch?

The green room display was fantastic as it allowed brands to get their products directly in front of the eyes of buyers on the day of pitch.

I always present my beverages in a gold birdcage to support theme, which helps to stand out and be noticed. To my most pleasant surprise, by the time I had my pitch slot the buyer they had already tried 2 of my 3 flavours, which I couldn’t believe. This allowed us to jump to the next step of discussing the other key details of Luxwells that the buyer wanted to know about, which really enable me to make the most of the fixed pitch time.

In terms of the pitch application process, my best tips would be to focus the information submitted, in closest alignment with the listed specifications that the buyer is looking for. Often we can get so caught up in wanting to highlight only what we think is great about our brand however, it is most prudent for the buyer to know the prime details that are most important to them and their decision-making process.

The success of our pitch at the Bread & Jam Festival hinged on authenticity and a genuine approach. Understanding the buyers’ constraints in time, engaging in meaningful dialogue, and presenting a concise, well-researched pitch, emphasising our unique selling proposition (USP) while acknowledging the market competition, proved instrumental . The key is preparation without being overly scripted, fostering a genuine connection while highlighting our distinctiveness. For us that was the superfood element and understanding your key target market. 

6. Would you advise other food and drinks brands to come to the bread and jam events?

Absolutely, 100%. Couldn’t recommend Bread & Jam highly enough!

7. Any other nuggets of wisdom/advice to share with other food brands starting out?

Don’t give up, keep focus, tell as many people as you can about your brand, find your community, show your support, share your insights and experiences, don’t be afraid to ask questions. People will want to help where they can and when it gets especially challenging (which it will), always remember why you started your brand.