Taylor Collins, EPIC: Hiring is always a struggle
Next we approached Taylor Collins, co-founder of upmarket meat brand EPIC.
What keeps you awake at night?
Hiring has always been a struggle for us. We are very selective about our partners, employees, and investors because our culture is very special. Right now, our team is in complete alignment with our vision and purpose. We are all scrappy and have an unprecedented work ethic. The difficulty begins as our business grows and we start looking to hire more senior level employees. It’s challenging to attract higher level employees based on our values and ethos.
Early on, most conversations default to base salary, bonus structure, and equity before we dive into the heart and soul of our brand. We are not willing to sacrifice our team cohesion by bringing on people who could disrupt the special energy we have.
What trends are you tracking?
The first and most obvious is the WHO’s disappointing statement on meat consumption. This will have a positive effect on minimally processed and high quality meat brands like EPIC (grass fed, non-GMO, organic), because it’s just another reason for consumers to avoid ‘gas station’ brands full of preservatives, antibiotics, and hormones.
I also think bone broth is going to be huge in 2016! Plus I think we are going to see products with high levels of healthy fats do very well: Butter coffee, expanded cooking oils, bacon.
Any other comments?
Big food companies are divided into two factions: Those who compete by cutting cost and those who invest and acquire mission driven brands. Those who take the mission driven approach are going to have tremendous opportunities to change the world and have a better chance at surviving in this dynamic food market.