This programme contains some strong language.
I'm on the hunt for the UK's next top food and drink entrepreneur.
I've hand-picked 12 contenders, each with an incredible up-and-coming business.
I want to invest £150,000 of my own cash into one of them
and catapult their business to the next level.
But I'm not giving the money away easily.
They'll need to earn it.
THEY SCREAM
Cos that's not...how you do it.
It's on fire.
GASPS
I'm setting my contenders a series
of food and drink-related challenges...
They're cooking, but in the wrong way.
Urgh!
Stop now, stop now. You're being rude.
..which will test them on every element of the industry.
Close up, please, Hebe.
Just all stop.
If anyone can't give me a standard, then please go home.
Only one of them will make the grade.
Who'll be my future food star?
Previously...
I want to test your ability to target two
completely different markets. Service, please!
Oooh!
Oh, it's all gone wrong!
You'll be creating a fitness meal plus a drink.
It's just turned my mouth into a cat's arsehole.
You folded. Uh-huh. You can't handle taking criticism.
Were you seriously proud of that product when it came together? Absolutely not.
I'm not going to tell you that what I done was good enough because it wasn't good enough.
Did you try to sabotage your team? I'm a leader, so I would've been expected to lead that challenge.
This week I felt that you acted like an island.
Gary, we're done.
This place is beautiful though, innit?
For me, it looks like Harry Potter.
Yeah, it is a bit like Hogwarts.
Yeah. Cooking for Dumbledore, innit?
THEY LAUGH
I've asked the contenders to meet me here in Oxford,
a city steeped in history.
But this week it's all about innovation
and reinventing the classics.
Sushi!
I've sent the contenders to Sticks'n'Sushi.
Originating in Copenhagen, the founders took inspiration
from their half Japanese and half Danish backgrounds...
..as they set out to create a unique cuisine that combined
the two culinary traditions.
Oh, I'm so excited!
LAUGHS
What's the Bunsen burner for?
I feel like I'm in a science class.
Good morning. ALL: Morning.
I brought you to Sticks'n'Sushi, an amazing Japanese restaurant
here in Oxford. Their mantra is to innovate and elevate.
Here's your challenge.
I want you to create a delicious, exquisite sushi platter.
This challenge is all about following instruction.
So to show you how it should be done is sushi master Sune Rahbek.
Good to see you. Are you well? Good to see you.
THEY APPLAUD
Sune's going to show you how to put your sushi platter together.
We're only cooking with our eyes and our hands.
So, it's back to basic. Can't hide anything.
Eyes wide open. Yes?
Take one piece of nori.
Sune's going to teach them the twist on two traditional sushi rolls.
Very important that you use water for your hands.
They shouldn't be wet, but they should be shiny.
First up, his take on the salmon maki.
We use 100g of rice for each maki.
I'm going to start with this aioli.
Three slices of avocado.
Three pieces of sugar snap.
And one piece of cucumber.
And now I can shape the maki.
We use raw salmon.
Six pieces.
This one we're going to blowtorch.
So it's going to have a very nice grilled flavour on the outside.
Like this.
I put a little bit of water on the tip of the knife.
So then the rice will not stick to the knife.
I cut in the middle. Precision, cleanliness, every time.
So this is the first maki. Beautiful.
Obviously, every piece has to have the same ingredients inside.
Next maki, ebi panko.
One piece of nori.
Turn it around.
We have some spicy sauce here.
Our fried tempura shrimp.
Tails out. Tails out.
Perfect piece of avocado.
You slice it super thin.
Spread it out.
Wow, look at that. Use your knife.
Wow.
Put it on the top.
He makes it look so easy. I know. Yeah, literally.
Cut it in the middle.
A lot more difficult, this one, to cut. Yeah.
Crunchy texture of that shrimp tempura inside,
so you have to be quick.
That looks beautiful.
Wow. Wow.
Right, you just witnessed Chef first-hand,
he's done both rolls in just under five minutes.
You're going to have 15 minutes to do the same.
The person that impresses myself and Sune the most
will win an advantage in tomorrow's challenge.
Right. All of you, good luck. Head off into the kitchen, please.
Let's do it.
So, what are you looking for today in out contestants?
Following their instructions because, basically,
you need to do everything in the right orders.
Look after the details.
In sushi, it's all about details.
Even the basic stuff is very, very, very important.
I'm definitely coming to win this week.
Like, there is literally no other thing.
Like, the grilling gave me the biggest kick up the arse,
like, I could have asked for.
Like, I'm coming in all guns blazing.
Look how sharp the knife is.
Whoa! Whoa.
LAUGHS
There's only two pieces of seaweed.
We've only got enough ingredients for, like, one,
so, basically, don't fuck it up.
No pressure.
Not even once.
When it comes to precision,
I have a habit of rushing things.
That could be a risk.
Overenthusiastic
and it ends up looking like a pile of mushy rice.
OK. How are you feeling?
Good. Good.
Ready? Yeah. Yeah.
Yes? Right.
Your 15 minutes start now.
First... So, start with the rice.
..the salmon maki.
It's stickier than you think, isn't it?
Are your hands wet enough?
Beginning with a thin and perfectly even spread of rice...
Hebe, are you good?
Erm... Just worried I haven't got enough rice on there.
All of them are using too much rice.
Yeah. Way too much rice.
I feel like this is kind of the right amount.
I'm Naomi, I run Boles Bakery,
which is a social enterprise bakery
making amazing out of this world treats,
but also helping people get back into work.
I've always baked.
Literally, like, earliest memory's in the kitchen with my nan.
And I just thought, let me do the thing that I've always loved to do
and help others.
My kitchen at the minute is tiny,
to the point that sometimes I've had to turn down orders,
so having that investment, it would be life-changing.
How's it going for you, Craig?
I can't remember if the cucumber went in the middle.
Oh, I've got that wrong.
Who do you think is off to a good start?
I think this gentleman, yeah. Yeah.
Oh, no, no.
My avocado doesn't want to stay.
Oh, that looks good! Ooh, lovely.
Let's go. Salmon.
Six nice slices.
God, this salmon is so thick.
So, five minutes gone. What?!
Ten minutes to go.
The salmon is really hard to keep on the top.
Showtime.
Oh! Whoa!
Careful. Don't bend down. Don't put your face near the flame.
Amy, just hold it in one piece, slide down. Yeah.
Don't go washy-wishy all over the place, yeah?
Let the knife do the work.
All of the middle has, like, exploded out.
I knew that was coming.
Oh, no. Amy, you I'm OK?
Yeah, good. I've just got a bit of seepage.
Bit of seepage.
CHUCKLES
Hi, my name is Amy
and I am the owner and founder of Blondie Bakery.
I started in about 2018
and it's completely taken over my life.
I have 12,000 followers on Instagram
and the last market I did, I sold out 500 blondies in an hour.
The customer base goes from professional footballers
to MPs, hen weekends.
There's no event that is un-blondie-able.
Guys, start your second one, please.
Five minutes to go.
I feel like I'm running out of time a little bit here.
Next, the ebi panko.
Watch that avocado. Super thin. Yes?
Delicate slices of avocado with prawn tempura.
I don't even eat avocado.
This is so hard.
Oh, Lord. My hands are shaking.
Ah! The avocado is falling off.
Oh, we are way too thick. Way too thick.
Awh!
Wow. I broke my avocado.
15 seconds to go.
Shit.
LAUGHING: Everything's rolling about.
Naomi, let's go.
This one is a mess.
Five, four, three,
two, one...
And stop.
I have no idea where the last slice went.
I was shaking like crazy today.
My avocado slices are a little bit wobbly,
wiggly, a little bit thin, thick. Ugh.
Under that kind of time pressure,
detail goes out the window.
I think I did all right,
but there was a couple of sexy looking bits of sushi in there,
so I think I might have just been pipped to the post.
The fine-chopping of the avocado and then spread it neatly
and then place it on top was...
I mean, he made it look simple, and it was not.
Everything just slid off the side.
And then when you put them on the pass,
you're like, "Oh, my God. Yeah."
Well done. Right. All of you,
come up and place them on the hotplate, please.
With each eight-piece platter priced around £30 at the restaurant...
..every roll needs to be perfect to meet Sune's exacting standards.
Avocado is way too thick. Yeah. Too much rice.
Having studied their efforts...
That's like a dog chew.
..we've ranked the contenders from top to bottom.
OK, shall we get them in?
Yeah, let's do it.
Let's start with the ones that struggled somewhat
and it is obvious.
This tray belongs to Flo.
The maki is open,
so you can't eat it, actually, without its falling apart.
Eh... What happened to the avocado?
When I wanted to roll it,
I squeezed it too hard
and I completely broke it. Ah.
OK.
This one belongs to Craig.
Yeah. No finesse when it came to the avocado.
No. It's... It's not good.
OK?
Let's look at the top three.
In third place...
..was Sam.
The only thing that's letting you down here
is that you're missing a piece.
Did you eat the piece? No!
I... I don't know what happened with that last one.
I was chopping. I was like, "Oh, there's only seven."
Runner-up...
..Naomi.
Perfect size, perfect amount of rice,
and very, very nice garnish as well.
Really good job. Yeah.
The winning platter, all the right components.
You're happy with the garnish? Yeah.
And you picked up on the fan avocado.
Smartly done. Congratulations.
First place is...
..Kier. Well done.
Really good job.
For a 15 minute tutorial, to pull that off, while done.
Thank you.
You'll be taking that advantage into tomorrow's big challenge.
A tough, tough, tough challenge.
Join me in thanking this incredible sushi master.
Rest up, because tomorrow
is going to be one hell of a roller-coaster.
Good job.
When Gordon said my name,
I was shocked.
It's like your dad,
who's usually quite stern,
doesn't give you much positive affirmation,
gives you a pat on the back.
So, yeah, I'm on cloud nine now.
Anyone know how to herd sheep?
How about shearing a sheep?
What do you reckon? I'll get the front legs, you get the back legs.
Craig on the shears.
Oh, Christ.
I've asked the guys to meet me here at the beautiful
Sheaf House Farm in Moreton in Marsh.
This farm is unique and really famed for pushing out the boundaries.
Not only does it produce some of the best hand-reared lamb
in the UK, but it's also responsible
for one of the world's best premium vodkas.
Now, trust me, that's what I call business innovation.
Why are the sheep coming this way?
Oh, my God. We're going to be stampeded.
I can see a tractor.
Ah! That is him in the tractor!
No way!
Good morning! ALL: Good morning!
We good? ALL: Yeah!
Oh, my goodness me.
That was a bumpy ride.
Welcome to this amazing farm in the heart of the Cotswolds.
This place has a very unique selling point.
It's responsible for creating the award-winning, premium
BlackLion Vodka...
Oh! Yes!
..which is made from the whey of sheep's milk.
Wow. OK. Really?
Now, for your next challenge, I want to see you take their vodka
and turn it into something future facing.
A high-end delicious drink in a can.
But that's not all,
because tomorrow,
you'll all be launching your product
at the Henley Royal Regatta.
Yeah!
The ready-to-drink market is huge right now.
It's absolutely booming.
So, think about the consumer.
But more importantly, how do you stand out as a unique brand
in a very congested market?
Today you'll be in three teams.
Let's have Hebe, Rachel and Flo...
You'll be the Red Team.
Andy, Amy and Kier...
You're the Blue Team.
Sam, stand alongside Naomi and Craig.
You'll be the Yellow Team.
Now, listen carefully.
Kier... Yeah. ..as you stood out yesterday,
I'm going to give you some unique samples
of the current leading brands...
OK. ..to use as market research.
OK? Yeah. So the team that impresses me
and the experts the most wins. Got it?
ALL: Yeah.
Right, all of you, off you go and good luck.
Here we go.
Wow.
These are the ones that make the vodka.
So excited for this one.
You wanted a drink challenge, right? Mm. OK.
I'm setting this challenge because innovation and reinvention
is key to any business success.
It's all about moving forward
and getting something simple and elevating it.
So, what type of drinks can we make with vodka, basically?
One of my favourite drinks to have when I'm out
is mixer drinks, like rhubarb and ginger.
Ginger and something sweet, people like that.
I'm really not keen on kind of doing a mixer, I'll be honest,
cos I feel like a vodka and coke...
Bit boring. ..is so standard.
I really like the idea of something like a vodka and tea drink.
Yeah. It is completely different,
but our brief is innovative.
So that's... That's the thing I'm thinking.
So, what have we got?
That's so many!
I like the packaging on this one.
Oh, my God, that is so nice.
When I drink vodka, I want to be refreshed.
I like seltzers a lot because they're light.
You're rehydrating before you dehydrate.
You know what I mean? Because it's, like, it's water.
Is it more for woman or general market, do you think?
I think females. Females.
With the teams having decided on their type of vodka drinks...
The Regatta, it's very, very quintessentially British.
That's the kind of vibe that we want with this kind of vodka
or something like that. We need to appeal to the mass.
Now, they need to think of a target consumer...
I think seltzers,
the market is generally younger people... Like millennials.
..and come up with a catchy name for their drink.
We need a story, obviously, to build a brand from.
Everyone has the auntie that drinks a bit too much, right?
And they get a teacup and it'll be, like, what's coming there?
I like "Afternoon V".
Essentially what you're saying is,
"Do fancy a cup of tea, but with a little bit extra in it?"
Yeah, with a little twist.
Yeah, I'm really excited about this one.
I love the concept of Sam's little drunken auntie
in the afternoon. You see, I'm a drinks guy at home,
so if it goes wrong, I'm in trouble.
What about Candoo?
C-A-N D-O-O.
"You've got that can-do attitude."
We're canning the occasion. Loving that.
I think we need a punchy... Name.
A punchy name.
I know it's really hard to come up with that.
What about just Vod?
I don't know if we should do Vodka in the name, though.
What about Blacktails?
Blacktail?
That is a company. I think it sounds more like a cider.
What about just like Spritz with a Z.
Um... Black Ice.
It's like Smirnoff Ice.
Oh.
We're three quite strong women,
but with really different ways of looking at stuff.
If I don't like an idea,
I feel like I'm a little bit more constructive,
whereas others are like, "No, no, no."
And you're never going to build anything as a team
if you have your ideas flattened over and over and over again.
So the teams can create their drinks,
I've set prep stations at ERGO Creative Agency.
OK, so just off the bat, I'm thinking we've got a lot
of really great stuff that's traditionally British.
In order to make their vodka-based blend,
the team's first need to choose their flavours.
Gordon, two things he said was innovative
and stand out from a crowded market.
So I think this is our opportunity to do it.
Absolutely. So we can't go with run-of-the-mill flavours.
Still unable to agree on a name...
I think it needs to be three kind of sophisticated names.
..the Red Team.
I like Eden. I love Grace.
I think it's really...
What? So it would be, like,
Willow, Grace and Eden.
I don't know. Willow, Eden and Grace.
Just feels a bit...
Say it again. Willow, Eden and Grace.
Let's go. Let's go for this one.
The idea of the name is three definite women
coming from three different backgrounds
with three different jobs that all enjoy the same drink.
Willow, Eden and Grace.
My name is Hebe and my business is Boochacha,
which is focused around kombucha.
Kombucha is a fermented health tonic
full of probiotics and vitamins and minerals.
It's a bit quirky. It's very unique.
It is like magic.
It's all I think about and so I'm often late for stuff
and arrive and I'm not quite prepared,
but I just wing it and always a bit flustered,
a bit frantic and, like, hectic. Yeah.
While the teams work on their flavourings,
I've come to talk to Tanya and Tim Spittle,
the creators of this unique craft vodka.
Good to see you both.
Hi. Good to see you. Hi. Nice to meet you.
You well? Yeah, good, thank you. Good to see you.
BlackLion. BlackLion.
Now, they originate from...?
Switzerland. Switzerland. Amazing. Now, the vodka is somewhat unique.
It's very special. It's the first of its kind. It's got that incredible
whey in there, which is obviously highly sustainable
and all from the farm.
If you have a cheese-making process and you have the curds and whey,
the curds go off to make nice fine cheese,
and the whey, that by-product,
normally thrown away, is what we've retained,
fermented and distilled.
And the process from start to finish takes how long?
We can produce this vodka in less than a month.
Now I can taste that creaminess. That is delicious. Yeah.
You guys are producing great vodka.
So what should our contenders do with it?
For me, I would actually try and work with the vodka.
And a really strong brand identity, as well. So, they want something
that's really going to stand out and appeal to their target audience.
I mean, right now that's going to be hard to beat
stand-alone over ice.
Delicious. Great job, by the way. Seriously. Thank you so much.
Amazing. Thank you. Cheers. Pleasure.
I reckon just start off with ginger.
You know that rhubarb goes with ginger,
so why don't we try rhubarb mix as a go-to?
We need at least one ingredient a little bit smart.
Exotic. Fancy. Exotic. Yeah.
Yuzu is a Japanese lemon. It's a good one. Yeah.
It's sweet. Yeah.
I can't taste it. I think we need a lot more lemon.
I can't taste it. Can you taste it? I can't taste the vodka.
Should we play around with the flavours? Yeah.
Oh, my gosh. Oh, wow.
No basil.
I like the strawberry and rhubarb together with the thing.
I just think maybe the basil is too harsh.
Do you want to go for strawberry and cucumber?
What you don't want to lose is the tea, that's all I'm thinking.
We're definitely losing that tea flavour.
Why do you want more of the tea in there?
It just needs something to lift it.
It just tastes a little bit... It needs more tea.
The concept of it was so good to start with.
We wanted the tea to shine as a product
and now I feel like we've got a little bit lost in what we're doing.
Every time you put less tea in
and try and put more lemon and more cucumber, more...
It doesn't taste like tea.
A bit worried, actually.
The idea is good,
but the execution at the moment is not looking all right. Yeah.
Losing the tea flavour is doing my head in.
I think that's a good starting point.
The things that interest me are black olive,
that's kind of an interesting thing you wouldn't really hear before.
Lavender. Think about what would pop out to you in it on a shelf,
you know, it's all too typical finding...
Using chilli would. It could probably go down a little bit
but it's kind of like ginger.
It's not too hot.
A little bit too hot.
Yeah.
I can't lie to you guys, I think we scrap that.
Oh.
Is that rhubarb in that?
Yeah, rhubarb and black olives.
Oh, rhubarb, maybe.
But it's not... That's...
Yeah, that is rough.
Shall we try this one?
It's quite a lot of cardamom. Is it?
Honestly, I think we're just steering off now.
I think, like, I get it, we're trying to push the boat out,
but it needs to taste nice.
I don't know what Kier's tactic is,
just chuck things in and see what works.
I think some of the flavours are a bit weird.
We're three separate people, you know, we're going to have three
different ideas and I don't know, maybe I've just got a bit
of a childish palate and I just want something that's sweet
and full of fruit.
Actually, it's quite nice if we've got the three girls' names
as the brand, three key flavours,
Ginger, Yuzu and Rhubarb.
With half their time already gone...
So, strawberry and cucumber. We just need a touch of lemon.
..the teams need to make decisions on their flavour combinations.
Gooseberry and cardamom.
It needs something else, but I'm looking, thinking, like,
but hibiscus, it's sweet.
Just chuck some of it in. Give it a go.
Right. That... that is not shit.
OK.
That's not shit.
Right. Hello. How are we doing?
We're getting somewhere.
We're getting there. What's the blend? Where are we going?
Very small amount of cardamom. Can I have a little taste?
So, cardamom vodka? Yeah. Gooseberry, hibiscus...
Wow. That smells intriguing.
Yeah. Oof!
So, it needs to be a touch sweeter, immediately, do you not think?
Absolutely. Cos that's punchy.
Yeah. Target market. Where are we going?
Millennials. Yeah. Millennials?
OK. Name? So we've gone with Candoo,
which kind of tags in with our tag line,
which is "Can the occasion."
So essentially we want to emulate the experience
within the drink itself.
And we're going to try to do that through the branding also.
I love the idea, where it's going.
It's just a tough market, especially in the canned department.
Good luck. Thank you. Thanks, Gordon. Thank you.
Everything was all over the place as far as the flavours went.
A second before Gordon walked in,
we added a little bit of hibiscus and it seemed to come together.
I'm feeling pretty smug about that, I'll be honest.
The Blue Team are going for the millennials,
and that's a big market, but they're trying to be too niche
and getting a little bit too carried away with the flavour.
They have to be very careful,
because they may overstep the mark on that one.
They could miss the mark completely.
How are we doing?
Er... Honestly, confused.
What's the concept?
Vodka into a tea mix.
Right. It's a hard tea?
Basically. A hard tea. Gotcha.
Flavours-wise, lift me.
Got a strawberry, cucumber and a little bit of lemon as well.
Yeah. So, yeah, that tastes...
That's a bit watery.
If you're going to do a hard tea,
then you start off with a hard tea and you bring in those balances,
the sweet, the sour, the citrus...
Yeah. ..but it's like there's no tea in there
cos it's very watery.
Now, what's your brand name?
Afternoon V. Afternoon V.
Afternoon V. Yeah. Right, it's like something you slip Grandad
on Christmas Day. Yeah.
No, I'm talking about Viagra.
Oh, I didn't even think about... Oh.
You didn't think about that?
It sounds a bit strange. I'm so sorry. It's the first time
I've heard this, so... Your brand is going to have to hit hard.
Good luck. Thank you very much. Cheers.
It didn't ever occur to me.
I did say a few times, we need more tea. We need more tea.
And the tea is obviously the dominant flavour,
so it has to taste of tea.
So, if it doesn't, we're in trouble because it's called Afternoon V,
which is supposed to be tea.
Yellow Team, they're going for that hard tea now.
Everybody knows what that tastes like.
So they've got their work cut out
because those flavours are bang-on
and they need to hit that profile early,
otherwise it's not going to be right.
ALL: Hello.
How are we feeling?
Good. Good.
So what's the base of the drink?
So our base is ginger.
So, vodka ginger. Yeah.
So we've gone to mix that with rhubarb and yuzu lemon.
Wow. So it's quite an exotic, sort of punchy...
Yeah.
May I have a little taste?
Try this one. Great.
We are working on the sweetness. Yeah.
The yuzu and ginger actually work quite well.
The issue here, it's way too sweet. Yes. Pull back on the sweetness,
you've got something really tangible. So it's actually a lot
smoother than I thought it would. What's the name? What have we got?
Willow, Eden and Grace.
Say that again, please.
Willow, Eden and Grace.
Sounds like a law firm.
Who's Willow?
Me.
Who's Grace? I am.
Who's Eden? Me.
Something tangible is there.
Honestly, it's a really nice flavour.
Make sure your branding is on point.
Yeah? Yeah. Thank you.
Like, we could have spent all day on an amazing name
and had a really bad end-product, so I think we just went for the name
and make sure the branding strong and the flavours are right.
I've just been to see the Red Team
and dreadful name.
The saving grace there for me
is that the actual drink tastes good,
slightly too sweet, but it's got great potential.
When you swallow, you smell the tea on your palate.
Yeah. No more green tea than that.
I can taste it. Yeah? Mm-hm.
With little time left...
What is it that cuts that sweetness?
It might be the rhubarb. So we go on that, we cut the sweetness?
Yeah?
..the teams need to finalise their drink recipes...
This has got a touch more extra sugar... of the sugar syrup.
He asked for it sweet and that's it sweeter.
Yeah. That's much better.
That's the best one yet.
I think I have nailed that.
..before designing their branding.
It's what... I'm trying to think of the excuses
that I might use to have a drink in the afternoon.
Like, it's 12:00 somewhere.
I know. That's what I was just thinking. I always used to say... Yeah.
Do you know what I'm trying to say? Sort of like, it's time...
It's that time somewhere in the world, so why not?
We want to go for pastel colours.
Cos our target are woman. Sophisticated woman.
Classy. Classy.
I can see it now, yeah.
Target market - millennials. OK.
But we don't want it to look tacky.
I just think if we're going to go to quintessentially British,
something red, white and blue has to be on there.
Do you reckon you could make the buntings Union Jacks?
I honestly feel like if I saw that on the shelves with the...
like, the bunting at the top, it would just...
Quintessentially British.
That's what we're going for.
We've only got 20 minutes left to go
so I think one of us is going to have to finish the drink.
All right, you guys come back in ten minutes, please.
Because we're quintessentially British,
the brand...
..we put the Union Jack, erm...
..bunting across the can.
I'm feeling uncertain.
I feel like it looks a bit sparse.
A bit empty. I wouldn't know what that was.
I wouldn't... Do you know what I mean? Mm.
We're not all thrilled with the branding, I'll be honest.
Maybe the issue was slightly creative differences
in terms of the vibe we wanted to go for.
But I think, overall, it's clean, it's simple.
I think it says what it is.
So it could be a shit-tonne worse.
We're going to have to really explain the story... Yeah.
..to them tomorrow cos I don't think that's going to cut it.
I've asked drinks creators Omega Ingredients
to pre-mix and can their new drinks
in time for the Henley Royal Regatta tomorrow.
Henley Royal Regatta.
This six day rowing spectacle
is considered to be the most prestigious regatta in the world,
attracting thousands of visitors each year,
who come to witness elite rowing
and enjoy the incredible hospitality on offer.
INDISTINCT CHATTER
What a place, girls. I know.
It doesn't get more British than this.
No, it really doesn't.
I can't think of a better place for the teams
to launch their new ready-to-drink brands.
In the heart of the regatta's spectator zone,
I've set the teams up in their own enclosure...
Oh, my God!
It pops.
Oh, it's good. It's good.
Oh, wow, the flowers.
..and I've given them all the tools to promote
their newly canned drinks.
Oh, candyfloss!
That's very cool.
I think it's ice cream.
Yeah!
Definitely ice cream.
It's always 12:00 somewhere.
Do you like it?
That's good.
I mean, when you look at the ingredients,
we've pushed the boat out.
Yeah, I'm confident that we're targeting a younger population
who have that disposable income, more likely to go out and party.
My main objective of today is to really get people engaged with it
and repost it. Offer to take photos, ask them to use the hashtag.
We are targeting millennials
and I just want to get a massive buzz around our stall.
Is it still too sweet or you're OK with that?
It is quite sweet, but I knew it was going to taste sweet to me.
It's still good. Still good.
It's very on topic at the moment.
This whole bringing women together,
responsibilities and, like, becoming positions of power
and all of that stuff,
so I think it works.
We have built a brand we're very proud of
and I'm excited to tell people about it.
I'm excited to explain to people.
We have three very different, strong personalities,
but we're here together, we've built this drink.
Oh, I'm proud of us.
Proud of the brand. Yeah, it's good.
All right, let's give it a try.
Oh!
Oh, I like it.
And you can taste the vodka. And the cucumber.
Do you think we can see that it says Afternoon V
or just Afternoon? You can definitely see Afternoon V.
You would think it's something to do with tea. Mm-hm.
We've got a quintessentially British kind of product,
but actually we wanted the tea to shine
and getting that tea to come through some of the flavours
was really, really tough.
The idea is good, but the execution is not all right.
I'm so proud of us.
Literally it is an afternoon tea in a can.
I'm really happy with it.
For today's launch, I've enlisted some drinks experts
to help me judge the teams later.
Assessing how their vodka has been utilised,
Tanya and Tim Spittle
and Anna MacDonald,
marketing director for global drinks giant Diageo.
With over 200 brands selling in more than 180 countries,
she's perfectly placed to know if a new product will succeed.
The contenders are about to go live in their pop-ups.
What are the key things they should be focusing on?
The packaging design is going to be really important.
Ultimately, you're going to want people to buy the product again,
and that's going to all come down to the taste.
And I think having an idea at the heart of it that pulls
everything together. Yeah.
That one needs a few more. This one?
Now we can clearly see all the branding.
Candoo. Wow! "Can the occasion."
They've got seconds to capture that market.
How important is that key messaging on those cans?
It's critical. So if you think about yourself going around a supermarket
or in a bar, you've got lots of things in your head.
So, being really clear about what it is that you're selling
on the can is really important.
Fingers crossed we're in for some treats.
I hope so.
CHEERING
It's midday. At the teams' enclosure...
How are we pitching it to guys?
It's supporting women.
You're supporting independent women. No, that is too much.
Let's just target the women.
..last minute preparations before the big launch.
All right. I'm going to be at the front here
giving out drinks from the YETI. Yeah.
Amy in front, taking pictures of people,
giving them a nice send off.
You know what I mean? Yeah.
Kier, you're going to be on the candyfloss yourself.
I just want to put Kier on the candyfloss.
I think myself and Amy might be a bit more digestible to the public,
especially with our target market.
Kier and his eyeliner behind a pink stand
might not make the most sense.
Big smiles, man.
Hi, guys. How are you?
Welcome to Afternoon V.
Thank you. They're cool.
So, with this one, we've gone down the tea route.
Quintessentially British.
Perfect for a day like today.
Everyone likes a cheeky vodka, don't they?
That's why we say it's always 12:00 somewhere.
What do you think of it?
As soon as I taste it, I can taste the cucumber. OK.
What are your thoughts?
Yeah. The tea is quite subtle,
but what's the overriding flavour that you get?
Is it strong in cucumber? Yeah.
No.
Can you smell the strawberries? No, I can smell the cucumber.
Oh, can you?
You think cucumber doesn't have a smell,
but, no, it does.
Some people weren't keen on the cucumber taste.
Some people got that really refreshing, like, that "ah" moment.
And other people were like, "Oh, no, this is a bit much."
So I don't know.
Guys, come to us.
Reaching out to the millennials...
Would you like to try some of our Candoo?
..Andy and Amy, with Kier on candyfloss.
If you had this again, like in a garden
and then you're like, "Take a sip and you think,
"Oh, my God, remember the regatta?" Yeah.
We have a cardamom, hibiscus and gooseberry seltzer.
We tried to bring the occasion in the can itself.
I like the colour of it but I don't like the...
The background is a bit...
It's cos you can drink it on every occasion.
Yeah, but I don't think that's every occasion.
Does everyone want to try a bit of candyfloss?
I think we're all quite good with people,
so it made sense to divvy up tasks.
I didn't want to be a baby and be like,
"Oh, no, I don't wanna do the candyfloss."
Don't want to be like that.
It's a drink for women.
OK. We have three women with a different background,
different stories, different countries.
Pushing their all-woman mixer...
It's quite strong.
..Hebe, Flo and Rachel.
Our target is woman because we are three women.
Yeah, I love that. You love the that, yeah?
We've come together under this one brand, one drink,
and, yeah, we want to know what you think.
Syrupy. So that's quite sweet for me.
Was a tiny bit too sweet for me.
The other girls thought it was a bit sweet when we were coming up
with the idea, we tried to reduce the sweetness down in it.
I think if you've got a sweet tooth, it's perfect. Yeah, yeah.
Thank you, ladies, thank you.
It's unusual. In a good way or not?
Ah. Depends how much alcohol is in it.
Ah, so you want it more alcohol and less sweetness for you.
The drink was way too sugary for some of the people.
They wanted more alcohol and less sugar
and we knew it.
Cheers!
With the regatta in full swing...
Do you want one of those?
..I'm sending my experts amongst the guests
to sample the team's drinks.
Once you crack it open, that is actually the occasion.
Later, we will quiz them on their brands.
A quintessentially British theme to go with somewhere like this.
So, what's in it? It's green tea.
It's green tea. Yes. You've got green tea base, lemon, cucumber...
Everything that we could think of that were married
in a British sense.
Why did you pick those?
Because we are three women
and we wanted only three main ingredients.
Oh, OK. One reflects each of you.
Exactly. OK.
We are Candoo.
OK. It's more about the occasion as well.
You know, we're at somewhere beautiful.
We're at Henley on Thames, enjoying the occasion.
We've tried to emulate that in the can.
Green tea?!
Where'd you get that idea from?
Sam, bless her, her auntie that used to sneak a vodka
in her tea in the afternoon.
We all agreed, we know somebody that
might like a tipple in the afternoon.
A quintessentially British theme,
but with a cheeky, strong drink in the afternoon. Oh, OK.
As Henley Royal Regatta draws to a close...
The last one. There you are. Thank you very much.
..the teams now face their toughest test,
promoting their brands to me and my panel of experts...
Ladies. We good?
Hello. Good afternoon.
..starting with the Red Team.
Tim and Tanya, they are the founders and the producers
of that beautiful vodka.
Oh! Wow. Yes.
And this is Anna MacDonald, the marketing director of Diageo.
What we'd like to hear is an insight to the story,
the DNA and why Willow, Eden and Grace?
So we wanted to incorporate a brand that included women
from different backgrounds.
So, this is Willow, I'm Eden and this is Grace
and we're just a representation of all females.
And is that your real names?
No. No.
So your target audience is women only?
We wanted to pick a niche market where we were focused
and we had a clear target audience and we were aiming for them.
And we thought if we aimed for that niche
and then we expand from there once we have our foot in the market.
Tell me how you balance those flavours.
I put the ginger on the top.
Obviously ginger was really sweet and really strong,
so I added a little bit of rhubarb
because I wanted to have the ginger hit at the beginning
and then get the rhubarb taste at the end
and I added a little bit of yuzu
to break the sweetness and to bring a different kind of taste.
I'll catch up later. Thank you. Thank you for your time.
So, did the ladies... did they do the vodka justice?
It was too sweet.
It was too sweet, Gordon.
I mean, I've still got a film of sugar in my mouth now.
Yeah. I think they slipped up. This did have a bit of potential.
Don't you cut your market in half immediately
with such a feminine brand?
Were they too niche, do you think?
Designing a brand with women in mind,
absolutely no problem with that.
For me, it was more when we asked them about, "Is it only for women?
They said yes.
That, to me, was the mistake.
So it's a drink for break-ups.
Next, it's the Blue Team.
First of all, give us an insight to the brand.
Have you ever had a song that has connected you to a memory?
The idea of this is we do the same thing,
but with flavour, hence "Can the occasion."
So we bring these original flavours here with gooseberry, hibiscus
and cardamom, and we connect that with whatever event you're at.
Tania, first impression when you took a mouthful?
Um... Yeah. It's quite spicy,
I think, isn't it? Obviously that's the cardamom in it.
Yeah. Same. I found the cardamom a bit too polarising,
but I think what you've got right is the sweetness levels are quite low
and therefore the taste overall is quite refreshing.
Tell me if you think it's premium and why.
I think we're kind of premium end of the market.
With the branding as well, as you can see,
we've gone with the monogram of a sort of graphic.
The whole idea with that was tying that into the story of the occasion.
It does look classy.
You'd be happy carrying that round all day
at an event like this.
OK, great. Shall we move on?
Yeah. Lovely to meet you all.
Have a good rest of the afternoon.
So, Candoo. Smart name, I thought.
The name Candoo, it's really good that it was bold. Yeah.
"Can do for any occasion."
Yeah. It's catchy.
Somewhat neat on the flavour profile, though.
Yeah. Seltzers is still developing.
A lot of people don't actually know what they are,
so the role of flavour is still really important.
And for me, they went with a flavour profile
that's really, really polarising.
Did they get their messages out?
Yeah, I think the lifestyle aspect is really great
and it feels dynamic.
Whether or not it's premium, that's probably the question.
Last up, the Yellow Team.
Let's talk about the branding.
What was the idea behind the Afternoon V?
Because it does look like a cup of tea.
So Afternoon V is a take on the British tradition of afternoon tea.
So, you know the British love the occasional vodka
and afternoon tea, so we thought to marry the two.
So, we had a funny little chat with Sam a day or two ago,
and she explained a story about her auntie,
who used to slip a strong drink into her drink.
And we love the concept of that.
And we all know someone who quite likes the idea of that.
So we wanted to play on that and on cheeky drink in the afternoons.
I do think you've narrowed the market a little bit
by putting the Afternoon V or afternoon tea.
We didn't see the V in the beginning.
We saw the tea cup first and then we looked
at your ingredients. So we didn't, actually...
We didn't see them the Afternoon V.
It played into the story of the aunt with the cup
and that and obviously we,
we did struggle to make a round tea cup with a V.
I think it might be lost on the average person on a shelf.
Now, let's talk about the flavour profiles.
Where do we go? It was really, really difficult
to get the tea to shine, cos you have to put a lot of tea into this
to get the tea vibe to come out,
because obviously the whole concept was about the tea.
Very cucumber for me.
Did you taste that?
We did. In the initial one that we made,
there wasn't...it wasn't as cucumber-y.
No. But today the cucumbers really shone through.
So, if we were to do it again, we use a lot less.
It didn't feel quintessential. No.
It's a shame. The tea was weak.
Yeah, the tea was very weak.
What I like about it is they have gone with something
that's quite unique. Yes.
The hard tea market isn't big in the UK yet... No.
..but I agree, I think the tea profile was lost.
The other concern I have is from a positive drinking perspective.
There was a story involved with this
with vodka being added to an afternoon tea... Yes.
..and I think there is a mixed message there.
Putting something into an afternoon occasion,
I think they'd need to be very careful about how they market that.
It's so small changes. Small changes.
We had to pick a story and a brand that we all believed in.
We had to pick something that we could all stand here
and proudly represent and I think we did that. I think we did.
I think Gordon will talk about the sweetness of the drink
and perhaps that it wasn't marketed properly,
but overall, I think the brand might just edge us the win.
They did mention the cardamom.
Personally, I would rather polarise opinion
than have someone just be like, "Meh."
I'm confident. Our team did well.
We really made people enjoy the occasion.
We canned the occasion. So, yeah, we've won.
I can't see how we haven't put ourselves in the running
for this week, 100%.
I'm really happy with how we've done. I think we've done it.
Oh, no. Touch wood. Touch wood. Touch wood.
The branding really fell off at the end.
We needed to nail that.
And the target audience or the target market
that we're aiming at, that could be a problem for us.
How are you feeling? I've got so many emotions.
I don't know which one to pick.
Morning. ALL: Morning.
Right. Welcome back.
Now, we are halfway through this competition
and there are two or three of you who I'm still not hearing.
There is a substantial investment at stake.
You need to start using your voices.
Is that clear?
ALL: Yes.
This week was all about innovation.
I wanted to test your creativity,
getting you to make new canned vodka drinks
for the booming ready-to-drink market.
Let's start with the Blue Team.
Amy, Andy and Kier.
Candoo.
You took a big, bold gamble
with the flavour profile, right?
Why so adventurous?
What you said at the top of the challenge
was stand out in a crowded market.
Mm-hm. I think everyone has tasted cucumber and mint
or, like, a mango hard seltzer.
So when we were putting flavours together, I was like,
"We've got to come up with something interesting
"or it's just going to be lost in the noise."
Obviously it wasn't perfect,
but I was pleased with where we got it in the time that we had.
Were you concerned with the hibiscus and cardamom?
I was at first, but I think we did well to tie it in at the end.
I think we made the adjustments to give it a bit of colour
and that extra bit of taste.
I'll be honest, the panel didn't feel that the product
felt premium enough to wow that crowded market.
On to the Red Team.
Rachel, Flo and Hebe.
Willow, Eden and Grace.
Why did you create these three alter egos for one can?
We struggled with the name and that was all we had. Oh, boy.
You really struggled with that name,
and so did the experts, because the name was way too complicated
and didn't make sense. It had no rhyme or reason
to why you want to pick up that can.
OK.
Yellow Team.
Sam, Craig and Naomi.
Afternoon V.
Hard tea that will get you hard.
Let's talk about the strapline.
"It's always 12:00 somewhere."
Yeah. Whose idea was that?
The original brainstorm that we had was that developed
from a story that Sam told us about her auntie
having a drink... Yes.
..cheekily in a cup of tea or a cup of coffee in the afternoon.
I suppose the reason why I look at you is because you run
successful bars... Mm-hm. ..and when you say it's 12:00 somewhere,
it's implying you've got a drinking issue.
That strapline was irresponsible.
Yeah, we kind of see that now.
Listen, the panel felt that the idea of the tea with vodka
was a good idea, but it ended up being so dominated by...
ALL: Cucumber.
And the day before we spoke about it, what did I say?
You said bring up the levels of green tea.
That's right. Because it's a good market, the green tea,
you had something tangible there. That's what I was trying to say.
OK. Results.
The experts and myself,
we all sampled your drinks, checked out your branding,
and listened to all three of your brand stories.
After discussing at length,
I've made my decision.
The team, which I feel created
the most marketable drinks brand was...
..the Blue Team.
Congratulations.
It wasn't perfect, but we all felt that Candoo, by far,
had the strongest identity
and the most potential to be seen on the shelves.
Your can-do spirit definitely won it for you.
Well done.
Thank you.
Red and Yellow Teams...
..I think there was obvious issues with both your brands.
This was a really tough decision...
..but the losing team this week is...
..the Yellow Team.
The drink had several issues,
but where I feel you really failed was in the branding.
The story was muddled
and your target market was as problematic as your logo.
Sam, Naomi, and Craig,
I'd like to see all three of you in the restaurant
to grill you on your performances.
One of you will be leaving the competition tonight.
I'll see you in the restaurant.
I think the original idea and the concept was still a good one,
the quintessentially British kind of theme,
but it was definitely misconstrued
with the cheeky drink in the afternoon.
I'm pissed.
That's what's going through my head
because the thing that we basically failed most on,
the fact that it's sort of encouraging alcoholism.
Before we went into the pitch, I did say to Craig,
"Don't push the drinking during the day, like,
"push the fact that it's a play on afternoon tea."
Oh, shit.
I'm actually... I don't even know what to say.
Like, I've got so much to prove here.
I'm nowhere near doing what I have to do here
and proving what I have to prove her.
And it's just...
I'm just so frustrated.
Craig, sit down, please. Thank you.
Sam, sit down, please. Thank you.
Naomi, sit down, please.
Hi, Gordon.
Let's get one thing clear, the concept was great.
Mm-hm. Those traditional British flavours.
How does it go so skew-whiff?
I did push for the tea the whole time,
I pushed for that flavour more and more and more and more.
However, there was some kickback from the team to say,
"I don't want any more tea."
I warned you about the cucumber, yet no-one pivoted.
Yeah. As soon as we had that interaction with yourself, I went
on and on and on about more tea.
Sam sat there and said, "I don't like the tea,
"I don't like the tea, I don't like the tea." I had nothing to go on.
It was like firing it against a sponge. It was mad.
I saw you on day one.
I tried to advise the fact that I couldn't identify the tea,
couldn't identify the vodka,
and it was obliterated with cucumber. Mm-hm.
Who was responsible for that final mix?
So the final mix was Naomi and Craig.
I know cucumbers are a very pungent taste.
I said that when you close your eyes,
I want people to be able to taste an English tea.
The final drink tasted like a watery cucumber drink.
Yeah, and that was not the intention.
As soon as we tried it, we knew that that flavour
had stayed strong and we wanted it to be much more mellow.
I can hold my hands up and say we all said it. It was out of balance.
Let's talk about the branding.
Yeah. Afternoon V.
So, obviously it was a play on afternoon tea.
We got confused on the story.
We fixated on the auntie having a little tipple
in the afternoon and the quintessentially British thing,
that fundamentally is where a lot of it went wrong.
You own two micro pubs. Yeah. The most experienced... Yeah.
..member of this competition in drinks. Yeah.
Is it 12:00 somewhere?
You're advertising drinking in the morning.
My business is built on an ethos of sensible drinking.
I run my pubs with limited hours and a responsible ethos.
The strapline was not... not good at all.
Do you understand how detrimental that visual is? Mm-hm.
"Is it 12:00 somewhere?"
It is, it's encouraging daytime drinking,
it's encouraging alcoholism.
And honestly, going back, if I could change that, I would.
Knowing what you stand for in your community,
you must have known how inappropriate that was?
We listened to Craig in terms of the marketing. He owns two bars.
We spoke about the "It's 12:00 somewhere,"
but he had a convincing story of why it was 12:00,
why that was the appropriate time.
Obviously, now, I can very clearly see what we were promoting.
And day drinking is not the thing that we wanted to promote.
Let's talk about the packaging. Who signed that off?
When it came to the creation of the branding,
my team-mates wanted to do the green with the bunting
and I really didn't like it, but I was I was outvoted.
So, Sam and you were on different islands. Yeah. What was Naomi doing?
Gordon, you've said throughout there are people that are coasting.
I'm not going to necessarily hang people under the bus,
but there are people that are not pulling their weight.
And that came out in the wash with me in this task.
Naomi's responsibility was what?
So, Naomi wanted the green on the can.
And then...
I don't know.
Speaking to your team, they couldn't quite understand,
what was your key ownership across that brand?
What did you own from the beginning?
The flavour combinations were 100% me.
I was the one that ruled out all the flavours
that they wanted to do.
For them to say anything else other than that is an out-and-out lie.
And I'll be honest with you, excuse my language, but it's bullshit.
You launched the business. Yes.
And you broke the mould. Exactly.
I didn't see that with this drink's concept.
And I can tell you, Gordon, that will never happen again.
I'm so disappointed in myself
because that was not a reflection of my ability.
I've built a company from blood, sweat and tears from nothing.
No loans, nothing.
I've created a business worth nearly two million
from my brother's council flat kitchen through sheer grit.
When it comes to grafting and grinding,
I don't know anyone like me. Not a man, not a woman.
Why should I keep you in this competition?
I have been integral to three winning teams.
I produced an 87% profit margin on a pizza.
I have done a lot to get a team to a winning situation.
I've got the fundamentals of somebody
that you need to work with and do something unique with.
Last week, you told me you're going to be stepping up.
And I did step up, regardless of what my team say now,
I know and they know that we would not have the product we had,
we would not have had the flavours we had
if I had not stepped in and made my point heard
and said, "I'm not bending."
Thank you, Naomi. Thank you, Gordon.
Thank you, Sam. Thank you for your time.
Craig. Yeah. Thank you. Thanks very much, Gordon.
Right. Sam, Craig, and Naomi,
I feel that you really failed this challenge
because there was no clear leader,
and frankly, all three of you could leave tonight.
Craig, you seemed to get carried away
with your own brilliance this week.
Mm. You had a great concept, but you let it spiral out of control.
Naomi, that is the second week in a row I've spoken to you now
in the grillings, and I don't know how many more times I can say
I need to hear you standing up and being accountable
when it matters.
Finally, Sam, I felt that you would have fought a bit harder,
especially when you can see clear mistakes
happening in front of your own eyes.
This has been a really tough decision to make,
but the person I will not be investing in...
..is Naomi.
Young lady, you clearly have a great concept
with your social enterprise bakeries,
but I need a leader... OK. ..not a follower.
Thank you. We're done.
Sam and Craig were so close to leaving tonight,
and while they may have made some poor decisions,
at least they had some impact across this challenge.
I wish Naomi all the best with her business,
but I cannot invest in someone
who isn't pushing to get their voice heard,
which is crucial in business.
I'm sad to be going home,
but I've had a cracking four weeks.
I've met some amazing people. I've done things I didn't think I would do.
I'm going to take everything I've learnt
and just go onward and upward.
That was intense, to say the least,
and it's definitely added fuel to my fire.
I ain't playing no more.
Next time...
Anybody scared of heights?
Oh, my God.
This week is all about creativity.
Turning something humble into something special.
I didn't know it was so tricky to make a sauce.
Does anyone like hot sauce?
Look, we're just fucking about, now.
You're next in line.
There were too many mistakes for just one of you
to leave the competition this week.