About Jasper Wight
I am a foodservice entrepreneur and consultant with 20 years experience of building authentic food experiences and brands with local and global reach, from the ground up, often from the very start.
This experience spans founding, funding and rapidly growing a chain of London salad bars (18 stores and counting); importing a fine-dining osteria from Le Marche to London; learning how to make pasta in a rustic trattoria in Tuscany; expanding an international gelato franchise into new emerging markets (10 stores across 5 franchisees and counting); bootstrapping a Borough Market burger bar (and serving Jamie Oliver his Saturday morning sausage sarnie); and most recently launching an online fresh meal kit delivery start-up from scratch.
As a consultant, I work closely with my clients to achieve their business goals with maximum viability, at minimum cost, in minimum time. I help them navigate the complex journey from initial idea or objective to viable pilot, first customer or whatever specific goal they are focused on.
I offer a full-service suite of potential specialist support, across concept development, business modelling, fund-raising, menu development, design & build, recruitment, operations, marketing, e-commerce and finance.
I bring analytical and project management skills to the project, as well as relevant knowledge and contacts. I am as comfortable advising on a crowdfunding shareholder agreement as on the DD1 store concept drawings for a proposed new restaurant fitout.
Whether through incremental change over time or more rapid step change, I focus on business transformations that will significantly improve the business’ viability, profitability and sustainability. Often that means tackling things that are harder to predict, less familiar to the business owner and sometimes of shorter duration, yet a lasting impact.
Typical TasteBed engagements include food strategy, menu development, supply chain planning, cost analysis, new business development, corporate venturing, reboots, start-ups, early growth, fund-raising, franchising, export, e-commerce, retailer listings and sales support.
Please feel free to get in touch, whatever the query. It is always inspiring to hear about and sometimes get involved with so many dynamic food businesses.