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BIG INTERVIEW
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The brand’s footprint spans collaborations with American YouTuber Mr Beast and a shirt sponsorship deal with the brothers’ home football club Preston North End.
Celebrity fans including Will Smith, Joe Jonas, Liam Neeson and Alex Warren have cemented SpudBros firmly in both food culture and mainstream entertainment.
The Express concept has been developed with European foodtech company Taster, another fast-growing business, based in London, which specialises in building and scaling ‘creator led food brands’.
Customers queued from 5am for the opening in Colne - one of 15 new UK locations confirmed for this year alone, signalling a major new phase in the partnership between SpudBros, Taster and EG On The Move.
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Boyd Baptist Wahr, head of strategic operations at Taster, outlines the strategy: “SpudBros has built one of the UK’s most exciting creator- led food brands by combining an exceptional product with an incredibly engaged community. Together with EG On The Move, we are transforming that digital success into a scalable national retail business.”
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As part of that, there is also an ambition to take the SpudBros brand into supermarkets, including putting its famous Tram Sauce on the shelves.
It has been some journey so far. As Jacob says: “It was a little potato tram in Preston. We took over from our dad, went on social media and started posting like every other business out there. We have built a huge following. We call them the Tram Fam.”
Looking back to the start of the operation to take their spuds beyond Preston, Jacob explains it began when the brothers were approached by Taster, whose stable of brands includes Pepe Chicken. He says: “They loved our story. We said if we were going to do this, we wanted to expand in the right way under our three values: great food, good vibes and giving back.”
The first SpudBros outlet in London opened last year as a pop-up in Soho and soon had customers queuing round the block. It was such a success there is now a permanent outlet in the capital near Oxford Circus, visited by people from around the world.
Harley is not only amazed by the reaction of customers. He says: “It’s a Crown Estate
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property and I find it crazy that the King is our landlord!”
The brothers are delighted with the relationship being forged with Zuber Issa and his team. Jacob says: “It’s great to be working with a Lancashire business. EG On the Move is really moving. It has big names in there and we are now alongside them.”
Social media is at the heart of the SpudBros success story. So, what is the secret recipe and what can other ambitious businesses learn from it?
Jacob says: “We have conversations with lots of independent business who want to understand more about social media and how it works.
“You have just got to be yourself. Don’t try to be anybody else, don’t try to copy anyone. Be
He also reveals the brothers’ dad Tony, known as the ‘Spud Father’, actually started the business’s online presence. “He got up to 60,000 followers,” he says. “We just got fed up with his dad dances and decided we needed to take over.”
The pair welcome the competition that has grown up following their success, which has seen a raft of jacket potato businesses spring up across the country.
And one of their missions in business remains to support farmers in Lancashire and the wider UK. They share their concerns about the impact the long hot summer and the drought conditions experienced across the country will have – not least on the potato crops.
Jacob says: “The drought has had a massive knock-on effect on farmers. We want to support
We said that if we were going to do this, we
wanted to expand in the right way under our three values: great food, good vibes, and giving back
yourself and do the things you are really good at. Get on social media and tell your story.”
Harley adds: “For me it is just about being positive on social media. That will get you a long way in the long term. We also look to use social media in a positive way, not only to build our brand but to try and inspire the younger generation. We do a lot of work in schools.”
the British farmer and we will continue to work with them around Lancashire and the UK.”
They also stress the importance of having the right support in place when it comes to the scale up journey.
Jacob says: “We’ve got amazing support behind us, an amazing family who are very heavily involved and an amazing team at Taster. They are all around us, making this work. Everyone is a great fit.”
Harley adds: “Get the right team around you. You have to get the right people. you are only as good as your team.”
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Jacob and Harley have a 20 strong team in Preston. They run a new expanded tram on the Flag Market, a city landmark which remains the business’ spiritual home, as well as working at the many events that SpudBros attends and driving the all important social media content.
There are plans to add to that number. Harley says: “We are getting bigger and bringing more people in. We are like one great spud family.
“Someone asked us today where we will be in five years. We will always be in Preston. I will be selling spuds in the city when I’m 60.”
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