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About Us
Our journey began…
Food Innovation Solutions is the brainchild of CEO and Founder, Mike Faers. Having identified a burning need for innovation amongst many businesses operating in the food and beverage sector, Mike launched the business in 2010.
Since then, FIS has continued to initiate fresh, and exciting ideas that have helped a wide range of business, across a vast array of sectors, from food service to manufacturing to retail, to grow their business, expand their reach, and increase profits.
Our passion, experience and knowledge have enabled us to drive our business forward at a rapid pace, and allowed us to attract clients that are seeking new, fresh and innovative ideas to achieve their business goals.
We’ve worked hard to become the very best at what we do. We adopt a hands on and collaborative approach that will inspire game changing results and really capture the attention of your target market.
Why work with us?
We’re not corporate! We’re an innovative creative group with a unique difference. We push boundaries and conventions and whilst we take what we do really seriously, that doesn’t mean that we don’t have fun along the way. And you won’t find a single tie in our office, but you will get used to the trains rattling above our purpose built, colourful premises.
Our industry expertise! We also help businesses to develop their knowledge, providing the training required to control and manage their own innovation activity, reduce costs, and lead successful product launches.
We get involved! We approach every project we work on with a fresh pair of eyes and an open mind. We’re incredibly hands on and only create brands that we’re proud of.
We co-create with our clients. We will work alongside you every step of the way, and love to co-create with our clients and partners, after all you know your brand best!
Our excellent client management. We’re committed to providing client and project management that exceeds expectations. We will liaise with external partners on your behalf, always keep the communication channel open and encourage dialogue.
Not forgetting…The Arch! Our beloved arch is a 1,500 sq foot state of the art development kitchen in the heart of London. Our range of equipment means we can replicate a range of foodservice and retail processes. All of our development work, ideation and tastings take place there and you are welcome any time – there’s always something delicious cooking
Our Team
Our culinary team’s experience is vast, with 27 years within F&B development, 57 years in restaurant kitchens (12 at Michelin level), 13 years of training in food, 21 in manufacturing, 6 years marketing and buying teams, 19 years in retail and 24 years at director level. Phew!
Mike Faers
Founder, F!S Group
Our CEO and Founder and all round operations guru, Mike has a huge amount of experience from the kitchens of Le Gavroche to heading up Product for McDonald’s Europe and then globally. Growing tired of working with agencies who could talk the talk but failed to deliver, Mike left his role at McDonalds to start FIS in 2010. Having run and established manufacturing plants, innovation academies and worked extensively with all of the UK’s major retailers, Mike offers strategic planning, troubleshooting and innovation best practise to FIS clients, using decades of expertise to ensure that businesses operate efficiently and innovate brilliantly.
Kelly Dowson
MD, F!S Group
Fiercely ambitious, Kelly is the driving force behind the FIS Group and has been here since the start. Kelly produces nothing but her best, and with this approach, guides her team to provide exceptional consumer-centred services to all FIS group clients. Kelly’s dedication to customer service and project delivery, is second to none. She is passionate about creating and developing high performing teams, and creating an inspiring place for people to work and grow.
Emily James
Director of Culinary Innovation
Emily heads up F!S, taking the lead as team manager and Head of F!S. Her composure in a crisis and determinism to find creative yet flexible solutions means she is the first point of call for our clients. Her commercial background allows her to streamline projects from start to finish, facilitating progress and getting the best results for every client.
In the kitchen, Emily’s specialism lies in confectionary and trendy Plant-Based cuisine and has such worked with a range of large FMCG clients including UNILEVER and Subway.
Alex Dome
Development Chef
An acclaimed chef with over 10 years of culinary experience under his belt, our development chef Alex has an extensive knowledge and understanding of food and flavour profiles. His competitive streak saw him into the quarter finals of Masterchef the Professionals as well as into the final rounds of both the RACA annual award of excellence and BCF national chef of the year awards.
Leaving his position as Sous Chef at Covent Garden’s Petersham Nurseries Alex joined the development team at F!S last year. Since then, he has come to thrive on fast-paced projects, including TRG, SUBWAY and FOOD STARS, and developed a keen eye for using market trends and latest ingredient solutions to create products that are innovative and technically sound.
Mia Vincent
Development & Marketing Executive
A creative foodie with an eye for beautiful branding, Mia is our internal Marketing expert and development executive; managing our digital and B2B marketing platforms and campaigns as well as providing ongoing project management.
Having gained her Marketing abilities working with the likes of international contract caterer, Baxter Storey and fashion retailer, ASOS, Mia completed a year at Leith’s School of Food and Wine, qualifying with a diploma,
Mia spent a year in both private and professional kitchens, honing her culinary skills before joining us at F!S. She now puts these skills to use in her project work, managing a number of both small and large projects including FutureNoods, UNILEVER and SUBWAY.
Adam Malejka
Kitchen Assistant
Adam is our kitchen assistant come office hero. Supporting the team on anything kitchen-related; from keeping The Arch organised and clean to helping the development team with basic project work or consumer research, Adam’s everyday support allows our team to do what they do best.
Don’t be shy! Send us a message and find out how we can help your business grow.
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