Manílife - Stu Macdonald

Say hi to Stu Macdonald - the founder of Manilife, the undisputed champion of peanut butter. It all started back in 2014 when Stu moved to Argentina seeking to escape a looming job in accountancy, swapping numbers and spreadsheets for peanuts and social enterprise. While working for a peanut butter estate in Buenos Aires, he fell in love with jars of the gold stuff and started selling them wherever he could. But what really makes his peanut butter, peanut butter like no other - especially when there are so many peanut butters on the market competing for our affection? Returning back from Argentina he sought to combine the fantastic relationships he had built with growers in Argentina &  quality ingredients with companionship back home, calling on close friends to help him bring his vision to life. After several failed attempts forcing him to flirt with that job in accountancy, the thing he feared most, an accidental over roasting of their beloved Argentinian peanuts created something magical in the kitchen - their signature deep roast. A PB gamechanger - using a method more akin to deep roasted coffee than to the majority on the market which often used discarded peanuts from snacking and whose butters are made in bulk not in batches.    It turned out to be perfect timing. Peanut Butter was about to experience a huge boom in the UK market loved by both foodies and gym bunnies alike who enjoyed the taste and the high protein. And with a little luck and encouragement from early customer turned investor Judith managed to raise their first crowdfund of £250k in record speeds. They have since raised a further £2m over three consecutive rounds of funding taking them to be one of the fastest growing spreads in the UK now stocked by the likes of Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado and many more.  In this episode we talk about fighting expectations, blazing his own trail, the evolving role of a founder as well as learn a few tips and tricks of the trade.   Enjoy.