Uncensored CMO | Episode Summary
From Idea to £25m Exit – Jimmy's Iced Coffee Founder, Jim Cregan
Release Date: February 25, 2026
Host: Jon Evans | Guest: Jim Cregan
Episode Overview
In this episode of Uncensored CMO, Jon Evans sits down with Jim Cregan, the charismatic founder of Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, to take listeners on a raw, honest, and inspiring journey from a flash of inspiration in Australia to the eventual £25m sale of the brand to Britvic. The conversation brims with candid reflections, lessons learned, and practical marketing wisdom—plus plenty of wit, humility, and the kind of founder authenticity you rarely hear. If you like founder stories and marketing truths, this is a must-listen (or must-read!) conversation.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Origin Story: From Boredom to Brainwave
[01:07 – 05:30]
- Jim started with no background in drinks but deep dissatisfaction with his odd jobs and British winters.
- Inspiration struck during a hungover Australian road trip, meeting Farmers Union Iced Coffee at a petrol station—he was instantly hooked by the branding and taste.
- Multiple emails to the Australian producer to bring the product to the UK—rejected, but undeterred.
- On returning to the UK, Jim recruited his sister as co-founder (she ran a coffee shop), borrowed money from their parents (making them shareholders), and hustled their way to a launch just four months after forming the company.
- Quote:
“I just need to get into doing this iced coffee thing… I put a gun to Mum and Dad’s head to get some money off them for a loan, which we did, and they lent us some money and we also made them shareholders. So we paid back the money and made them shareholders, which was great.” — Jim Cregan [04:53]
2. Breaking Through in a Skeptical Market
[05:30 – 09:58]
- The UK was a hot tea nation with minimal iced coffee presence; supermarket offerings were unappealing.
- Jim prioritized simple, honest branding—using clear on-pack communication (‘Iced Coffee’) and a relatable brand name (originally "Kingdom", changed to "Jimmy’s" due to trademark issues).
- Deep dive into packaging’s role: drawing on Australian nostalgia, evolving from Tetra pack to innovative “Bottle Can” formats to stand out on shelves and deliver a better drinking experience.
- Quote:
“You see so many products on the shelf that don’t actually tell you what it is and you’ve already just missed the purchase, especially if you’re a first time try and buyer.” — Jim Cregan [10:10]
3. Packaging Innovation as a Brand Differentiator
[12:22 – 19:55]
- Discussion of transitioning packaging over time: Tetra packs, Slim Cans, and ultimately the unique “Bottle Can”—a can with a wide mouth, produced by a rare Japanese technique.
- Relentless effort invested in bringing the “Bottle Can” to the UK; few competitors have managed to replicate due to difficulty and cost.
- Memorable Moment: Doubling sales in M&S with the Bottle Can roll-out.
- Quote:
“If you just work your ass off and you know it’s going to be great, then it’s fine.” — Jim Cregan [15:40]
“Strategy is finding the hardest thing to do that your competitors can’t replicate. And that’s exactly what you’ve done here, isn’t it?” — Jon Evans [18:25]
4. Grassroots Hustle: Distribution & Getting Noticed
[19:57 – 29:09]
- Direct, scrappy approach to listings: cold-calling Selfridges HQ, driving boxes in person, persuading Whole Foods buyers with no food & drink experience—letting the product and story sell itself.
- Delivering product into shops personally at 3am, persuading wholesale partners by building a customer list, and joining delivery drivers on their rounds to convince store managers face to face.
- Dressing up in a carton costume outside Waitrose to boost sales and talking to every potential customer personally.
- Quote:
“I would stand outside these stores… I just give out my business card and I’d go, hi, my name’s Jim. We’ve just recently launched in the store, take one of my business cards… But my number’s on there, don’t call me.” — Jim Cregan [25:15]
5. Understanding Supermarket Buyers
[27:10 – 30:25]
- Five failed attempts to land a Tesco listing, until meeting the right buyer at a conference who appreciated the relationship-based approach.
- Importance of treating buyers like actual customers—inviting them into the brand world and culture, not just transactional pitches.
- Anecdote about how human, casual meetings could crack even the biggest retail doors open.
- Quote:
“Tesco used to invite us down and they’d take us for lunch and we’d go paddling in the sea… we can actually talk about a shared relationship or a shared love for something other than just rate of sale promotions.” — Jim Cregan [28:45]
6. Direct-to-Consumer: Unexpected Lifeline & Culture
[31:24 – 34:22]
- Early DTC experiments expanded rapidly during Covid; became a popular subscription (with fun free extras).
- “Little touch points” like hand-drawn giraffes and quirky customer interactions built loyalty and buzz on social, turning even complaints into joyful content.
- Memorable Moment: Sending a roll of toilet paper to a customer who joked online about the product’s laxative effect.
- Quote:
“It’s those little touch points that just made all the difference.” — Jim Cregan [34:14]
7. Unique Marketing & Brand Building
[34:22 – 36:27]
- Keeping communications “human” and honest—Jim personally ran social media for seven years, late into the night.
- Creativity in content—producing a viral hip-hop music video, building giant versions of the “Bottle Can” for PR stunts, all made in-house for speed and authenticity.
- Strong, consistent brand voice and lifestyle—“loving the outdoors, loving the beach, being able to say certain words.”
- Quote:
“If they like it, they’ll go and buy it again.” — Jim Cregan [36:24]
8. Embracing & Learning from Failure
[36:27 – 39:41]
- Open discussion on failures—overestimating demand for large pack sizes, leading to painful product wastage; mis-hires; distractions like white label opportunities.
- The darkest day: taking van loads of unsold iced coffee to the recycling plant, watching it get destroyed.
- Quote:
“I remember that being one of the darkest days… Is this… Yes, this is still going to work. It’s going to be fine.” — Jim Cregan [38:14]
9. Advice for Aspiring Founders
[39:41 – 42:00]
- “Know thyself”—genuine self-awareness and readiness for long-term sacrifice.
- The “hurrying slowly” principle: methodical, deliberate progress beats reckless acceleration.
- Say “no” more: sleep on new opportunities to avoid overcommitting.
- Passion > money: be driven by belief, not just riches.
- Quote:
“You’ve got to keep moving, but you just have to do it, like, slowly and methodically.” — Jim Cregan [41:01]
10. The Exit Story: Selling to Britvic
[42:00 – 46:07]
- The timing for M&A; getting approached by a competitor, leveraging M&A advisors, and shopping the deal widely.
- The “gut feeling” that Britvic was the right partner due to their track record, resources, and support for founder-led brands.
- Pride in walking into a supermarket, seeing new Jimmy’s products he didn’t even know about, and knowing the brand is in safe, ambitious hands.
- Quote:
“…our dream…wasn’t just to just to sell. It was actually about like, we’ve, we’ve created this thing and now it needs to fly because it can’t fly under our capability. It needs this resource.” — Jim Cregan [43:49]
11. Post-Exit and What’s Next
[46:07 – End]
- After the sale, Jim took a year off to decompress, focus on family, and travel.
- He’s now co-founded a consultancy, Beyond The Trees, helping smaller brands with practical, founder-to-founder advice on growth, culture, and strategy.
- Life is “at the moment in a really, really sweet spot.”
- Quote:
“Life is like, at the moment in a really, really sweet spot. So I feel very lucky.” — Jim Cregan [47:15]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “This is Red Bull for grownups.” — Jon Evans [07:06]
- “If you just work your ass off and you know it’s going to be great, then it’s fine.” — Jim Cregan [15:40]
- “If you want to be rich, you’re going to cut corners, you’re going to make your product less, and it’s just going to be shit. So you’re the wrong guy. See you later.” — Jim Cregan [41:42]
- “The innovator’s dilemma. Right. Big companies can’t do small things… So by having a separate, you see, get the benefit of the big business operationally, logistically, relationships. But you get the small company focus by having a small team dedicated to the brand.” — Jon Evans [45:48]
Key Timestamps
| Timestamp | Topic / Segment | |------------|--------------------------------------------------| | 01:07 | Jim’s inspiration for Jimmy’s Iced Coffee | | 05:30 | Launching in Selfridges—first big retail win | | 12:22 | Packaging evolution: Tetra, Slim Can, Bottle Can | | 19:57 | Scrappy supermarket & wholesaler listings | | 25:15 | Guerilla in-store marketing & costumes | | 27:10 | Cracking Tesco and relationship-first selling | | 31:24 | Direct-to-Consumer during COVID | | 34:22 | Brand building, music video, giant packaging | | 37:22 | Failures: 1L pack disaster | | 39:41 | Advice for new founders | | 42:00 | The M&A process, selling to Britvic | | 46:36 | Life after exit, new consultancy |
Summary: Why Listen?
Jim Cregan’s journey with Jimmy’s Iced Coffee is a masterclass in persistence, creativity, and humanistic marketing. The episode’s tone is frank, funny, and generous—packing priceless lessons for marketers, founders, and anyone curious about the nitty-gritty of building a challenger brand. Whether you want actionable insights or just a rollicking founder tale, you’ll finish this episode both wiser and more inspired.