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, an impressive portfolio of household F&B brands have trusted our team of food consultants to deliver end-to-end innovation, from concept ideation and prototyping to product/menu launch. Our approach is underpinned by strategic insights and consumer-centric validation to ensure your business has the perfect recipe for commercial success and growth.
About us
MEET OUR TEAM
Our team’s experience is vast! We’ve spent 27 years in F&B development, 57 years in restaurant kitchens (12 at Michelin level), 13 years of training in food, 21 in manufacturing, 6 years in marketing and buying teams, 19 years in retail and a whopping 24 years at director level. Phew!
Mike Faers
Founder & CEO, F!S Group
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 clients, using decades of expertise to ensure that businesses operate efficiently and innovate brilliantly.
Desert island meal?
“Orecchiette freshly made with cream and grated alba truffles.”
Kelly Dowson
Managing Director, F!S Group
Fiercely ambitious, Kelly is the driving force behind Food Innovation Solutions.
Desert island meal?
“Fish and chips with lashings of salt and vinegar!”
Danny Butt
Director, Food Innovation Solutions
Danny heads up Food Innovation Solutions and the multi-functional team of product development experts.
Desert island meal?
“Tagliatelle beef ragu covered in 36 month parmesan & a bottle of Brunello.”
Dave Hughes
Commercial Strategy Director
Dave brings innovation experience from across FMCG. He’s worked in Innovation Acceleration and Market Activation roles for Kellogg Co and PepsiCo. He has a rich consultancy background having executed multiple projects when he worked as program director for our Kicr business. Daves work across a wide variety of Food & Bev categories give him a breadth of knowledge to share
Dessert Island Meal
Seared Scallops with Fennel & Chorizo to start. Followed by a bangin’ Welsh Black Beef Cheeseburger.
Louise Waggett
Innovation Programme Director
Having worked in retail, manufacturing, brand & private label, Louise’s passion for growing businesses comes through in her ability to bring big challenger & creative innovative thinking to any project whilst passionately keeping the consumer at the heart of all that she does.
Dessert Island Meal
A simple bowl of in season strawberries with soured cream & a dusting of dark chocolate
Kate Walker
Innovation Consultant
Kate’s background is in concept-to-launch FMCG development, with a focus on balancing stakeholder needs throughout the innovation process.
Desert island meal?
My mum’s chicken laksa, followed up by apple crumble and custard.
Olly Henshall
Innovation Consultant
Olly is our culinary creative and all-round trends guru! His genuine love for food, paired with extensive experience as a development chef in retail and manufacturing makes him an innovation powerhouse.
Desert island meal?
“Good bread and good butter.”
Sally Waine
Junior Innovation Consultant
Sally is the latest member of our innovation team. Having studied food science & nutrition at University, she later gained experience at Mondelez working on chocolate projects & supporting NPD activation.
After leaving Mondelez, Sally went to culinary school to pursue her passion for cooking. Immediately following graduation, she worked for the Michelin starred River Café before heading off travelling for a few months & joining the FIS team in January 2024.
Sally’s passion for food alongside her technical foundations enable her to support across a broad range of projects.
Dessert Island Meal
Tiramisu.. Just Tiramisu 😃
What our clients say
“FIS have been incredibly helpful to us. They are detailed on scope, super curious and gave us the innovation injection we needed to stimulate the team. Great group of people to work with and couldn’t recommend enough.”
– Kevin Moore
Chief Commercial Officer at Greencore
“FIS supported us with the co-creation of the menu at our first casual dining chain Gallio in Canary Wharf. The team worked with us collaboratively to create an amazing range of dishes and sides to suit our target clientele.”
– Chantal Nell
Operations Director at Doma Hospitality
We’d love to chat.
Get in touch with our friendly team and let’s see how we can help propel your business forward.