First up is Jeni, who after graduating started her career in PR and marketing in Exeter, then London. Between 2020-2022, Jeni also worked with the University\u2019s Student Startups team \u2013 providing expert advice, guidance and support to budding student entrepreneurs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having worked both agency side and in-house with F&B, retail and hospitality clients, she thrived working with ambitious and creative food businesses, inspired by their passion for provenance, quality and innovation. While working full time as a marketing manager for a well-known food brand Jeni began a side hustle creating adventurously flavoured nut butters, selling them locally and delivering to customers by bike: Butter Bike Co.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div> Since its inception in 2019, Butter Bike Peanut Butters has grown from \u2018hobby\u2019 to a national brand supplying key names in the UK\u2019s premium grocery space including Selfridges, Whole Foods Market and Harvey Nichols, as well as much-loved independent delis, farm shops and lifestyle stores across the UK. Their products have scooped coverage with The Telegraph<\/em>, Observer Food<\/em> and FT<\/em>, and have collected awards including the prestigious Guild of Fine Food\u2019s Great Taste stars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reflecting on the business Jeni shares, \u201cI love coming to work each day to tackle something new, no day is the same and the challenges of running a business mean I can wear so many different \u2018hats\u2019 without being confined to a single role. Being part of an industry which faces so many challenges as we move into an uncertain future impacted by climate change, food insecurity and prolific UPFs, is risky yet rewarding. I work with a product I love \u2013 it\u2019s delicious, both nostalgic and innovative, and also really good for you \u2013 what\u2019s not to love.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u202fFind out more about Butter Bike via their website,<\/a> follow them on Instagram at @butterbikeco<\/a>,\u00a0and keep up to date with Jeni on LinkedIn.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daisy set up ROOBARB\u2019S in 2020 having completed her masters where she learnt about the problems with the current food system; from production, to imports, to food waste. Daisy knew that she wanted to do something that made a difference. She developed the idea for ROOBARB\u2019S over many months, with the main focus on surplus produce; in January 2020, Daisy had her first market stall selling soups in Falmouth, Cornwall. This launch was made possible by Daisy’s enrolment in the University\u2019s Student Startups Incubator programme through which she successfully secured funding.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div> Fast forward to early 2025, after years of hard work, location changes, different jobs and self-doubts, Daisy has now been running her own business on and off for four years, and she\u2019s now taken ROOBARB\u2019S full time in South London. Hosting events, catering, small batch pantry making; all with seasonal produce at the forefront. Every small idea really does start somewhere! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking about her journey, Daisy reflected on what she\u2019s most proud of, \u201cthat people are choosing me. To cook for them in an incredibly busy, skilled and talented hospitality industry. They are choosing my food over others, they are choosing a supper night in a cafe over a restaurant, they are choosing my pantry products over bigger suppliers, they are trusting me to cook on their special (and sometimes most important) days. Don\u2019t get me wrong, there are days where it\u2019s incredibly hard, but people showing up, orders for events coming in through my emails on a daily basis, breakfast pots in cafes selling out, receiving messages asking to cater for an event based on recommendation. That\u2019s the stuff that makes it all worth it. To make food shine. And I wouldn\u2019t want to be anywhere else.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about ROOBARB\u2019S via their website<\/a>, follow them on Instagram at @roobarbsfood\u202f<\/a>and keep up to date with Daisy on LinkedIn<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since graduating Keelan has been on a mission to build the best brownie brand in the world. Like many, his university experience was disrupted by the global pandemic. But in hindsight, he believes it was the best thing that could have happened to him.\u202fWith the world locked down and e-commerce booming, Keelan\u2019s side hustle quickly turned into a full-fledged brownie business – one that became a full-time job before he\u2019d even graduated: he hasn\u2019t looked back since.<\/p>\n<\/div> It was Keelan\u2019s nan that suggested he should start selling his family-favourite homemade brownies and create a small business. Whilst at university he relaunched the business complete with a website he built himself, and Keelan sent out a box of BWOWNIES out to Joe Moruzzi, the founder of PLEESECAKES with a letter explaining the story so far. This was shared on Joe\u2019s social media and overnight BWOWNIES blew up with orders and followers increasing. So Keelan\u2019s new small goal is making BWOWNIES into a household name, selling in shops throughout the UK, and eventually taking over the world with BWOWNIES. Simple, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reflecting on the madcap experience that entrepreneurship has been Keelan says, \u201cFrom catching the attention of \u2018Dragons\u2019 Den\u2019\u202fand Steven Bartlett to tricking my university lecturers with a viral April Fools’ campaign about a BWOWNIE McFlurry collab with McDonald’s, it’s been a wild ride. But my proudest moment? Building BWOWNIES alongside my degree, with the sole aim of going full-time the moment I graduated. We\u2019ve come so far, but the journey is just getting started. I can\u2019t wait to create even more unforgettable moments on this mission to build the best brownie brand in the world.”<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about BWOWNIES via their website<\/a>, follow them on Instagram at @bwownies<\/a> and keep up to date with Keelan\u2019s career on LinkedIn<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This year Feragaia was chosen as the top pick in Non-Alcoholic drinks<\/a> by the New York Times but Jamie\u2019s involvement in this distilled unapologetic alcohol-free spirit made from 14 land and sea botanicals, began back in 2018, leading to the brand\u2019s launch in late 2019. Jamie was inspired to start Feragaia after working in the alcohol industry for many years and feeling strongly that the playing field needed to be levelled to create more confidence for drinkers in alcohol free. <\/p>\n<\/div> Feragaia \u2013 the name means \u201cwild Earth\u201d in Latin and Greek \u2013 is the result of a year of tasting and testing by Jamie and his partner Bill Garnock, aiming to challenge negative preconceptions with a truly authentic and confident alcohol-free spirit. It\u2019s also made at a real distillery (and Scotland’s first alcohol-free distillery) which is rare in this category. The project also combines two of Jamie\u2019s greatest passions \u2013 the coastline and drinks which make a difference to people\u2019s lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The company\u2019s bottles are made from recycled, recyclable glass, and feature a recyclable cap; quite rare for spirits. Packaging is plastic-free and FSC-certified, and the botanicals are all composted after distillation. Environmental care and sustainability are at the heart of the business, as Jamie shares, \u201cI set out to redefine alcohol-free for drinkers by creating Feragaia, an unapologetic 0.0% Free Spirit distilled in Scotland’s first alcohol-free distillery. Our environmental commitment extends from recycled glass bottles to locally sourced botanicals that are composted after distillation. We’ve reduced our supply chain to just 10 miles and partner with organisations like Seawilding. The meaning behind Feragaia\u2014’Wild Earth’\u2014reflects our mission to reconnect our drinkers to the natural environment. While proud of our B Corp score of 85.8, this is just the beginning. My vision is for an industry where transparency and authenticity isn’t the exception, but the norm.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about Feragaia via their website<\/a>, follow them on Instagram at @feragaia<\/a> and keep up to date with Jamie\u2019s career on LinkedIn<\/a> including his work at James Wild Sculptures<\/a> which was supported by a grant from the University of Exeter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Congratulations to Jeni, Daisy, Keelan and Jamie on all their success so far in their ventures \u2013 we\u2019re very proud of you all and can\u2019t wait to follow along with the next chapters of your careers! <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019d love to hear news from our alumni so do always feel free to reach out via email at\u202f<\/em>alumni@exeter.ac.uk<\/em><\/a>, DM us on socials or tag us in your posts. And if you\u2019re interested in finding out more about what other alumni have got up to since graduating, look at our\u202f<\/em>Alumni Profiles website<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>\u202f <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Exeter alumni go onto enjoy a variety of careers but the menu of jobs they have to choose from is full of rich opportunities in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":435,"featured_media":1021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/alumni-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/151\/2025\/04\/DSC_6023-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nDaisy Anderson (MSc Sustainable Development, 2020) \u2013 Founder and Executive Chef of ROOBARB\u2019S<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/alumni-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/151\/2025\/04\/IMG_9765-1-683x1024.jpeg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nKeelan Waldock (Sports and Exercise, 2022) \u2013 Founder of BWOWNIES<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/alumni-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/151\/2025\/04\/keelan-bwonies-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nJamie Wild (Management with Marketing, 2013) \u2013 Co-Founder of Feragaia<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/alumni-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/151\/2025\/04\/JW-headshot-1-1024x645.jpg\")
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