Tastehead
Tastehead is a London-based food and beverage product development agency delivering end-to-end new product development from concept ideation and sensory testing through regulatory compliance and launch support to startups, challenger brands, and global enterprises in the UK.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Tastehead does
Tastehead Ltd. is a London-based food and beverage product development agency founded in 2017 by Brandt Maybury and Micah Carr-Hill, both former Green & Black's product developers. The firm operates as a private limited company from offices and a development kitchen in West London (186 Dawes Road, SW6 7RQ) with facilities including a technical lab, photography studio, and on-site storage for shelf-life testing. Its core capability is sensory science applied to new product development (NPD): a codified tasting methodology covering tasting-session protocol, blind tasting and triangle testing for discrimination analysis, taste versus flavour differentiation (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami on the tongue versus olfactory-detected flavour), trigeminal effects (heat, cooling, astringency), and acid balancing for fruit profiles. The company describes its role as end-to-end product development from concept ideation through recipe development, cost engineering, nutritional calculations, regulation and HACCP compliance, production trials, and launch support.
Tastehead sells bespoke, project-based professional services rather than packaged products. Services are organised in three phases—Research (concept development, ideation workshops, manufacturer sourcing, trend reports, regulatory research, competitor benchmarking, focus groups, product assessments), Development (food and beverage product development, HFSS-compliant formulation, existing product improvement, cost engineering, nutritional calculations, regulation compliance, production setup) and Support (project management, production trials, HACCP and risk assessments, shelf-life testing, photography, small-batch production, label compliance, trial attendance). Pricing is quote-based with no public rates; the firm states a one-business-day response time on new project enquiries.
The customer base spans startups (Savyll Beverage Company, Wednesday's Domaine, Mergulo Vegan Butter, Pukpip, Stratford Sodas) and large enterprises (Heinz, Costa Coffee, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Pringles, New Covent Garden Soup Co, Cawston Press, Green & Black's, Pump St Chocolate, Halen Mon, Union Coffee, Border Biscuits). Go-to-market is a hybrid of direct sales (website enquiry forms, business-development-led response) and event-driven demand generation (Brand New Taste podcast launched August 2022, Innovation Secrets webinar launched August 2022, judging presence at Great Taste Awards and Academy of Chocolate). Co-founder Micah Carr-Hill additionally retains an embedded Head of Taste role at Cawston Press, evidence of a deeper contracted relationship beyond a single project engagement.
Tastehead firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tastehead
- Legal name
- Tastehead Ltd.
- Website
- https://tastehead.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Tastehead is a London-based food and beverage product development agency delivering end-to-end new product development from concept ideation and sensory testing through regulatory compliance and launch support to startups, challenger brands, and global enterprises in the UK.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tastehead industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Food Product Development Services
- NAICS
- Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (31193)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000), Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Flavorings & Extracts (Natural & Artificial) (CRADAOAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Functional Beverages (Vitamins, Probiotics, Nootropics, etc.) (CRADAHAL)
Keywords
Where Tastehead is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tastehead business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Food Development Services: Bespoke project-based food and beverage product development services from concept through to launch. Includes research, development, recipe development, regulatory compliance, production setup, and launch support. Packages tailored to startups through to global brands.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Bespoke project-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Tastehead product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tastehead is a London-based food and beverage product development agency that creates award-winning food and drink products for brands of all sizes. The firm manages full innovation projects from first concept and market research through recipe development, cost engineering, regulatory compliance, production setup, and launch support. Services are delivered as bespoke packages tailored to startups, challenger brands, and global brands including Kraft Heinz, Cawston Press, Waitrose, and Green & Black's.
Product overview
Tastehead is a food development agency offering a comprehensive suite of services for the food and beverage industry. The core offering centers on Food Product Development, which encompasses concept development, recipe development, and production support through to launch. Complementary services include Beverage Development, Food Consultancy, Recipe Development, and Start-up Packages. The company also produces educational content through the Brand New Taste Podcast. Services are organized around three phases: Concept & Innovation (market research, competitor benchmarking, consumer testing), Develop & Test (product development, costings, regulation compliance), and Launch & Grow (project management, shelf-life testing, packaging support). The agency serves brands of all sizes from start-ups to global brands and major retailers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Food Product Development Core service developing new food products from concept through to launch, improving established ranges, and consulting on existing projects. Includes concept development, product development, recipe development, costings, microbiological analysis, and regulation adherence.
- Beverage Development Specialized beverage product development service covering concept, development, and launch of drinks including soft drinks, juices, and other beverages.
- HFSS Development Development of High Fat, Salt, Sugar (HFSS) compliant products and healthier product alternatives with best practices for regulatory compliance.
- Food Consultancy Expert consultancy services for food and beverage brands including market research, category insights, and innovation strategy.
- Recipe Development Professional recipe development creating commercially viable, award-winning recipes tailored to client specifications and market requirements.
- Start-up Packages Bespoke service packages tailored specifically for food and beverage start-ups, supporting them from first concept through to launch.
- Brand New Taste Podcast Podcast for food and beverage brands focusing on new product development, innovation, and the importance of taste for commercial success. Hosted by co-founders Brandt Maybury and Micah Carr-Hill.
Quantifiable outcome
- Green & Black's brand grew from £2m to £55m under Micah's product development leadership (1999-2013)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Tastehead
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tastehead technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Tastehead partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Network of Consultants, Agencies and ExpertscoreStrong network of consultants, agencies and experts who work with Tastehead on projects. These partners support the delivery of food development projects across various disciplines and specializations.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tastehead competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mattson: US-based food and beverage product development consultancy offering concept-to-launch services for major CPG brands. Directly comparable to Tastehead in service scope (recipe, sensory, regulatory, launch support) and client base of large food/beverage companies.
- CCD Innovation: Food and beverage innovation consultancy providing product development, consumer insights and brand strategy. Closely aligned with Tastehead on full-service NPD and category insight work for global CPG and startup clients.
- Sterling-Rice Group: Food and beverage-focused brand and innovation firm combining product development with marketing strategy. Comparable to Tastehead in serving enterprise food brands with end-to-end innovation support from concept to launch.
- HATCH Labs (Hatchfood/Hatch): NYC-based food and beverage innovation studio helping brands develop new products and food ventures. Operates in the same boutique consultancy lane as Tastehead, serving both startup founders and global CPG companies on concept-to-launch projects.
- Product Creation Ltd: UK-based food product development consultancy offering recipe development, sensory work, scale-up and launch support. Closest UK-headquartered peer to Tastehead, competing for similar mid-market and enterprise food brand briefs.
- Verner Wheelock Associates: UK food industry consultancy with strong technical, regulatory and product development capability. Direct competitor to Tastehead in the UK market for food brand technical and development projects, particularly around regulatory compliance and labelling.
- NSF (formerly Leatherhead Food Research): Global food research, testing and product development organization with UK heritage. Overlaps with Tastehead on sensory, product development and regulatory services for food and beverage brands, but operates at much larger scale with broader testing infrastructure.
- The Product Makers: Australia-based food and beverage development and manufacturing partner offering concept, formulation, sensory and pilot-scale production. Comparable to Tastehead on full-service NPD with focus on taste-led product development for brand owners.
Broad incumbents
- Kerry Group: Global taste and nutrition company supplying flavors, ingredients and applied solutions to food and beverage brands. Not a direct consultancy competitor but a broader incumbent whose taste-development services overlap with Tastehead's sensory and formulation work at the enterprise end of the market.
- Symrise: Global flavors, fragrances and food ingredients major with applied taste and product development capabilities serving major CPG brands. Comparable to Tastehead at the strategic level — both help brands develop winning taste profiles — but Symrise operates at vastly greater scale with proprietary ingredient IP.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tastehead social profiles
Digital presenceTastehead financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tastehead leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Tastehead funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tastehead M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tastehead
What does Tastehead do?
Tastehead is a London-based food and beverage product development agency that creates award-winning food and drink products for brands of all sizes. The firm manages full innovation projects from first concept and market research through recipe development, cost engineering, regulatory compliance, production setup, and launch support. Services are delivered as bespoke packages tailored to startups, challenger brands, and global brands including Kraft Heinz, Cawston Press, Waitrose, and Green & Black's.
Is Tastehead a public or private company?
Tastehead is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tastehead founded?
Tastehead was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tastehead based?
Tastehead is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Tastehead make money?
One revenue line is on record: food Development Services.
Who are Tastehead's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mattson, CCD Innovation, Sterling-Rice Group, HATCH Labs (Hatchfood/Hatch), Product Creation Ltd, Verner Wheelock Associates, NSF (formerly Leatherhead Food Research) and The Product Makers. Broad incumbents are Kerry Group and Symrise.
Does Tastehead have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tastehead.
What industry is Tastehead in?
Tastehead's product category is Food Product Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAOAA, Flavorings & Extracts (Natural & Artificial), with a secondary code of CRADAHAL, Functional Beverages (Vitamins, Probiotics, Nootropics, etc.). Its NAICS code is 31193 and its SIC code is 2000.