62. How to stack revenue: The 3 levers that grow any food local business | Pete Russell

What if the future of food isn’t bigger, faster, and more centralised, but smaller, local, and radically decentralised?

In this episode of All About Business, James talks with Pete Russell, Founder of Ooooby, and Co-Founder of DECENT, to explore how technology, purpose-led business, and optimism can reshape the global food system.

Pete shares his journey from running a highly profitable, industrial food business to building one of the UK’s leading platforms connecting local farmers directly with their communities. Together James and Pete dive into the realities of entrepreneurship, and Pete also unpacks steward ownership, explaining how separating profit from control protects purpose and prevents mission drift.

Pete Russell offers a bold perspective on the future of commerce, arguing that AI will move us from an attention economy to an intention economy, where traditional marketing and advertising may become obsolete.

This episode is a powerful exploration of how values, technology, and long-term thinking can drive meaningful change.

Timestamps

02:03 Meet Pete Russell: The Visionary Behind Oooby’s Food Revolution

03:06 What Is Oooby? Decentralizing the Global Food Supply Chain

06:25 Farm-to-Table Logistics: How Oooby Empowers Local Farmers

10:12 The 1.9% Disruptor: Why Low-Margin Tech is Saving Small Farms

14:45 Debunking the Myth: Why Local Food Costs Less Than Supermarkets

19:30 The Awareness Gap: Why Traditional Food Systems Still Dominate

27:05 17 Years of Resilience: Pivoting Through Near-Death Business Challenges

33:40 The Software Pivot: Solving the Logistics Nightmare of Local Food

40:00 Future of Food: AI, Agentic Commerce, and Decentralized Platforms

56:15 What wakes you up on a Monday?

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Find out more about Oooooby and how to sell local food online

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This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk