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Andrew Salter is the Co-Founder and CMO of DIRTEA a functional mushroom brand and was…
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Andrew Salter shared thisNobody wakes up craving supplementation. They wake up craving a coffee. That one sentence is the whole DIRTEA strategy, and it's why we're in Tesco's coffee aisle instead of the supplements aisle. Simon and I were featured in The Grocer this week, and it was a good moment to reflect on what the jump from DTC to retail has taught us: 1. Online you earn attention. In store you have 2-3 seconds to capture it. 2. Category placement is everything. Put a functional coffee next to vitamins and you've told the shopper it's medicine. Put it next to coffee and it's a better version of something they already buy. 3. A loyal DTC base is the foundation, not the ceiling. 700k followers and years of subscription data got us in the door. Retail is what gets us to scale. We're in 250 Tesco stores through the Accelerator programme. The Grocer called it a potential milestone for the hot drinks category. We intend to make it one. Founders who've made the DTC-to-retail leap: what surprised you most?
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Andrew Salter reposted thisAndrew Salter reposted thisCalling all collagen lovers. You’ll want to read this one! 👀 DIRTEA Pure Essentials Collagen has been named Best Collagen Supplement Overall by The Independent’s IndyBest. Yep. No.1 Collagen. But that's not even the best part... Because in all of this, we had absolutely no idea we were even being tested. IndyBest’ Sarah Finley had been working hard putting a whole range of collagen supplements through testing; looking at taste, texture, smell, ingredients, how well they actually dissolve, and whether they’re truly worth your hard-earned money. After several weeks of trials and tribulations the results were finally in… 🥁 And there it was. DIRTEA Collagen, sitting at the top. Turns out being judged is quite nice when you have no idea it’s actually happening. And this final judgement really does mean a lot to us. Collagen is still a fresh new chapter for DIRTEA, so to have the quality of the product recognised like this, completely independently of us, is something we’re incredibly proud of and grateful for! 🎉 Somehow, we’ve gone from No.1 in mushroom drinks to No.1 in collagen. Quite a sentence to be able to write. So be sure to know that the DIRTEA team will be taking a moment to celebrate this one! 🥳 But as always, not for too long as there are plenty more categories we want the DIRTEA name at the top of - which you might be seeing soon 👀 A huge thank you to The Independent IndyBest and Sarah Finley for the recognition. And an even bigger one to the DIRTEA community 🫶 For choosing us, backing us, sharing us with your friends, sending us your feedback and showing up for our brand and community day in, day out. The awards and No.1s are lovely. But we wouldn't be here without you 🤍 Have you tried the DIRTEA collagen?🥤 Simon Salter Andrew Salter Jessica Salmanpour
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Andrew Salter shared thisI get so many DMs everyday but this one I couldn’t not respond to!Andrew Salter shared thisAndrew Salter I wrote you a rap 🍄🎤 I am a mushroom phobe but my boss is obsessed and won’t stop talking about you. So, to ask for 30 minutes of your time, I allowed a Rap God to take control of my body and deliver some steel-cold bars 👻 Hope you enjoy.
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Andrew Salter shared thisGreat to chat with Nikki last week on DIRTEA being announced as the # 1 fastest growing food and drinks brand in the UK by Alantra! Amazing recognition for our products, community and team!Andrew Salter shared thisDIRTEA, the once-niche mushroom coffee pioneer, has been named the UK’s fastest-growing food and drink brand in Alantra’s Food & Beverage Fast 50 with functionality taking over the mainstream poll. Huge congratulations to Simon Salter and Andrew Salter on the success of your brand which has recently evolved into a mainstream wellness platform. And a special mention to the podium of functional food and drink players Sunna van Kampen at Tonic Health, Eoin Keenan at Goodrays, Olivia Ferdi at TRIP, and Matthew Kelly at Spacegoods https://lnkd.in/ep2bzct3Wellness brands dominate Alantra fast-growth poll as Dirtea takes goldWellness brands dominate Alantra fast-growth poll as Dirtea takes gold
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Andrew Salter posted thisWhat DIRTEA in Tesco really means I'll be honest... when we first got the call, my reaction wasn't what I expected. Not euphoria. More like... quiet. Because I knew what it actually meant. Tesco wasn't the goal. It never is, for brands like ours. You start in wellness because you believe in something most people haven't heard of yet. You build in DTC because that's where the believers are. You grow slowly, carefully, in a category that's easy to dismiss. And then one day it's in a supermarket trolley next to someone's milk and bread. That's not a distribution win. That's a cultural one. Functional mushrooms have been on the fringe for years - not because the science wasn't there, but because access wasn't. Tesco fixes that. 27 million shoppers a week. People who weren't looking for us. That's the bit that keeps me up at night, in the best way. To other founders still in the early, unglamorous part of building something people don't fully understand yet, this is what it looks like when a category matures. It's quieter than you think. And then suddenly it isn't. DIRTEA is on Tesco shelves now. Would love to hear from anyone else building in this space!
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Andrew Salter shared thisFive years ago we helped take functional mushrooms from niche to mainstream. Now we’re asking a bigger question: What if wellness brands stopped launching complicated formulas… and focused on pure, clean ingredients people actually trust? That’s the thinking behind our new DIRTEA Pure Essentials range: starting with Creatine and Collagen. We think the next chapter of the category will look very different. Curious what others think: Is the future of supplements complex blends… or radical simplicity? I discussed this in depth with Nikki Hancocks the Editor of NutraIngredients https://lnkd.in/dBU_c_WQDirtea re-imagined: Pure Essentials cue new focus on clean cognitive careDirtea re-imagined: Pure Essentials cue new focus on clean cognitive care
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Andrew Salter posted this✈️ Stuck in Dubai - but still moving forward 💼🌍 Like many travellers and professionals here in the UAE, I’m currently grounded in Dubai because of the ongoing Iran conflict and the resulting airspace and flight closures. Major hubs like Dubai International were temporarily shut, and thousands of flights were cancelled or restricted across the region - leaving people like me in limbo! Initially it felt frustrating - especially when you have people to see and plans to execute. But once I took a breath and reassessed, I realised there’s another way to look at it. Here’s how I’m dealing with it (and making it count): 🔹 Build a “Remote Dubai Office” - With cafes and even hotel lobbies doubling as productivity spots, I’ve carved out a desktop-away-from-home (for now) and kept my priorities moving. 🔹 Leverage this global moment - I’ve been sharing updates, insights and reflections with peers (including here) to add context and connection to what people are seeing in the news and on feeds. 🔹 Stay informed & flexible - What we’re experiencing is part of a larger geopolitical disruption affecting air travel across the Middle East, and a reminder about how external events can reshape even the best-laid plans. 🔹 Turn challenge into opportunity - Instead of waiting for flights, I’m doubling down on strategy time, planning content, and connecting with my teams in other time zones. Bottom line? We don’t always control the world around us. But we can control how we respond, adapt, and keep pushing forward... even if it’s from a temporary “home base” in Dubai. Hey, maybe UAE ends up becoming a significant market out here for DIRTEA! Would love to hear how others are adapting when travel plans go sideways - drop a comment below 👇
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Andrew Salter shared thisExciting new chapter at DIRTEA, the launch of DIRTEA Collagen and Creatine! We’ve just introduced a new range at DIRTEA called Pure Essentials, and it’s one of the most exciting moments for us since we first launched the brand. Over the last few years, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about foundations - the fundamental compounds the body actually uses every single day. As wellness has grown, so has complexity. More products. More claims. More noise. But when you strip it back, clarity matters just as much as the ingredient itself. What are you putting in your body? Why is it there? Is it clean? Is it transparent? That’s what led us to build Pure Essentials. We chose two ingredients that are not trends but foundational: • Creatine - one of the most researched compounds in human nutrition, supporting cellular energy, physical performance and cognitive function. • Collagen - a structural protein that supports connective tissue, joints and skin, which naturally decline with age. And then we made deliberate decisions: – One ingredient per product – No flavouring – No fillers – Nothing hidden – Correctly dosed in line with research – Designed for daily use Most importantly, we invested in our own independent third-party testing - screening for over 300 substances, because transparency and purity shouldn’t be marketing claims, they should be measurable. This feels like the natural evolution of DIRTEA. Foundations first. Proud of the team for bringing this to life.
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Andrew Salter shared thisThis week we launched our first ever outdoor advertising!! DIRTEA on London bus stops, in partnership with our friends at Healf. Why this format? It’s the moment. 10:00am. Mid-commute. Mid-morning. A familiar pause in real life. Media works best when it matches behaviour. Bus stops aren’t high-attention environments, they’re routine environments. Our ad is a signal of a moment people already recognise as theirs, where personal rituals take shape rather than get prescribed. That’s exactly where ritual-led brands belong. Why outdoor, when you can just run ads on Meta? Because Meta optimises for action. Outdoor builds belief. • Outdoor signals scale and permanence, this brand is here to stay • It builds trust through real-world presence, which matters as we expand retail, subscriptions and the US • It normalises DIRTEA as a daily habit, not a one-off supplement • It compounds every other channel: social, PR, retail, ambassadors • It differentiates us from claim-led wellness brands with calm, belief-led presence • It creates curiosity, not pressure: search, follow, try This isn’t about replacing digital. It’s about adding something digital can’t. Outdoor marks a visible chapter in the DIRTEA story: for customers, partners, investors and our own team. Moments like this don’t change a business overnight, but they do mark forward motion.
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Andrew Salter liked thisAndrew Salter liked thisWhat a week 💥 Kendall Jenner x TRIP billboards from Hollywood to Manchester and pretty much everywhere in between - including a Times Square takeover ! It’s been absolutely incredible to see our TV, Billboard and digital campaign come to life over the last week - sharing Calm in the Chaos around the world 🌎 What’s so special about seeing global campaign come to life is that you can mark the moment and see how far you’ve come. It wasn’t that many years ago I was related to everyone who worked at TRIP. Today our global campaign sees Kendall Jenner, Joe Jonas, Jamie Laing, Sophie Haboo and Madeleine Argy all showing how TRIP turns their chaos into calm. A campaign on this scale, with these incredible ambassadors, is no small feat. I’m so proud of the incredible work that the whole team has done to bring this to life, this really is the best team in the business and moments like this show it to the world. Shout out to team TRIP ! #cpg #fmcg #drinks #beverage
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Andrew Salter liked thisAndrew Salter liked thisAn honour to work alongside one of the iconic brands of British fashion. Last week we partnered with TOPSHOP for LFW, bringing DREAMSAKE cocktails to one of the biggest moments in the fashion calendar. A huge thanks to the TOPSHOP team for hosting us for a very special evening. TOPSHOP TOPMAN British Fashion Council Matt Brunault Hector Butler Adam Levene
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Andrew Salter liked thisAndrew Salter liked thisThere’s a playbook I follow every time I launch a new brand. Large market? ✅ High levels of consumer dissatisfaction? ✅ Then comes the important part: finding the specific knowledge that lets you build a superior, defensible and scalable alternative. On day one of Skin+Me, that knowledge sat with Graham Bosher, who’d built 3 vertically integrated subscription businesses to exit, and Ben Esdaile, a consultant dermatologist with deep expertise in acne and skin ageing. We teamed up and today we're at $90m+ ARR. For the last couple of years, I’ve been working on my next venture: S3 Sensitivity Science™. Same playbook. ✅ $43bn oral care market ✅ 1.3bn people with sensitive teeth ✅ 75% don’t get the relief they want from current products This time, the specific knowledge sits with our co-founder Mick Cox, who led Sensodyne globally for 10 years, and 20+ dentists who have personally invested in S3. Together, we’ve developed patent-pending S3 Technology™: three modes of action in one toothpaste, designed to deliver better sensitivity relief. Then we put it to the test. Partnering with the University of Reading, S3 Technology achieved 100% occlusion vs 84% for the market leader. And in independent blind testing with 52 people, 90% said S3 gave them more relief than the market-leading sensitivity toothpaste. If you’re a dental professional, get your hands on the product and let the science speak for itself. Get your sample here: https://lnkd.in/eg-YjRse PS we're launching today at Dentown, come say hi!
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Andrew Salter liked thisAndrew Salter liked thisMy biggest takeaway from this conversation: the best businesses should make the people building them better too. At Ideas Fest I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Michael Acton Smith and Simon Salter about how to build businesses that make you better. What I loved most was hearing where Calm and DIRTEA actually came from. Both businesses started with something deeply personal: stress, burnout, curiosity and a search for something that genuinely helped. Michael Acton Smith talked about building Calm when investors thought paying for meditation sounded ridiculous. Simon Salter shared how his own experience of burnout brought him back to functional mushrooms and the ideas that became DIRTEA. Different journeys, but a similar lesson: Some of the best businesses are built by solving something you have lived yourself. We also talked a lot about the founder behind the business. Simon spoke brilliantly about community, and the importance of having a few really good people around you when things get hard. Michael talked about learning to respond rather than react, and something brilliantly simple that I loved: leaving his phone on airplane mode until he is out of the house and has a coffee in hand. Create before you consume. That went right to the heart of why we created the JD&Co Founder Recovery Zone at IdeasFest. We spend our lives helping founders build better teams and stronger businesses, but I care just as much about what happens to the person building them. More capacity. More support. More space to think. More time doing the things only they can do. We finished by talking about AI and the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is everywhere. Wisdom, judgement, lived experience, relationships and being deeply human are becoming even more valuable. I have huge admiration for both of these founders and what they have built. They were open, funny, thoughtful and incredibly generous with what they shared, and I’m very proud to call them friends. Thank you both Michael Acton Smith Simon Salter
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Andrew Salter liked thisAndrew Salter liked thisIt's here. Demi. Your New Usual. We've spent the last year rebuilding everything. The liquids. The name. The identity. Demi is our specialist half-proof spirits range, and our first product to launch in the US today is our Three Grain Vodka. 20% ABV. Half the strength of a standard Vodka, yet all of the craft and indulgence. Two Demi Martinis for every one regular serve. “Go on, order another.” Demi isn't a low-ABV alternative. It isn't a wellness product. It's a premium spirits brand, crafted for the three-martini lunch, the long afternoon, the evening that earns a second round. This is a new hedonism. More refined, sure. But still all-encompassing. Just distilled to last longer. Demi is inspired by a golden age of cocktail culture. Think Great Gatsby, LA LA Land, Mad Men. A time when one was always dressed to the nines, present, and where socialising was considered a fine art. One never declined the second martini, negroni, manhattan. "Martini please. Make it Demi." Massive well done to my Co-Founder Fabian Clark for all the hard work behind the scenes in making this happen. Huge thanks also to Rion Harmon, Spencer Madsen and the whole Day Job. Your honesty, vision and creativity has started something truly special. Available now in the US at www.demispirits.com Follow our journey over the coming weeks to see the brand truly come to life. Demi. Half Proof Spirits. Your New Usual. #Demi #LowProofHighClass #HalfProof #Spirits #Vodka #YourNewUsual
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Honors & Awards
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Forbes 30 Under 30
Forbes
Forbes Presents the 30 Under 30 Class of 2020: recognising the brightest young entrepreneurs, leaders, stars.
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Education & Awareness (Integrated)
Cannes Lions 2015
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Best Cause Related Marketing Strategy of the Year
The Drum Marketing Awards
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Best Social Media Strategy of the Year
The Drum Marketing Awards
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Best Social Media and Digital Marketing Campaign Finalist
Broadcast Digital Awards
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Social Media Strategy Finalist
Brand Republic Digital Awards
Campaign shows innovative use of social media platforms. Increased interaction levels and growth in engagement demonstrated.
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Warc Prize for Social Strategy Shortlist
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Best Social Good Campaign Silver Honour
Shorty Awards
This category honors a brand or non-profit's excellence in running a Social Good Campaign.
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Cultural Innovation Award
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Editorial Campaign of the Year
British Media Awards
This award recognises the most innovative, best-executed and most effective campaign.
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