TickEat Story: How it all started
posted 18th December 2024
The Creation of TickEat
With over 20 years of buying experience, including a significant stint in travel during her role at gategroup, Heerum Fleary has carved a unique path in the travel catering industry. As she prepared to leave gategroup in 2015, several brands she collaborated with, such as Joe & Seph's, Salty Dog, Moorish, and Beckleberry's, urged her to start her consultancy. These brands, having benefited greatly from her strategic guidance and close partnerships, were keen to continue their successful collaborations.
Responding to the encouragement from these brands, Heerum launched TickEat, a consultancy firm dedicated to continuing the work she loved—helping innovative food and beverage brands carve out a niche in the competitive travel catering market. Her ability to keep products listed longer by continuously engaging in product development made her an invaluable asset to these companies.
Heerum went beyond simply fulfilling her role; she actively helped the brands she worked with to grow and adapt. A standout example of her strategy was with Beckleberry's. When British Airways indicated a need to refresh their offerings, Heerum guided Beckleberry's in innovating not just their product line, but also their branding and packaging. This holistic approach led to a renewed contract with British Airways, who were impressed by Beckleberry's fresh and innovative changes.
One of Heerum's signature initiatives that predates TickEat was the organisation of Innovation days, which she pioneered while at gategroup. Recognising the potential of smaller, artisanal brands, she facilitated a platform at British Airways where these brands could shine. This initiative not only diversified the offerings in BA's Club Kitchen but also shifted BA's procurement strategy to include more local and innovative suppliers, altering the landscape of airline catering.
TickEat Events Are Born
Transitioning from consultancy to creating a community, TickEat began hosting its own events based on the successful format of those innovation days. These events have become a cornerstone of TickEat, offering brands the unique opportunity to present their products directly to decision-makers in the travel and leisure industry. The support from TickEat extends beyond these events, providing brands with ongoing guidance to ensure their continued success in the marketplace.
Over the last nine years, TickEat has not just survived but thrived, creating a slew of success stories and helping numerous brands achieve and maintain listings within various sectors in the travel and leisure industry.
