Sam Dennigan launched Strong Roots with a single item -- sweet potato fries -- in Ireland in 2015.
The frozen vegetables company has since raised $18.3 million from private equity firm Goode Partners to expand into the U.S., where Dennigan is now based. His experience on both sides of the Atlantic helps him highlight some of the competitive differences among markets.
"The key difference between the U.S. market and the U.K. and Irish market is the fact that private label is much stronger in natural foods in the U.K. and Ireland whereas brands lead the way with natural food in the U.S.," Dennigan said on the Modern Retail Podcast.
The pandemic has proven to be a boon for staff productivity, he said, and has also forced the company to branch into making ready-to-eat dishes available for delivery.
"That was in response to not being able to sample in stores. That's something that's not going to come back for some time with the risks around cross-contamination and infection," he said about his collaboration with Ghost Truck Kitchen in Jersey City. "We've pivoted into being a food service offering that you can order direct to the home through Uber Eats and Seamless and Door Dash."