James Averdieck

Co- founder and Managing Director of Gü Chocolate Puds

In 1990, after completing a graduate programme at a strategy consultants, James Averdieck (42) joined Safeway PLC.  Safeway was growing fast and the culture was changing.  Here, James held various roles in the strategy, marketing and trading departments. 

In 1993, James joined St Ivel, where he learnt how to sell to the supermarkets.  He also got his first taste for desserts, running St Ivel’s own label business. Following a move to Brussels with St Ivel, James returned to London in 2001, where he was responsible for Group Business Development at Uniq plc (parent company of St Ivel), before leaving a year later to pursue his chocolate dream which had started in Brussels. 

James realised that UK consumers were demanding more quality and moving away from mass-produced ‘branded’ products.  By marrying up high quality chocolate patisserie with efficient UK supermarket distribution, James was confident he could take on the big players.  He wanted to create a brand “more focused than the big brands on using high-quality raw materials to deliver uncompromisingly good products.”

Gü, the brand, is about chocolate extremism — evoking nostalgic memories and magical smells of baking with chocolate.  The brand was well received by the supermarkets, launching first in Sainsburys and Waitrose with the others following apace.