A Wild Food and Foraging Business in Sussex

Denyse Whillier is the founder of The Purpose Company, working with purpose-led founders and leaders at every stage of growth. Her approach - hope-centred strategy - combines the strategic capabilities she developed over eight years as a CEO with a commitment to building businesses that are aligned with their founder's purpose and values.

Emma was a journalist who had started hosting wild food supper clubs from her kitchen during the pandemic. What began as a creative outlet had become something more - guests wanted to learn about seasonal eating, the healing properties of plants, how to forage safely. She was running events every week alongside full-time journalism, building a loyal following, but she couldn't see how to make the leap to a commercially viable business. Her mission was clear: to restore the connection between people and nature. Whether she could build a living from it was another question entirely.

‍ “I was running events every week while working full-time as a journalist, and I couldn't see how to make the leap to a commercially viable business. Denyse helped me plan the transition financially, negotiate a three-day week, and build the foundations properly before I jumped. That patience changed everything. I didn't just survive the leap - I built something I'm genuinely proud of." - Emma

We started our work together with a six-week programme designed to establish the essential foundations Emma's business needed before she made any big decisions. Rather than jumping into tactics, we began where all sustainable businesses must: with clarity about potential and purpose. We looked at whether Emma's concept could genuinely sustain a business - and the answer was more encouraging than either of us expected.

The first strategic step was financial. I helped Emma model what the transition from full-time employment would actually look like. Her journalism background gave her flexibility - she could negotiate a reduced working week and move to freelance. Once the projections showed the transition could work financially, Emma negotiated a three-day working week, giving her dedicated time for business development while maintaining financial security. That patience - building the foundations before making the leap - was one of the most important decisions Emma made.

From there, we moved into ongoing Purpose-Led Business Coaching. Emma built the business around her core strengths: supper clubs, foraging walks, workshops, and seasonal experiences. Her journalism background proved invaluable - she understood how to craft compelling stories and create content that drew people in. She invested her profits strategically in seasonal photography shoots and a complete rebrand, recognising that her elevated expertise deserved elevated visual presentation.

What set Emma apart from most foragers was a strategic decision to build a team rather than keeping everything centred on herself. She brought in other foraging experts to lead specialist seasonal walks and workshops, creating scalability while maintaining quality. She also chose to sell wild foods directly - making wild ingredients accessible to people who couldn't attend her events and creating additional revenue streams beyond education.

By the end of our first year working together, turnover had grown from £24,000 to £48,000 and to £120,000 by the end of Year 2. By Year 3, Emma was running seasonal retreats on a regenerative farm, operating at five farmers' markets with a core team of four plus five specialist foraging experts, and developing an apprenticeship programme to ensure her knowledge could be passed on. Revenue has since reached £850,000.

Perhaps the most exciting development is Emma's discovery that she could purchase twelve acres of woodland - a permanent base for a rewilding site where her mission of reconnecting people with nature can flourish without the constraints of rented venues. As she recently told me: "We haven't scratched the surface of what's possible."

Emma's journey is told in detail across a two-part case study series on my blog:

• Part 1

• Part 2

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If Emma’s story resonates with you - whether you're building something from scratch, navigating a transition, or looking for the strategic support to take your business to its next stage - I'd welcome a conversation about what working together could look like for you. There's no pressure and no obligation. Just a conversation about where you are and where you want to be.