How do you look back on 2025 as a business and where you are in terms of reaching your targets and goals?
This was an incredible year for us at Fero. We completed the first asset backed securitisation program ever for the drinks industry, opening up the next $550m for our core clients but importantly establishing the structure to facilitate ongoing and much larger scale support for all parts of the industry, for both large and small drinks companies.
We brought on our first US and EU clients, with Ireland being the first cab off the rank, and are progressing towards our first APAC clients in Australia in 2026.
We have also significantly grown the team and with that kicked off a range of new and exciting investments in the digital supply chain infrastructure we are building for the industry.
The new bar and events space at Fero's head office off Carnaby Street in central London
With the growth in the team, we have expanded our office space and now offer client co-working space just off of Carnaby Street in Soho.
We also built out an incredible space to host industry events, training sessions and also host our own ‘Ted-Talk’ type events in 2026 (watch this space!). We are so excited about this investment that we have made for our clients and our industry.
It really has been a momentous year for us – and the best part is we are just getting started. This year’s investments have also set us up for some exciting new steps we’re taking in 2026.
What have been your biggest achievements in 2025?
Adding the new capabilities with our capital markets partners was a huge milestone for us that has unlocked bigger benefits for our clients and for us as a business.
The industry has faced several challenges in 2025, but this has also opened up new opportunities for the industry as well. This new scale and capability in our platform is going to allow our clients to seize opportunities and fuel growth at a completely new scale in 2026.
Mitch Fowler with co-founder, Dan Gibney, who have brought their high finance and business experience into the drinks industry
We’ve also kicked off several core partnerships in the UK with large retailers and national accounts that we will be announcing in the new year, with more to follow in both the UK and other markets.
And again the investments we have been able to make accessible for our current clients, like the new event space, will be a huge benefit for us and them.
What have been the biggest changes you have made to the businesses and why did you make them?
Our incredibly talented team has doubled in size this year and this is the biggest change we made to our business.
With the growth in the Fero platform adoption we have been able to add to the team to better serve clients across all areas of the business; from AI and engineering to bringing in more industry expertise (including a Master of Wine - Barry Dick) and, of course, the additional team members in our new geographies.
I am incredibly proud of the team of tireless crusaders we have brought together at Fero to build something truly unique to help change the industry for the better. With this talent, the community around the platform is also growing rapidly which has been both exciting and humbling at the same time.
What have been the biggest challenges facing the business and how did you overcome them?
Fero offers drinks companies financing and supply chain support with its new breakthrough model for the drinks industry
The pace of growth. While the uptake of the platform has been incredibly rapid, this also presents unique challenges as the team and shape of the organisation needs to grow and evolve at that same non-linear pace.
This is also not just about clients joining Fero, it’s also the suppliers, purchasers, logistics providers and technology partners that are also added to our network to facilitate the growing usage and the types of activities the platform facilitates for our clients.
This pace of change comes with some unique challenges, but has also been one of the most energising parts of the journey as Fero has evolved around this growth as a company.
Away from your business – what has most impressed you by what a company, competitor, or individual has done in the last 12 months and why?
A keen sailor saw Mitch Fowler compete and come second in last year's RORC Cherbourg race.
Away from our industry, I have a passion for sailing.
This year on the water, in the RORC Cherbourg race, a yacht race I was participating in – we crossed the line first in our class. I was so excited, but actually a classic yacht from the 1950s skippered by a sailor in his later years, crossed the line over an hour after us, but after the handicap adjustment was applied -– and we gave him his due, he beat us by six minutes on adjusted time, which knocked us down to second place.
This was an incredibly impressive performance given our boats were built half a century apart and a reminder to stay on our toes and push for every second.
I am still so impressed by that skipper and what he did with his boat, crew and the focus in sailing the skin off the boat up to the finish line.
Away from your business – who do you most look up to and follow for leadership and guidance?
It’s lucky that we’ve got a world full of insanely impressive people to pick and mix from for inspiration. If I had to pick one of the most inspirational people, for me it would probably be Richard Feynman, the American theoretical physicist best known for his work in quantum mechanics.
The US physicist Richard Feynman has been an inspiration to Mitch Fowler
I really admire the humble and earnest curiosity he had for understanding the world and his knack for straightforward ways of communicating and sharing his perspective that drove many important conversations in science forward, took those same conversations out of the obscure and into the mainstream.
There are some incredible filmed interviews and lectures given by him that can be found online. In one interview that particularly stands out for me, he tells a story that showed how his father approached every question in a humble ‘let’s find the answer together’ kind of mode, which beautifully illustrates the importance of digging down to first principles by asking the right questions rather than some exercise of listing off rote learned answers.
Such a powerfully simple lesson for life and parenthood.
Looking ahead to 2026 what are your hopes and predictions for the industry and how you hope it responds?
For me the next chapter for the drinks industry is not just about ‘winning customers’ or ‘taking market share’ - it’s about getting back to what this industry does best - creating genuine enjoyment.
These are times of rapid change for all consumer segments, and ours is lucky in that there has never been a greater need for new experiences and bringing people together in real life.
That means there has also never been a greater opportunity for the industry to evolve.
I know there are a number of headwinds the industry has faced, but I am hopeful we as an industry will be able to evolve as we have done for centuries before us.
What are the big goals and targets for you as a business in 2026 that you can share?
Next year we have some great ambitions for growth. I see 2026 as the start of our global chapter. We are going to open up more of Europe, really go after the US market and grow there as well as really expand in Australia. There are some big opportunities out there for us.
While we started in the UK our ambitions are to become the global funding and supply chain platform for our clients across different markets to trade, connect and fund their products more efficiently. We aim to make the global drinks industry more resilient and 2026 will be the start of that global chapter for us.
What did you do over the festive break?
I took the opportunity visit my family and base myself in Australia – so have been able to enjoy some sunshine, some incredible time with family and friends, and celebrating my sister’s wedding. It has been a great time for us all to be together.
I am also catching up with our newest hire in Australia, Lauren (Thompson) who just joined as the commercial director for Fero in Australia.
What have you been eating and drinking?
Lots of seafood, mud crab - my dad has amazing chili crab, that pairs perfectly with a good Hunter Valley Semillon or two.
Any favourite movies you have been watching at this time of year?
The Star Wars marathon on the plane to Australia was very satisfying. George Lucas – what a genius. I also managed to get a dose of Will Ferrell’s ridiculousness with Elf.
* You can find out more about Fero at its website here. Fero is a commercial partner to The Buyer.
