“Functional is everywhere now — but if everything’s functional, what does it even mean?”

In this episode, I'm joined by Nicole Compen, founder of raye the store - the retail platform spotlighting emerging brands across food, drink, wellness and beauty. With 12 stores and 700+ brands under her belt, Nicole brings a unique, ground-level view of what’s really happening in FMCG right now.

We explore what’s hot (and not) as we head into 2025 — from the next phase of functional foods to the rise of indulgent snacking with a conscience. We also chat about the macro forces driving these shifts, from consumer behaviour and packaging constraints to retail dynamics and social media.