HOPKINS–LEFEVRE® Founder, Ben Hopkins-Lefevre
Hello, I'm Ben
I've spent more than 20 years helping food and drink brands find customers and keep them.
I spent five years growing Virgin Wines, learning how a wine club really works: what makes people join, what makes them stay, and what makes them tell their friends. I then co-founded Naked Wines in 2008, and recruited our first 500,000 customers in four years with a model built on loyalty, subscription and word of mouth.
Since then I've run partnership marketing programmes for more than 25 consumer brands, including Beer52, Gousto, Hotel Chocolat, Laithwaite's and Charles Tyrwhitt, pairing brands that share the same customers so both grow. I've also run an East Anglian vegan and gluten-free brewery, selling through Aldi, online, to the trade and in our own tap room, and led the marketing team at a Norwich e-commerce agency for three years.
I started HOPKINS–LEFEVRE® in 2023 to bring that experience to ambitious independent brands. Since then I've worked with whisky brands, wine retailers, independent bottlers, vineyards, and even a (legal) moonshine distillery.
What I believe
The best food and drink businesses are built on relationships, not transactions. A customer who stays for five years is worth far more than one who buys once on a discount. My job is to help you find more of the first kind.
I keep things practical and honest. I'll tell you what I think, show you the numbers, and focus on the few things that will make the biggest difference.
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