Helen Colley

Helen Colley is a food industry entrepreneur and consultant renowned for turning crisis into opportunity and building market-leading brands. She transformed her catering business into Farmhouse Fare, a dessert powerhouse supplying supermarkets nationwide, before selling it in a multi-million pound deal after just four years. Her achievements earned her prestigious recognition including Personality of the Year at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards, competing against industry giants. Now a sought-after consultant and board advisor to major food businesses and high street chains, Helen equips audiences with practical strategies for resilient entrepreneurship, spotting commercial opportunities, and thriving through change with her characteristically direct and energising approach.

When the foot and mouth crisis of 2002 brought travel restrictions that threatened to shut down her thriving catering business in Lancashire, Helen Colley refused to accept defeat. Instead of making her workforce redundant, she took a single recipe for sticky toffee pudding and transformed it into a completely new venture. That decisive pivot grew into Farmhouse Fare, a dessert manufacturing powerhouse that placed products on supermarket shelves nationwide and employed over 120 staff at an 85,000 square foot, BRC A Grade-accredited facility in Clitheroe. Within just four years of trading, Helen sold the business to Daniels Chilled Foods in a multi-million pound deal, cementing her reputation as an entrepreneur who turns obstacles into commercial opportunity.

Her track record of building category-leading products from scratch earned recognition that placed her alongside some of the biggest names in British food and drink. Winning Personality of the Year at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards in 2007 meant competing against industry heavyweights including the Chairman of Warburtons and the President of Heinz UK and Ireland. She also collected Entrepreneur of the Year at the Chamber Awards, the Building Business Award at Insider magazine's 42 Under Forty Two, and the Business Award at the Inspiring Women Awards. Beyond accolades, Helen has contributed to the sector through leadership roles including Director on the North West Fine Foods Board, Chair of the Lancashire Food & Drink Forum, and President of the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce. Her expertise spans product development, branding, retail display, and the ability to identify emerging market trends before they become mainstream.

Today, Helen works as a consultant and board advisor to food businesses and high street chains, applying the same instinct for opportunity that saved her own company during crisis. She has shaped the cake and dessert offerings at brands like Costa Coffee and Nando's, and sits on the boards of various food companies whilst remaining a brand ambassador for Farmhouse Fare. When she speaks, audiences gain practical strategies for resilient decision-making, spotting commercial possibilities in difficult circumstances, and building brands that succeed in competitive markets. Her direct, energising style reflects the no-nonsense approach that carried her from a farm in Gisburn to the forefront of an industry, and her insights equip leaders to act decisively when change demands bold thinking. Helen's sessions leave audiences with the confidence to pivot when necessary and the commercial clarity to turn pressure into lasting business success.