The Dog's Blogs

Lessons From Building a Brand With No Roadmap
Lessons From Building a Brand With No Roadmap
Building Salty Dog never followed a rulebook. It started with a van, a few customers, and a willingness to learn by doing. Along the way, we discovered that relationships matter... Read more...
Chapter Ten: Survival of the Fittest
Chapter Ten: Survival of the Fittest
By the start of 2022, it finally felt like the long Covid nightmare was easing its grip. After two years of uncertainty, lockdowns, lost customers and painful restructuring, Judy and... Read more...
Chapter Nine: Hard Times
Chapter Nine: Hard Times
By early 2020, Judy and I were still reeling from the loss of Ruby, our beloved dog and the original Salty Dog. She had been part of our lives, and... Read more...
Halcyon Days
Halcyon Days
By 2016, life felt settled in all the right ways - that sweet spot in business where the hard graft of the early years finally begins to bloom into something... Read more...
The One That Got Away
The One That Got Away
The early 2010s were a time of change - not just for the business, but for Judy and me personally. Salty Dog had come a long way from the van... Read more...
Fire, Flight and Fighting On
Fire, Flight and Fighting On
When 2010 rolled around, we felt unstoppable. Salty Dog crisps and nuts were flying out the door, Darling Spuds was finding new fans everywhere, and our hard work was paying... Read more...
American Adventure
American Adventure
Part Five: American Adventures By 2006, the business was flying high. Salty Dog crisps had barked their way into pubs and sandwich bars across the country, and our newly launched... Read more...
Nuts About Growth
Nuts About Growth
Dave’s Blog part 4:   Part 4: Nuts About Growth   If you had told me when I started back in the early days, with my battered old van and... Read more...
Salty Dog Is Born!
Salty Dog Is Born!
By the end of the 1990’s the business was booming. Having started from nothing – just me, a clapped-out old van and a lock-up full of crisps – I could... Read more...
London Calling: The Turning Point
London Calling: The Turning Point
“Behind every successful man, there’s a woman”, goes the outdated, and somewhat sexist saying. Or, as some wag once put it – “behind every successful man, there’s a very surprised... Read more...
How I started a snack business with £1,000 and a van
How I started a snack business with £1,000 and a van
Discover how Dave Willis turned £1,000, a battered Transit van, and sheer determination into Salty Dog, a snack brand loved across the UK. With no business plan or qualifications, Dave... Read more...