So how exactly can a UK food and drink firm conquer the US? We asked a number of companies who have done just that to reveal the secrets of their success. Graze's Antony Fletcher says that his company sat down and formulated a plan whereby they would study their US online sales data to quickly work out exactly which of its snack food packs Americans wanted to buy, which ones they didn't like, and which ones could be adapted to better meet US tastes. "We are very lucky in that we sell via our website," he says. "And we get 15,000 product ratings an hour, which gives us a huge advantage - we can find out very quickly what people like and don't like." So, launching in the US with its entire range of products, within days Graze found out that American customers loved its packs of mixed nuts, but couldn't cope with things like mango chutney, or the firm's "deconstructed Jaffa Cakes". Today US sales account for half of the company's £75.8m annual revenues.
