
Grenade CEO Exposes The Brutal Truth About UK Taxes & Building a Billion-Dollar Company | Al Barratt
From Disruptors by Rob Moore
April 5, 2026 · 60 min
About this episode
Al Barratt shares his journey of building Grenade and the challenges of the UK tax system and private equity.
Grenade co-founder Al Barratt reveals the raw, unfiltered journey of disrupting the global confectionery industry with nothing but a £500 startup loan and a refusal to fail. Al breaks down the high-stakes world of private equity, the gut-wrenching personal sacrifices of choosing a business over a marriage, and the tactical genius behind out-selling legendary brands like Mars and Cadbury from the back of petrol stations. Whether he’s discussing the scams of the fitness industry, the brutal truth about the UK tax system, or the adrenaline of a £200 million deal, Al provides a masterclass in staying simple, staying gritty, and knowing exactly when to cash your chips. BEST MOMENTS "The reward for good work is more work... I just don't need to work behind a desk" "I think if you don't do it, you've already failed. You've just got to fail quickly, take the learnings from it, and go again" "I never dream that we’d basically overtake Cadbury... but then when we got into the top 20 of confectionery. We overtook Twix and stuff. I had no idea how many Twixes were selling, but I was surprised we were selling more." Exclusive community & resources: For more EXCLUSIVE & unfiltered content to…
People in this episode
Host: Rob Moore
Guest: Al Barratt
Topics covered
- entrepreneurship
- taxation
- confectionery industry
- private equity
- business strategy
Keywords
- Grenade
- UK taxes
- private equity
- business success
- confectionery
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Grenade, Mars, Cadbury
Products: Twix
Places: UK
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