Simone Musgrave is a retail and FMCG innovator, trend forecaster and craft spirits entrepreneur with more than two decades of experience turning consumer insight into commercially powerful brands.
She began her career building brands inside large organizations, spending over 13 years at RCL Foods, where she ran the Group Innovation Hub and later served as Ideas and Insight Manager. In these roles she travelled extensively, scouting global trends, analysing category shifts and translating them into strategy, product concepts and innovation pipelines.
Alongside her corporate career, Simone built and exited multiple start ups. In 2001 she launched YumNums Baby Food, supplying over 100 stores nationally before exiting and moving into a Woolworths supplier liaison role, where she focused on trend analysis and range planning across prepared foods. She later co founded Onezee Jumpsuits and Streetwear in response to the global demand for comfortable, fashion forward loungewear.
In 2015 she spotted the early wave of craft spirits in the UK and returned to launch Musgrave Crafted Spirits, bringing South Africa’s second craft gin and the country’s first pink gin to market. Over eight years she built Musgrave into a recognised luxury spirits brand in gin and brandy before successfully exiting.
Simone Musgrave is a seasoned FMCG innovator, brand strategist and trend specialist whose career spans more than two decades across retail, consumer goods and entrepreneurial brand building. Known for her ability to translate global insights into commercially successful products, Simone has spent her professional life blending creativity with strategic clarity to help brands stand out in increasingly competitive markets.
Her journey began in 2001 when she launched YumNums Baby Food, her first start up. After supplying more than 100 stores nationally and gaining hands on experience in product development, packaging, distribution and retailer relationships, Simone exited the business and moved into the Woolworths supplier ecosystem. There she served as a liaison between manufacturers and the retailer, deepening her expertise in trend analysis and range planning across prepared foods and learning the mechanics of how great products earn space on shelf.
Simone Musgrave went on to spend over 13 years at RCL Foods, serving first as General Manager of the Group Innovation Hub for a decade and then as Ideas and Insight Manager for three additional years. In these roles she travelled extensively to scout emerging trends, observe global category shifts and translate them into strategic direction, innovation concepts and new product pipelines. Her ability to spot and interpret macro shifts early became a hallmark of her work, shaping category strategies across multiple business units.
Balanced with her corporate career, Simone Musgrave continued to pursue her entrepreneurial instincts. In 2012 she co founded Onezee Jumpsuits and Streetwear, a playful response to the global rise of comfortable, expressive lifestyle fashion. But it was in 2015, on a trendspotting trip to the UK, that she observed the craft movement’s rapid diversification and identified gin as the next major growth category. Returning to South Africa, she launched Musgrave Crafted Spirits, introducing the country’s second craft gin and later its first pink gin. Her ability to pair trend insight with storytelling, design and luxury positioning helped Musgrave become a standout brand in an increasingly crowded market.
Over eight years Simone Musgrave expanded Musgrave Crafted Spirits into a portfolio spanning gin and brandy before successfully exiting the business. Today Simone focuses on sharing her experience with founders, innovators and small consumer brands. She helps teams interpret trends with precision, craft products with intention and build brands rooted in authenticity and beauty.
Simone Musgrave believes in working hard, staying grounded and manifesting a life filled with creativity, travel and adventure. Guided by intuition and driven by curiosity, she continues to champion the power of well crafted ideas brought to life with purpose.
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Simone Musgrave tells the story of her bold transition from corporate leadership to becoming the founder of Musgrave Gin. She recounts her early ventures, including creating an organic frozen baby food line, which became her “degree” in retail production, brand development, and distribution. Though the business faced challenges, the experience shaped her entrepreneurial foundation and resilience.
Her next chapter saw her thrive in corporate roles with Woolworths and the RCL Group, where she honed her skills in global trendspotting, innovation, and product strategy. These formative years gave her exposure to international markets and the confidence to later build her own brand.
In 2015, she returned to entrepreneurship, inspired by both the global rise of craft spirits and her grandfather’s adventurous legacy. Launching Musgrave Gin required determination, resourcefulness, and creative problem-solving. With limited resources, she bootstrapped her business, relied on social media and consumer feedback to refine her brand, and leveraged storytelling to differentiate in a crowded market.
Simone reflects on the challenges of entering a male-dominated industry and shares how embracing vulnerability, authenticity, and persistence enabled her to succeed. She emphasizes that her success lies in building a brand rooted in identity, heritage, and beauty, rather than simply a product.
She also highlights lessons in culture-building as her company rapidly grew, stressing the importance of intentional organizational values. Her journey illustrates how resilience, innovation, and vision can transform an idea into an internationally respected luxury brand.
00:15 – Simone’s early ventures: organic frozen baby food and lessons in retail innovation
02:30 – Transition into corporate: Woolworths and RCL Innovation Hub leadership
04:00 – Global trendspotting and inspiration for launching Musgrave Gin
05:15 – Bootstrapping and brand development with limited resources
07:00 – Storytelling and heritage as the foundation of Musgrave Gin
08:30 – Breaking barriers as a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated spirits industry
10:00 – The role of consumer engagement and social media in brand building
11:30 – Lessons on company culture and leadership during rapid growth
13:00 – Looking forward: expanding the Musgrave brand while honoring African identity
In this session, Simone Musgrave reflects on the importance of authenticity in building her luxury spirits brand. She emphasizes that the success of Musgrave Gin and Musgrave Pink lies in her ability to draw from her own story and family legacy, rather than trying to manufacture a narrative to fit the market.
Simone explains how her grandfather’s life and values provided a rich, authentic foundation for her brand. By staying true to this story, she was able to create a brand identity that felt natural and resonated deeply with consumers. She highlights how corporate environments often fail at innovation because too many stakeholders dilute accountability and authenticity.
Discussing Musgrave Pink Gin, which now represents 80% of her business, Simone describes the inspiration behind it. She recognized that most spirits branding was masculine, dominated by dark colors and traditional cues. Women, however, are the primary shoppers—even for beer—yet had little representation in product design. Her brief to her team was simple: “Make it look like perfume.” With this direction, she combined rose as a key flavor profile, a feminine bottle, and packaging that stood out instantly on the shelves.
Simone underscores that successful brands come from clarity of vision and knowing your story, supported by expert partners like designers, strategists, and distillers. Authenticity, she concludes, is what enables brands to resonate, disrupt markets, and thrive in competitive industries.
00:15 – Simone shares why authenticity and personal storytelling drive brand success
01:10 – Her grandfather’s story as the foundation for Musgrave Gin
02:00 – Why corporate innovation often fails compared to entrepreneurial storytelling
02:45 – Inspiration for Musgrave Pink Gin: appealing to women in a male-driven industry
03:20 – Design brief: “make it look like perfume”
04:00 – Rose flavor profile and feminine packaging set Musgrave Pink apart
04:45 – Musgrave Pink becomes 80% of business revenue
05:20 – Importance of knowing your story and surrounding yourself with experts
06:00 – Closing thoughts: authenticity as the heart of lasting brand success
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