Ellie Womersley is the Co-Founder of OOM Drinks, a functional beverage brand she launched with her brother Will to reimagine daily wellness through flavour-led, mushroom-powered drinks. With over eight years in the hospitality and drinks industry, and as Operations Manager of a successful East London pub group, Ellie brings both commercial expertise and creative instinct to the brand’s growth, partnerships, and identity. Inspired by her own experience with ADHD and burnout, she’s on a mission to make alternative wellness feel effortless, enjoyable, and genuinely effective – building OOM into a modern ritual that blends community, science-backed ingredients, and standout taste to support balance, focus and calm.
Can you introduce yourself and share the journey that led you to where you are today?
I’m Ellie, co-founder of OOM alongside my brother Will.
My background is in hospitality and the arts, being in drinks from behind the bar to managing and operations, and everything in between! For us, OOM didn’t begin as a business idea; it began as a personal turning point. My brother Will and I both experienced burnout and were diagnosed with ADHD later in life. For me, that diagnosis reframed a lot – the constant pushing, the overstimulation, the feeling of always running slightly ahead of myself. I’ve always believed in natural and alternative medicine, but during lockdown, we really slowed down and started exploring functional mushrooms and adaptogens with intention.
What we found was powerful; these ingredients genuinely supported our overall wellbeing. But the way they were presented felt overwhelming and clinical – powders, tinctures, complicated routines. Wellness that felt like another job. And I remember thinking: why does feeling better have to feel so hard? OOM was born from that question. We wanted to create something that felt effortless and elevated, something you’d choose because it tastes fresh and delicious, and then realise it’s quietly supporting you too. A simple daily ritual that fits into real life.
As a female founder, I also care deeply about building a business that feels human. I’m not interested in hustle culture for the sake of it. We want to build something sustainable, commercially, emotionally and creatively. Something that genuinely improves people’s everyday lives.
At its core, OOM is about helping people find their balance, in mind and body, because my brother and I both know firsthand how transformative that can be.
What were the pivotal stages in building your brand within the FMCG landscape?
There have been three pivotal stages.
First was formulation. We refused to compromise on flavour. With Will’s background as a chef and my experience in drinks, it had to taste like something you’d find delicious, not something you tolerate for health or find overpowering.
Second was proof of concept in hospitality. Seeing OOM stocked in premium venues and becoming a top-seller gave us real validation. Repeat purchase has been our strongest signal of product-market fit.
Third was understanding positioning. We’re not just a “mushroom drink”. We sit at the intersection of functional wellness and alcohol alternatives, two rapidly growing spaces. Once we clarified that, our growth became more intentional.
What defining moment shaped your approach to business or leadership?
Honestly, realising that pushing harder isn’t always the answer. Burnout taught me that sustainability matters, in life and in business. I care about building something that lasts, not just something that grows quickly. It’s shaped how we think about partnerships, supply chain, hiring, and even product development. Long-term trust is more important than short-term wins.
Was there a particular commercial challenge or retail breakthrough that shifted your trajectory?
Education was the biggest early challenge. In the UK, functional mushrooms are still relatively new. People are curious but cautious.
Sampling changed everything. The moment someone tastes OOM, the barrier drops. When we started seeing strong repeat rates and outperforming established functional drinks in certain accounts, that was a real turning point. It showed us that flavour-first functionality and simplicity work.
The FMCG space is highly competitive and margin-sensitive. How do you approach growth — commercially and personally?
Commercially, we try to stay disciplined. We operate a hybrid model, wholesale for scale and visibility, and D2C for margin and customer connection; however, our main focus right now remains B2B as the industry is growing fast and fridge space is limited, so we want to make sure we are the brand you see. But that balance gives us flexibility. We’re also very focused on improving cost efficiencies as we scale production, which strengthens margins over time. Personally, I try to remind myself that growth isn’t just about speed. It’s about making good decisions consistently.
How do you balance brand positioning, scale, distribution and profitability?
For us, it means being clear on why you’re doing something. It’s easy in FMCG to chase trends or overextend into new SKUs too quickly. We always come back to the same question: does this genuinely support how we want people to feel?
If it doesn’t align with OOM’s core, it probably isn’t right for us. Also, scale only works if the brand stays distinct. We won’t dilute the quality of ingredients or compromise on formulation to chase margin. Long-term trust is more valuable than short-term profit.
What does building with intention mean to you in a category driven by volume and velocity?
Building with intention means not letting speed override your standards.
FMCG is obsessed with scale, but if you grow without clarity, you dilute what makes you different. For us, intention means being selective; not every listing is right, not every opportunity strengthens the brand. We focus on long-term positioning over short-term noise. Growth should feel aligned, not reactive.
How do you maintain quality, brand integrity, and customer trust as you scale?
It starts with the product. We use high-quality ingredients manufactured in the UK; we won’t compromise formulation to protect margin. Quality is non-negotiable.
Trust is everything in functional products. If people don’t feel the benefit, they don’t come back. As we scale, our responsibility is simple: protect the integrity of what we created and stay honest in how we communicate it.
Resilience is critical in this sector, from supply chain pressures to retailer negotiations. What have been your most valuable lessons in navigating uncertainty?
Resilience, for me, has been about separating emotion from decision-making (which is much harder than it sounds!)
In FMCG, there are constant pressures, supply chain delays, pricing negotiations, cash flow stretches, and retailers saying “maybe later”. You quickly learn that ego can’t drive the business.
My biggest lessons have been: cash flow matters more than optics, retail doesn’t automatically mean sell-through, and relationships are everything. When you build genuine partnerships with suppliers, distributors and buyers, those relationships carry you through uncertain moments. I’ve also learned that staying calm is a competitive advantage. When you don’t panic, you make better decisions.
Uncertainty is inevitable, but if your foundations are strong, you can navigate it without losing your direction, and also that a good % of things are not going to go the way you think or want to, but what matters is how you move forward afterwards.
How do you balance ambition with wellbeing in an industry that rarely slows down? What systems or boundaries have become non-negotiable?
I’m still learning. But I’ve been trying to make sleep, nutrition and movement non-negotiable. So is honest communication between Will and me. When you’re building something intense, small daily resets are essential. But it’s hard, it feels a lot of the time like there is never a moment to stop and take a breath, but we just have to make it a priority. If we want OOM to be performing at 100%, that means we have to be at 100% too.
What does legacy look like in your work?
Legacy, for me, is about impact more than exit.
I want OOM to be remembered as one of the brands that helped shift drinking culture, away from sugar highs and alcohol dependency, and toward something more intentional. If we can help normalise drinking for function, not just flavour or intoxication, that feels meaningful.
On a personal level, legacy also means building a business that proves you don’t have to burn out to succeed, and that you can build something ambitious, commercially strong and values-led at the same time.
Are you building for acquisition, long-term category disruption, cultural impact, or generational value?
We’re building for category disruption first.
The functional drinks and mushroom markets are expanding rapidly; this isn’t a trend, it’s a behavioural shift. Whether OOM eventually exits to a multinational or grows independently, the goal is to shape how people think about what’s in their glass.
When acquisition happens one day, it will be because we built something culturally relevant, commercially solid and structurally important, not because we chased it and lost the core of what OOM is along the way.
What advice would you give to women building their next chapter in food, drink, or FMCG?
The first thing I’d say is: understand your numbers. Margins, cash flow, production costs, know them deeply. Confidence in negotiations comes from clarity, and numbers are power.
And I say that as someone who isn’t naturally drawn to maths. I have severe dyslexia and didn’t excel at school in the traditional sense. Numbers and spelling have never come easily to me. It often takes me a little longer to wrap my head around financials, and sometimes I need information explained in a different way or broken down visually. I’ve learned that’s not a weakness, it’s just how I process.
If you need support, get it. If you need something explained twice, ask. Understanding your numbers doesn’t mean doing it alone; it means taking ownership of them in a way that works for you.
Second, don’t romanticise retail. A listing isn’t success; sell-through is. You need that repeat purchase; otherwise, just as soon as you get on the shelf, you will be replaced. Choose manufacturing partners carefully. Quality is your moat, especially in functional products. Cutting corners early is expensive later.
And finally, back yourself. As women, we’re often conditioned to second-guess. Conviction is contagious. If you believe in what you’re building, people feel that.
