Food and Drink PR Agency in London

As a food and drink PR agency, Kitten & Shark helps brands earn press coverage, reviews, listings, and influencer support that build awareness and credibility. We work with food, drink, and lifestyle journalists and relevant creators to support product launches, seasonal campaigns, and long-term visibility.

We are a boutique, senior-led agency based in London, working with food producers, drinks brands, and hospitality-led businesses across the UK and Europe.

Our food and drink work sits within our wider lifestyle PR expertise, which covers hospitality, restaurants, wellness, and premium consumer brands.

What a food and drink PR agency does

A food and drink PR agency manages how a brand is represented across the press, online media, and relevant trade audiences. This usually includes:

What we cover

  • Media relations with food, drink and lifestyle journalists across national, consumer and trade titles.
  • Product launch PR for new ranges, flavours, formats and seasonal editions.
  • Reviews, listings and gifting coverage, including seasonal round-ups and awards.
  • Influencer and content partnerships, from sampling to creator collaborations with people whose audiences align with your customers.
  • Trade and consumer PR, building credibility with both the buyers and the customers who matter.
  • A press office ready with samples, images, facts and a founder quote when a journalist is on deadline.

Food and drink PR explained

Food and drink PR is about earning attention and credibility through independent coverage rather than paid advertising. This could include a journalist featuring a product, a critic including it in a seasonal round-up, or a trusted creator sharing their experience with it.

Unlike marketing channels that a brand controls directly, PR relies on third-party coverage and recommendations. That independent endorsement can help strengthen trust, encourage new customers to try a product, and support wider commercial goals such as retail or hospitality PR opportunities.

Food and drink PR services, and what each one supports
Service What it supports
Food, drink and lifestyle media relations Coverage in the consumer titles your customers read
Product launch PR A strong debut for new ranges, flavours and formats
Reviews, listings and gifting Seasonal round-ups, awards and buyer-ready credibility
Trade media relations Visibility with the buyers at retailers, hotels and restaurants
Influencer and content partnerships Sampling and creator collaborations with audiences that align with your customers
Press office Fast answers, samples, images and founder comment on deadline

Food and drink product launch PR

Product launch PR helps build awareness before a new food or drink product reaches the market. This can include developing the launch story, arranging journalist and influencer sampling, pitching for reviews and seasonal round-ups, and providing press office support as coverage begins to land.

For brands targeting retail or restaurant listings, PR can also help build visibility and credibility ahead of buyer conversations, particularly where coverage, reviews, and product sampling can support wider commercial activity.

When food and drink PR makes the biggest difference

Food and drink PR is particularly effective when a brand has a strong product or story but needs greater visibility with the right media, buyers, and consumers. It can support:

01 A drinks brand with a launch

Wanting coverage in food, drink and lifestyle media, plus influencer sampling ahead of a retail or hospitality listing.

02 A producer facing a seasonal peak

A food producer or restaurant brand wanting listings, reviews and features in the run-up to Christmas or summer.

03 A brand preparing to pitch buyers

Building credibility with both trade and consumer journalists before approaching supermarkets, hotels or restaurant groups.

04 A business that has only used social

A quality food or drink business with a strong story that has relied on social media alone and wants a proper route into the press.

When the focus is on a venue rather than a packaged product, our restaurant PR expertise offers a more relevant approach to media coverage, launches, and restaurant-focused campaigns.

Why coverage matters for food and drink brands

Food and drink is a highly competitive UK market, making independent coverage particularly valuable for brands trying to stand out.

£42bn Gross value added by UK food and drink manufacturing
Largest Food and drink is the UK's biggest manufacturing sector

Figures reported by the Food and Drink Federation.

Editorial features, reviews, seasonal round-ups, and credible creator recommendations can give both consumers and buyers an independent reason to take notice. For brands competing for attention and listings, this third-party endorsement can strengthen awareness and credibility alongside their wider marketing activity.

Who does the work

Clients work directly with our senior consultants throughout.

The people shaping the strategy are also the people delivering it, so the person who understands your product, your buyers and your season is the person doing the pitching.

When a campaign needs extra hands, we draw on a wider network across social media, digital marketing and SEO, international media, events and crisis management, so you get the focus of a boutique agency with the reach of a larger one.

Food and drink PR pricing

Food and drink PR is usually a monthly retainer, with one-off launches often run as a project. Boutique, senior-led consultancies typically start from a few thousand pounds a month, while briefs with heavy launch, sampling or influencer activity cost more.

Because our model is senior-only, you are paying for experienced people doing the work. We quote on what you actually need, so a short conversation about your goals is the best starting point.

Choosing a food and drink PR agency in London

When comparing food and drink PR agencies, the right choice depends on sector experience, media relationships, and how closely the team will work with your brand. Key things to consider include:

01 Sector experience

Do they already work with food and drink brands and know the food desks, drink writers and trade press?

02 Trade and consumer reach

Can they build credibility with both buyers and customers, not just one?

03 Who does the work

Senior people on your account throughout, not a pitch team who then disappear.

04 Launch and sampling know-how

Can they run a launch and get samples to the right people, not just send a release?

05 Honest measurement

Reporting tied to coverage quality, listings and sales, not vanity numbers.

What a boutique, senior-led model gives you

  • Direct access to senior consultants throughout your account.
  • Highly personalised account management from the first conversation.
  • Fast, direct decision-making with no layers of sign-off.
  • Close, senior-level relationships across food, drink and lifestyle media.
  • A leaner agency structure, so senior time sits at the centre of your account.

Food and drink PR in London and across the UK

We are based in London and work with food and drink brands across the UK and Europe. Being close to national food and drink desks, consumer editors, and relevant creators helps us maintain the media relationships that support effective coverage, while our campaigns can reach customers and buyers nationwide.

Working with Kitten & Shark

Kitten & Shark is a boutique PR consultancy where our senior consultants work directly on your account. Founder Clemmie Mason-Pearson has more than seventeen years in lifestyle and hospitality PR, including food and drink, with long-standing relationships among the editors, journalists and influencers who shape what people eat and drink. Because the team is small, everyone knows every account, so your brand always has a senior contact who knows the product and the goal.

We work across food producers, drinks brands and hospitality-led food businesses. Our focus remains firmly on these categories, which keeps our media relationships where they count for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a food and drink PR agency do?

A food and drink PR agency helps brands earn press coverage, reviews, listings, and influencer support. This can include media relations, product launch PR, trade and consumer outreach, sampling, and press office support designed to build credibility and visibility.

What is the difference between food and drink PR and marketing?

Food and drink marketing covers channels a brand controls, such as its website, email, and paid social. PR focuses on earned coverage and third-party recommendations from journalists, reviewers, and creators, helping to build trust alongside wider marketing activity.

What does a food or drink product launch involve for PR?

Product launch PR can begin several weeks before release, with story development, journalist and influencer sampling, and pitches for reviews and seasonal round-ups. The aim is to build momentum so relevant coverage lands when the product becomes available.

How much does food and drink PR cost?

Food and drink PR is commonly delivered on a monthly retainer, while launches and seasonal campaigns may be priced separately. Costs vary depending on the level of media outreach, sampling, influencer activity, and ongoing campaign support required.

How do I choose a food and drink PR agency in London?

Look for relevant sector experience, strong relationships across trade and consumer media, senior involvement, and proven launch and sampling expertise. The agency should also provide clear reporting linked to meaningful outcomes such as coverage quality, listings, and wider commercial goals.

How can PR help a food or drink brand get media coverage and influencer support?

PR helps identify the journalists and creators most relevant to a product, develops a story worth covering, and gets samples into the right hands. This can support editorial coverage, reviews, recommendations, and creator content that reaches relevant audiences.

Do you work with both food and drink brands?

Yes. We work with food producers and drinks brands, from individual products to growing ranges. The strategy, media targeting, and story are tailored to the product, audience, and commercial objectives of each brand.

Can PR help a food or drink brand win retail or hospitality listings?

Yes. Strong media coverage, reviews, and third-party recommendations can help demonstrate credibility to buyers at supermarkets, hotels, and restaurant groups. Many brands use PR to build momentum before and during retail or hospitality listing conversations.

Sources and further reading