Find out what it’s really like to work in some of London’s coolest jobs
Not only is London a pretty vast place – 607 square miles, 8.8 million people – it’s also a city where anything goes, meaning there’s endless opportunities for people to build interesting and creative lives. We’re fascinated by what makes London tick so we’re going behind the scenes of the city with some of the people that work in it with our new series. Say hello to our LDNERs.
Episode 6. MOMO Kombucha
What’s it like running a kombucha brewery in central London? How difficult is it to brew raw and unfiltered kombucha at scale? MOMO Kombucha co-founder Josh Puddle spills the beans.
After discovering kombucha on a trip to NYC in 2016, Josh and his wife Lisa decided to start brewing their own. Founded in 2018, MOMO Kombucha has grown from a kitchen operation to a fully-fledged brewery in Vauxhall. The MOMO range includes elderflower, ginger-lemon, turmeric, and raspberry-hibiscus, and the brand does limited-edition collaborations with the likes of Natoora, Tate and Caravan.
Josh’s goal is to produce the UK’s best tasting and highest quality kombucha so MOMO does it the homemade way; raw, unfiltered and brewed in small glass jars. The production – steeping, brewing, bottling and packaging – is all done in the brewery space, with the sales, marketing and ops teams working from an adjacent warehouse.
Producing high-quality kombucha on a commercial scale, and in a sustainable way, is a fundamentally challenging endeavour so having functioning kit is essential – as Josh says, “when something breaks down, we’re completely screwed”. Luckily he’s got skilled engineers on his team to help keep the operation running smoothly, and it seems to be working well as last year MOMO won a spot on the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 list.
Episode 5. Bleecker
What does it take to make London’s best burger? How do you build a restaurant brand without compromising on quality? Bleecker founder Zan Kaufman shares her secrets.
After being inspired to set up a burger biz after visiting her college roommate’s mum’s burger place while working as a lawyer in NYC, Zan founded Bleecker when she moved to London in 2012. The brand has grown from a food truck to seven London sites, most recently opening on Baker Street, and with an eighth in Soho coming this summer. During all that expansion, Bleecker has been consistently turning out some of the best burgers in town.
On paper, the food is very simple – bun, beef, sauce, onions – but the dedication given to each one of these elements is what makes Bleecker special.
There’s nothing else on the menu to distract from making the burgers as great as possible every single time and there’s a real focus on the company’s values – Bleecker pays London Living Wage, diversity and inclusion is integrated to all aspects of the business, and the company supports LGBTQ+ and mental health charities.
The lack of diversity that Zan has encountered at the top levels of the hospitality industry and how she can help create more equity and equality is also driving Bleecker forward. Why just make the best burgers when you can also make the world a better place too?
Episode 4. Naoki Studio
Think you’d be good with ink? Wanna know what it’s like to run an independent tattoo studio? Maria Quaresma, aka @tattsbynaoki, gives us the inside scoop.
Maria started tattooing about three years ago – she moved into a warehouse with 15 people and started inking people with her tattoo machine, and her practice took off from there. She went self-employed around a year ago and has been tattooing almost every day since.
At Naoki Studio, she specialises in small and delicate tatts, like tiny hearts, outlines of cowboy boots, cute little figures, and simple lettering, and this style has become her calling card.
She’s tattooed people from all around the world – she even has people heading to her studio straight from the airport – with her clients coming to her for this minimalist style that they can’t really find anywhere else.
Episode 3. LoverGirl
Ever fancied a career as a florist? Think you know what the job really involves? We asked Kaiva Kaimins, founder of LoverGirl (formerly known as My Lady Garden), to give us the lowdown.
After starting out learning classical floristry and then interning and working at various different places, including the flower shop at Liberty, she started her own east London studio in 2020. It’s since grown into a creative concept centred around art and flowers, and she’s produced designs for the likes of Gucci, Selfridges, Ganni, Vogue and Dior.
There is no typical day for Kai as LoverGirl offers a range of different services. There’s Flower School, where she teaches people how to start a floristry career, and flower arranging workshops, where attendees can learn how to create with flowers. And with custom orders and event work, there’s often client calls to take and site visits to make.
The early start times and long hours are a very real part of being a florist; though you do get to spend some time being “little flower fairies” playing with flowers, there’s a lot of hard graft required too.
Episode 2. London Zoo
Always wondered what it’s like to work at the zoo? How much do you have to clean up after the animals? We caught up with Brandon Ballard, Senior Keeper on the primates and predators section at London Zoo to find out.
Most days start with meetings and there’s a surprising amount of computer work involved with the job too. As well keeping all the record systems up to date (ZSL is a conservation charity that works around the world) all observations, training and behaviour notes relevant to each keeper’s section have to be logged.
Brandon is one of eight keepers who actually live at the zoo; the animals require 24/7 support so there’s always staff on site. It’s providing that supportive environment for the animals (yes that involves feeding and cleaning) and seeing them grow that’s the most rewarding part of the job, especially when babies come along. And it’s this dedication from keepers like Brandon that have kept the zoo going for almost 200 years.
Episode 1. Troxy
What’s it like to work at a concert venue? Is putting on gigs as rock and roll as it sounds? We asked Simon Eaton, Head of Live Events at Troxy, to spill the beans.
First opened as a cinema in 1933, the Grade II-listed Art Deco venue has also been practice rooms for the Royal Opera House and a bingo hall before becoming the live events venue it is today. Over the years Troxy has hosted performances from the likes of Vera Lynn, Petula Clark, Cliff Richard, Jarvis Cocker, Patti Smith, New Order, Nick Cave and Kano.
And it takes some very early mornings, some very late nights and lots of spreadsheet actions to make sure all those shows run like clockwork.
As well as gigs, Troxy hosts a wide variety of other events, from LGBTQ+ club nights to immersive cinema screenings, and it always manages to pull off incredible experiences, which is why the venue has endured for so long and why Simon plans on sticking around.