The heady combination of happy accident, passion, tenacity, kitsch packaging design, hard work, self-belief and the novelty of some innovatively exotic flavour combinations quickly paid off; Stavrou’s Propercorn was a hit. Within months of its launch, the brand, already popular among health-conscious staff at the British Fashion Council, was invited to become the official snack food of London Fashion Week. ‘Having people like Rhianna and Anna Wintour snacking on your product at the front row of a fashion show is the kind of endorsement that money can’t buy.’ Nine years later, the Fashion Week partnership continues. The Propercorn business is now based in an open-plan, canal-side office building in Islington, North London, but its philosophy, practices and unique way of doing things remain based around the founder’s original kitchen table principles.

Characteristic of Stavrou’s predilection for rule-breaking and disrupting, working hours at the office are flexible, with staff members encouraged to come to the office but also free to work from home – a strategy that has been particularly helpful during the recent pandemic. There are also no set holiday allowances and staff vacations are not recorded. ‘I get my energy from other people, but some people need to be on their own in their own headspace to think really creatively. I think you have to respect that, not over-formalise things.’