How do you scale a business without selling out its soul?

In this episode of The Founder Files, we sit down with Andrew Nel, co-owner of Frankie Fenner Meat Merchant, the Cape Town butchery redefining what ethical meat means in South Africa.

From leaving a stable career in finance to leading one of the country’s most respected food brands, Andrew shares the raw realities of building a purpose-driven business in an industry known for its shortcuts.

He opens up about how Frankie Fenner survived the chaos of COVID, what it takes to grow without losing quality, and the personal cost of entrepreneurship; from ownership transitions and burnout to rediscovering purpose. This is a masterclass in building with integrity, resilience, and heart.

We dive into:

• How Frankie Fenner redefined South Africa’s meat industry • The leap from finance to food and finding meaning in work

• Surviving COVID through innovation and community support

• The realities of co-founder transitions and leadership trust

• Balancing growth, guilt, and the grind of entrepreneurship

This episode is packed with lessons for founders on scaling sustainably, protecting your values, and leading with purpose.

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This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.

Metavolve is a team of focused experts committed to helping entrepreneurs like you scale their businesses successfully. Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/

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00:00 Introduction

04:00 The mission behind Frankie Fenner Meat Merchant

09:01 Scaling ethically and staying Cape Town-focused

14:13 From finance to food: Andrew’s personal journey

25:18 How they survived COVID through community

28:17 Becoming a co-owner and leading with trust

51:32 The chaos of growth and saying “yes” to everything

59:09 Working on vs in the business

01:14:13 Founder guilt and burnout

01:27:46 Finding happiness and doing business the right way