—About

The experience behind Alerise

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I started Alerise because I know how hard it is to build something in Food and Drink. The ideas are there, the passion is there, but the commercial and product journey is genuinely complex. Having the right support alongside you, someone who understands both the product and the commercial reality, can make all the difference.

My name is Tolu Coker, and I’ve spent nearly two decades working at the heart of Food and Drink. I started in Manufacturing, moved into Food Service, and then into Retail Product Development and Buying. That journey across the full supply chain gives me a perspective that’s genuinely hard to find in one person.

Most recently I was a Senior Buyer in Retail, shaping category strategy, working closely with branded and own label suppliers, and building product ranges that had to perform commercially in fast-moving, competitive environments. Before that, I spent years leading Product Development across complex pipelines, managing cross-functional teams, and taking products from early concept through to launch at scale.

What I’ve taken from all of it isn’t just knowledge. It’s a genuine understanding of what Food and Drink businesses need at every stage, and a deep care for helping them get there. I set up Alerise to work directly with founders, manufacturers and teams who are serious about building something great, and to be the kind of partner that helps make it happen.

“I understand how products are built, and what they need to achieve commercially once they reach the market. That dual perspective is at the heart of everything Alerise does.”

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— How i work

A different kind of support

Working with Alerise means working directly with me. No layers, no account managers, just someone who has sat in the roles your team is navigating and genuinely understands the pressures from the inside.

Honest and direct

I’ll tell you what I think, not just what you want to hear. If there’s a gap in your plan or a risk you haven’t considered, we’ll work through it together early to save you time, effort and money later.

Practically grounded

Strategy only matters if it can be executed. I bring thinking from across Product, Commercial and Operational perspectives, shaped by what actually makes sense for your brand at this point in time. The goal is always the same: clear, relevant recommendations that move your next phase forward.

Genuinely invested

Food and drink is an industry I genuinely love. There’s something about the journey from an idea to a product on shelf that never gets old, and I care deeply about making sure that journey is done well. I work with a focused number of clients at any one time because that’s the only way to give each project the attention, thought and detail it deserves.