Little Moons Loses Its Viral-Mochi Marketer
Updated: 1 day ago
Ross Farquhar, the marketing, innovation and sustainability director who helped turn Little Moons' mochi into a TikTok phenomenon, is leaving the snack brand after six years — closing a chapter of rare challenger-brand growth and raising the question of what comes after virality.
The marketer behind a mochi moment
Little Moons became a case study in culture-led growth when its mochi ice cream balls exploded on TikTok, sending shoppers hunting the freezer aisles of UK supermarkets. Ross Farquhar, who led marketing, innovation and sustainability across six years, is now moving on — a notable departure given how closely the brand's rise was tied to its marketing instincts.
His exit comes during a period of change at the business, which has also been reshaping its senior team. For a challenger brand, losing the architect of its breakout era is both a milestone and a test.
Why 'after the viral moment' is the hard part
Going viral is a spike; building a brand is a slope. The genuinely difficult work begins once the algorithmic lightning has struck: turning a trend-driven surge into repeat purchase, distribution and pricing power that survive the next shiny thing. That is the phase Little Moons is navigating now.
Founder-era marketers often excel at the spike and tire of the slope. Succession at this stage is less about replacing a person than about deciding which capability the brand needs next — creative heat, or commercial discipline.
What challenger brands should learn
Virality is a distribution accelerant, not a strategy. The brands that convert a moment into a business invest early in availability, range and a reason to come back — so that when the trend cools, the habit remains.
There is also a governance lesson: never let your growth story depend on a single irreplaceable individual. Document the playbook, spread the instincts, and make the magic a system rather than a secret.
Quick FAQ
Who is Ross Farquhar?
He is the marketing, innovation and sustainability director who spent six years helping build Little Moons into a viral, TikTok-fuelled challenger brand, and is now leaving the business.
Why does his departure matter?
Little Moons' growth was closely tied to its marketing instincts, so a senior exit raises the key challenger-brand question of how to sustain momentum after the viral moment fades.
Going viral is the easy bit — Little Moons proved that years ago. The hard, unglamorous work is everything after: distribution, repeat purchase, pricing power. A leadership change at this stage is really a question in disguise — does the brand now need more creative heat, or more commercial discipline? — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Virality fills the funnel once; only availability and a reason to return keep it full.
If your best marketer left tomorrow, is the magic written down — or walking out the door?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Marketing Week, The Grocer, Just Food.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
