Roger McKechnie Revives Consett’s Economy with Phileas Fogg Snacks

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, July 16, 2026

Roger Antony Nigel McKechnie, co-founder of Derwent Valley Foods and a key figure in reviving Consett’s economy after the steelworks closure, has died at 84. His leadership in building the Phileas Fogg brand and supporting local industry and the arts helped transform the region’s economic and cultural landscape.

Roger Antony Nigel McKechnie, a pioneering entrepreneur credited with revitalizing the economy of Consett, County Durham, has died at the age of 84. McKechnie was best known for co-founding Derwent Valley Foods, the company behind the popular Phileas Fogg snack brand, which played a key role in the town’s industrial regeneration following the closure of the local steelworks in 1980.

Born in Darlington in 1941, McKechnie studied economics at Newcastle University before embarking on a career in marketing with companies such as Procter & Gamble and Tudor Crisps. Drawing on this experience, he and business partner Keith Gill launched Derwent Valley Foods from a Portakabin shortly after the Consett steelworks shutdown left thousands unemployed.

Phileas Fogg, named after the Jules Verne character from "Around the World in Eighty Days," was marketed with an emphasis on authenticity and humor, while proudly highlighting its local manufacturing at Medomsley Road in Consett. McKechnie credited the company’s early survival to a combination of personal financial risk, government support, and strategic partnerships, including backing from British Steel’s regeneration team.

Under McKechnie’s leadership, the company expanded rapidly throughout the 1980s and 1990s. A notable boost came following a high-profile public appearance by Prince Charles in the North East, holding a packet of Big Charlie’s snacks, one of the firm’s product lines. By the mid-1990s, Derwent Valley Foods had grown to an annual turnover of £30 million before being acquired by United Biscuits in 1993.

Following the sale, McKechnie returned to the food industry with new ventures, including the development of the Look What We Found brand, which focused on gourmet products sourced from local suppliers. Inspired by European food preservation techniques, he introduced innovative packaging and pressure-cooking methods that extended product shelf life without additives, successfully supplying clients such as Waitrose and British Airways. This business was eventually acquired by Symington’s.

Beyond food manufacturing, McKechnie also co-founded the Samling, a luxury hotel and business retreat in the Lake District, originally intended as a family residence. Alongside his wife, Dr. Eileen McKechnie, he raised nine children and was engaged in various philanthropic initiatives. Notably, he co-founded the Samling Institute for Young Artists in the mid-1990s with Karon Wright, an institution dedicated to nurturing emerging musical talent in northeast England.

Colleagues and associates described McKechnie as a dynamic and generous individual who valued human relationships above all else in business. Reflecting on his career, he often emphasized the importance of people over formal business plans, once stating, “We had fun making it happen.”

Roger McKechnie’s contributions to industrial regeneration and the food sector, along with his support for the arts, left a lasting impact on his community. He passed away on April 24, 2026, with the cause of death undisclosed.

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