Guy Singh-Watson (Riverford) - From one man and a wheelbarrow, to an employee-owned organic veg empire

In the mid-80s, Guy Singh-Watson left his cushty job as a management consultant to return to his roots (quite literally) as a he ploughed a few acres of his parents' farm and started growing organic vegetables. Over the 30 years since, Riverford Organic Farms has grown to become the most recognisable name in organic produce in the UK, turning over £100m + per year. The list of 'little bit radical' aspects to Guy and Riverford is extensive, from pioneering 'direct-to-consumer' veg boxes in the 90s, to becoming an employee owned business, to being a proud B Corp. A famously self-assured and opinionated figure, Guy doesn't hold back in this interview where he covers:How his childhood on a farm encouraged him to think creatively, practically, and entrepreneuriallyHis parents' radical ideas on farming and the world which influenced himHis very unusual 8th birthday presentHow he continues to become more radical as he gets older and is determined to challenge what he sees as terrible governanceHis views on Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and the Conservative governmentFrom milking cows, to opening the New York office of a Management Consultancy within a year of graduatingThe early days of RiverfordHis hideous experience selling to supermarkets andThe 'freaks from the fringes' who inspired him to switch to a direct-to-consumer modelThe community-led marketing approach which grew the business in the early daysHis dislike of the word 'professional' and how he reveres 'competence' How capitalism needs to be regulated and his admiration for the B Corp movementHow the 'customer is not always right'Riverford's environmental policies and his frustration with over-focus on plasticsThe importance of fully understanding how your product fits into your customers' livesEmployee ownership and his motivations for handing over ownership of Riverford to its employeesWhether every business could be employee-ownedHis desire for a political shift to re-distribute wealth to those who need it mostOur need to reclaim the sense patriotism and collectivism that founded the NHS and the welfare stateKeep up with Guy's latest blogs on 'Wicked Leaks' https://wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk/author/guy-singh-watson/Visit the Riverford website: https://organic.riverford.co.uk/Rob on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-warren/Want to appear? Email: [email protected]: ⁠standingongiants.com⁠