From one man and a wheelbarrow, to an employee-owned veg empire

# Podcast

# Business Innovation and Transformation

From one man and a wheelbarrow, to an employee-owned 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 entrepreneurially

His parents' radical ideas on farming and the world which influenced him

His very unusual 8th birthday present

How he continues to become more radical as he gets older and is determined to challenge what he sees as terrible governance

His views on Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and the Conservative government

From milking cows, to opening the New York office of a Management Consultancy within a year of graduating

The early days of Riverford

His hideous experience selling to supermarkets and

The 'freaks from the fringes' who inspired him to switch to a direct-to-consumer model

The community-led marketing approach which grew the business in the early days

His dislike of the word 'professional' and how he reveres 'competence'

How capitalism needs to be regulated and his admiration for the B Corp movement

How the 'customer is not always right'

Riverford's environmental policies and his frustration with over-focus on plastics

The importance of fully understanding how your product fits into your customers' lives

Employee ownership and his motivations for handing over ownership of Riverford to its employees

Whether every business could be employee-owned

His desire for a political shift to re-distribute wealth to those who need it most

Our need to reclaim the sense patriotism and collectivism that founded the NHS and the welfare state

Keep 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/

Standing on Giants: standingongiants.com

Want to appear? Email: [email protected]

From one man and a wheelbarrow, to an employee-owned veg empire

From one man and a wheelbarrow, to an employee-owned veg empire

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