Guy Singh-Watson has over the last 30 years taken Riverford from one man and a wheelbarrow delivering homegrown organic veg to friends, to a national veg box scheme delivering to around 80,000 customers a week.
Tired of meetings, brands and the assumption that greed is our predominant motivation, Guy converted the business to employee ownership in 2018, using the proceeds to buy a small farm and return to growing organic vegetables. In common with many of Riverford’s new co-owners, Guy is an advocate of using business to shape a part of the world, however small, to be kinder, more considerate and sustainable; more like the world most of us want to live in.
His weekly newsletters connect people to the farm with refreshingly honest accounts of the trials and tribulations of producing organic food, and the occasional rant about farming, ethical and business issues he feels strongly about.
There is a tacit assumption that food must be cheap, despite acknowledging that were we to include health, environmental and subsidy costs, the real cost of food is double what we pay at the till.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 28th July 2021
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Market forces have driven agriculture towards specialisation and scale; the increased yields have reduced the price of food over the last 70 years, but with catastrophic environmental costs.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 22nd July 2021
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Even with the most mundane work there has to be some fun, camaraderie, pride, and a sense of purpose to sustain you through the week.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 15th July 2021
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For me, Southgate’s management is indeed about more than football. He and his team represent the diverse and inclusive, caring, considerate and confident Britain I want to live in.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 7th July 2021
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When the first organic veg boxes were delivered by us freaks on the fringe 35 years ago, plant-based eating and climate change were the concerns of a tiny, far-sighted minority.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 24th June 2021
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Every year we worry that the annual samphire will be out-competed by salt-tolerant perennials like sea purslane, but there seems to be just enough movement of the mud to keep the habitat open.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 16th June 2021
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Trewithen Dairy in Cornwall is taking part in a new carbon project to monitor and improve their farmers' soils and explore the benefits of regenerative farming.
By Anna Turns - 16th September 2021
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Marvellously bright and beautifully varied veg that herald the start of autumn - get to know the different squash varieties and how to use them.
By Wicked Leeks - 16th September 2021
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Although we consume vast amounts of coffee or beer, bitter flavours on our plate are mostly ignored, with little attention given to these vibrant leaves which are not only delicious but also a…
By Becky Blench - 16th September 2021
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Rather than showing that it is possible for businesses to find the solutions to get us out of the mess we are all in, Riverford may be the exception that proves the rule.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 14th September 2021
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Iceland launches world’s largest carbon capture plant to transform CO2 into basalt rock and help speed up climate mitigation.
By Anna Turns - 13th September 2021
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Over summer, requests came in to help people who hadn’t eaten as an extra nine million people increased their borrowing over the pandemic to stay afloat, writes Chantelle Norton of Food in Community.
By Chantelle Norton - 13th September 2021
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