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.
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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Each year, the harvester, trailers and rowing-up rake get larger, harvesting 100 acres of grass a day compared to the five acres of my youth.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 10th June 2021
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With ever less reliable weather at home, added to the growing appetite for local fruit and veg, it is time to consider more investment in polytunnels and long-term cold storage to bridge the Hungry…
By Guy Singh-Watson - 26th May 2021
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I suspect that in lowland Britain, and Devon in particular, there may be more to be regained from carefully tailored, site-specific rewilding, using a complex, interconnected network of smaller areas…
By Guy Singh-Watson - 19th May 2021
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Eating more fruit and veg, thinking about nutrient intake and wasting less food are all part of how to eat a healthy diet that’s good for the planet.
By Nina Pullman - 29th November 2021
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With a ban on new palm oil plantations in Indonesia about to expire, Anna Turns looks at certification and synthetic palm oil as sustainable solutions.
By Anna Turns - 29th November 2021
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With a focus on crafts, beauty and other original low-impact gifts from small ethical businesses – share the joy of a sustainable Christmas with our 2021 gift guide.
By Becky Blench - 26th November 2021
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Most farmers see better opportunities for their own livelihoods, protecting nature, and connecting with their local communities elsewhere, a new survey has found.
By Nina Pullman - 26th November 2021
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New study finds unhealthy foods have higher emissions as speakers at British Nutrition Federation event point out links between health and sustainable food.
By Nina Pullman - 25th November 2021
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The flavour is great this year so far, after a bit of a panicky start to the growing season: for some reason the plants didn’t establish so we had to quickly replant in another field.
By Richard Tucker - 25th November 2021
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