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.
These delicious leaves emerge unaided with extraordinary vigour in February from bulbs and seeds sheltering under last year’s leaf litter and a layer of undisturbed, delicious smelling humus.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 11th March 2021
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As we became employee owned and I renounced control, protection of suppliers was written into our founding documents; last month, this was crystalised into a new Supplier Charter.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 4th March 2021
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Perhaps the worst thing about wasting food is the contempt it shows for the planet that produced it, but short-lived, headline-grabbing campaigns on wonky veg do little to drive a lasting reduction.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 24th February 2021
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I will never see the walnuts in full production, but have been sustained by a vision of being wheeled out in my later years to sit under the trees as the nuts drop, with a flagon of cider and an air…
By Guy Singh-Watson - 17th February 2021
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Plastic has become so iconic in a collective determination to address environmental issues that we had to act.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 4th February 2021
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Within a month, our government has initiated a rushed consultation on gene editing and overturned a ban on a bee-threatening neonicotinoid insecticide.
By Guy Singh-Watson - 28th January 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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