Adam Wakeley of Organic Farm Foods in Worcestershire

Adam became joint managing director at Organic Farm Foods in 2005. The company now employs 110 staff and is the largest distributor of organic fresh produce (vegetables and fruits) in the UK. They are 100% organic and Fairtrade organic. Organic Farm Foods are planning to 'kick start' UK organic apple production.

• Can you give a short history of how you got to where you are now, including why and when you 'went organic'?
  I have always been in fresh produce – my family were top fruit farmers in Kent for a number of generations – and so I have always been interested in agriculture and the production of food.
  
  Why did I get involved in organics? In 1995 my wife became pregnant and was accidentally was caught in a chemical pesticide spray on a conventional fruit farm. As a result of this (and a combination of contracting salmonella six months later) my son (Ned) was born with a multitude of issues including long gap oesophageal atresia. He spent his first six months in intensive care at Great Ormond Street, and his first two and a half years in and out of various hospitals around the UK. He has pretty much recovered now however he will always have a couple of issues that he will have to carry as a result of this episode. This was a bit of a wake up call for me as to what we do to our food.
  
  I didn't know much about organics when I first joined Organic Farm Foods in 1999, however the principles of growing food naturally made perfect sense to me. The incredible growth of organics six to seven years ago brought its own issues to the day to day running of the business and some major structural changes were needed to take the business forward and compete with conventional produce companies that started to enter the organic market. Having been away from the business for a couple of years during this time, I was asked to return as a part of a management restructuring process and was fortunate enough to be made the joint managing director. The combination of continued growth in the sector, a supportive board, a passion about organic farming principles and the bringing together of a talented team, we have collectively been able to stabilise the company and position it in the market place to achieve a healthy future. Importantly this means that our many organic producers – customers to OFF - around the world (many of whom supported us through our difficult times) can now be confident about their future in growing organic produce for the UK market.
  
  Our focus is on delivering the best quality organic fresh fruits – importantly with complete integrity - to the UK market and enabling our important suppliers and growers to have a financially sustainable business that will continue to allow us to grow.
  
  Organic Farm Foods have been importers for many years and will continue to champion organics from around the globe. However we now intend to also work in the UK with partners to become primary producers and growers in our own right, to illustrate to UK farmers how we can kick start a dormant English organic fruit industry. We are starting the process with UK apples and pears - there are several important reasons for this, which I will explain later.

• Can you describe a typical day in your life?
  No – thankfully everyday is different and brings its own challenges!
  
  I have a lot of personal contact with suppliers, staff and customers which I find imperative and so I spread my time equally between these three areas. Understanding what people want and need seems is the key, with a very much hands on approach to the business. We try to put as much back into the supply base as possible and so we spend a lot of time understanding the needs of our growers whether it be agronomy, soil management and compost or simply pre-season finance to help their cash flow.
  
  Our motivation has been to become the industry leaders in organic fruit and I would like to think that the growth we have seen with our customers demonstrates that we are doing something right.

• Who are your customers and where are they?
  Tesco, Sainsbury, Co-op, Budgens and several wholesalers. The main multiple retailers continually get a bad press. However, love them or hate them, we as a business have enjoyed continued support from them and we must not forget that their position in the market has been instrumental in delivering both volume, quality standards and product integrity (these massive brands cannot afford to allow integrity issues to affect their brand and they play an unsung role in keeping unscrupulous traders at bay who might otherwise cash in on the organic premiums).

• Organic principles – why do they matter?
  For so many reasons – personal health, the health of our planet, doing things for the right reason in the right way.
  
  My son is first hand proof of what chemical pesticides are capable of – they are designed to kill. The methods of organic farming are so very important as they clearly produce a healthier food option, whilst helping to address the very real issue of global warming and the best use of valuable resources like water. We know that a large percentage of our greenhouse gases comes from intensive agriculture (for example, nitrous oxide which is produced in the manufacture of nitrogen based fertilisers and nitric acid).
  
  Organic farming practises can significantly help address our emissions – for example, by using compost as a part of the soil management process we can put CO2 back into the soil and re-create the soil as a carbon sink, which is what it historically was before intensive agriculture became so prevalent. The provision and benefits of compost has long been a major focus for our business and we have actively encouraged growers the world over to use this as an integral part of their soil management. In addition, it improves the organic matter of the soil which is an investment in the long term sustainability of the land for future generations. It increases the percolation rate of the land which reduces flood risk and improves the utilisation of water. It increases yields, making growing more sustainable; and can improve the taste of food as it is produced in a natural way.

• What does the Soil Association mean to you?
  They are the food police - passion about organics is a driving force and this comes across within their team – doing something important and difficult can be thankless and it's great that they are there.

• What is your greatest achievement?
  Producing three wonderful children and not driving my wife insane who has to repeatedly listen to me bore anyone who makes the mistake of allowing me the opportunity to get on my soap box about my hobby horse subjects (UK organic fruit and organic farming to reduce global warming).
  
  I have been fortunate enough to have been involved in the re-focusing of OFF and this has been very rewarding. Of course, I have not achieved this as yet. However, being at the start of the 'reinvention' of an organic UK apple industry is exciting – as a nation we are able to produce conventional apples but very limited organic. Those who have converted to organics have not really succeeded and there has been little or no movement to address this. Over the last 18 months we have been looking at how we can turn this around, and have instigated a strategy to grow organic apples on a sustainable basis and in an environmentally friendly way.
  
  We are underway with the first production blocks ready for planting. This exciting project will address the need for imports and reduce food miles, provide the consumer with a UK and local option, and provide further incentives for UK farmers to convert to organic farming with some confidence.

• How do you plan to progress in the future? What is your vision?
  My goal is to further link organic food production with the benefits it provides to the environment. We know that a large percentage of UK consumers would actively purchase food that was produced in an environmentally friendly way. We are considering ways to address this and better educate consumers to the environmental benefits of organic farming.
  
  As a part of this process we will also target a significant reduction in our own carbon footprint during 2007 and offset our emissions in a responsible and sustainable manner to make us carbon neutral.
  
  We will also further roll out our strategy to bring improved composting techniques to growers around the world through a new enterprise called 'Soil & More' (in which we are partners with Eosta and Triodos).

• If you were starting all over again, what would you do differently?
  As a nation, we have been slow to realise the benefits and opportunities of growing fruit here in the UK – we are some years behind our counterparts on the continent and southern hemisphere. I would have liked to have spent more time really getting to grips with these benefits and the benefits this brings to the environment.

• What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
  Being passionate about what you do. And its never too late to make a difference.

• Who or what's your biggest inspiration?
  My son and the immense problems he faced as a baby – his start in life could not have been any worse. And of course my wife who had to not only deal with this but also a two year old girl and me!

• What is the key to your success?
  I am deeply passionate about the business, about the people who work for me, about our suppliers, and about delivering the best quality possible to our UK consumers. That makes it easy to be driven.

• What do you love most about what you do?
  Working with like-minded people. Most of our growers are committed to the important principles of organic farming, or Fairtrade, and this forms a common bond which makes this such a rewarding job. And the opportunities that we still have to look forward to.

• What keeps you awake at night?
  The business is so personal to me that I constantly go over the detail in my mind – have I addressed everything that day that I should have done? The answer of course is normally no.

• What do you find most frustrating about what you do?
  Sceptics – I just do not understand why anyone would not support organic food production – the reasons and benefits are clear – are people really so stupid? I understand that intensive farming has its place, however there is room for choice and having that choice is important.

• How can the organic market be improved?
  Continuity of supply – giving consumers what they want and when they want it. It's no good to get a new consumer who loves the apple they can get today but finds the shelf empty the next week when they want to buy it again.
  
  Ensuring integrity – we must continue to keep 'rogue' traders out of the supply chain and avoid giving consumers any doubts as to the integrity of the products sold as organic.
  
  We need to make clearer the links between the environmental benefits of organic farming and organic food. Organic is not just food free of chemicals but is a lifestyle that benefits us all, whether people eat organics or not. We must tell the consumers, loudly and clearly, that organic farming is a major way to help contribute to reducing the very real prospect of global warming.

• What's the main benefit of being organic for you?
  Our children can eat healthily and our environment can be sustainable. Can there be any better reason?

• What other organic ventures do you admire and why?
  I admire them all. It's not easy to produce food organically and it takes a certain stubbornness and belief to make it work.

• Supermarkets – good or bad?
  It's so easy to knock them but at the end of the day they are businesses operating in a competitive environment. Yes, they have affected the profiles of our high streets. However, they are here to stay – that's life so best get on with it. We have been fortunate to have had great support from them – whilst being pushed daily to constantly up the 'bar' on quality, availability and integrity. This can only be good for the consumer: so 'good'.

• What is the biggest threat to what you do?
  Conventional farmers who grow without integrity to get on the bandwagon, or just benefit from the perceived premiums of organics. We are seeing this happening already and it can bring a great deal of scepticism to the consumer. I worry that if the dedicated organic businesses are pushed aside by large conventional operators, who will pioneer the future developments that we must still unravel?

• What's the best thing about organic farms?
  Most organic farmers also embrace the social, ethical and environmental aspect to producing food, managing the land and running a business. Improved working conditions, especially for those in poorer countries, is a great spin off to organic farming. Also, the benefits to the wildlife on organic farms are immeasurable.

• What's the best thing about organic food?
  The way that it has been grown. Often it tastes better, but realistically sometimes it doesn't – however it has certainly been grown in a 'better' way.

To find out more about Organic Farm Foods, visit www.organicfarmfoods.co.uk.