From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ethical farming businessman
Guy Singh-Watson (born Guy Watson,
[1]
[2] 1960)
[3] is a British
farmer and founder and creator of
Riverford , an
organic farm and UK-wide organic
vegetable box delivery company.
[4]
[5]
Biography
Singh-Watson was born in
Totnes . He was brought up on Riverford Farm, in
Buckfastleigh ,
Devon , which was taken over by his family in the 1950s. After studying Agricultural and Forestry Science at the
University of Oxford he became a
management consultant , but left after working in
New York City for a while.
[3]
[6]
[7]
In 1986 Singh-Watson returned to the farm, deciding to convert it to farming organically.
[6] In the 1990s, to find an effective way of distributing his produce, he developed the weekly
vegetable box scheme , which is delivered directly to customers' doors with locally grown produce. In 2015 the
Riverford business was valued at £45 million.
[7] In June 2018 it was announced that Riverford would transition to employee ownership, with 74% of the business being held in a trust overseen by a board.
[4]
[5]
[8]
[9]
Singh-Watson lectures on ethical business
[10] and is a judge for the Observer Ethical Awards
[11] and his leadership has seen five previous Observer awards including Best Ethical Business
[12] and Best Ethical Restaurant in 2009.
[13]
Singh-Watson married Geetie Singh in 2014.
[1] He is a keen
surfboarder .
[7] In July 2018 he was interviewed on
BBC Radio 4 's
Desert Island Discs programme.
[14]
In 2018 Singh-Watson sold 76% of Riverford Organic Farmers to the trustee of an
employee ownership trust .
[15]
In 2023 Singh-Watson agreed to sell his remaining 23% stake for almost £10m
[16]
Publications
Riverford Farm Cook Book: Tales from the Fields, Recipes from the Kitchen (2008) Singh-Watson, G. and Baxter, J.
ISBN
978-0-00-726505-3
[17]
References
^
a
b
"WG Watson and SE Singh (Baddaford Farm)" . www.triodos.co.uk . Retrieved 10 July 2018 .
^
"Guy Watson and Geetie Singh" . tastebudsmagazine.co.uk . Retrieved 10 July 2018 .
^
a
b
"Profile: The Organic Farmer" . Startup Donut. Archived from
the original on 5 January 2012.
^
a
b Fox-Leonard, Boudicca (10 June 2018).
"Guy Singh-Watson: Why I've handed over ownership of Riverford Organic to its staff" . The Telegraph .
ISSN
0307-1235 . Retrieved 10 July 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
^
a
b Butler, Sarah (7 April 2018).
"Staff ownership ensures organic veg firm Riverford doesn't forget its roots" . The Guardian . Retrieved 10 July 2018 .
^
a
b Onita, Laura (2 October 2016).
"Now I know my onions, middle England can feast on organic" . The Sunday Times .
ISSN
0956-1382 . Retrieved 10 July 2018 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
^
a
b
c Lambert, Victoria (21 March 2015).
"Guy Watson interview: Veg nerd who thinks outside the box" . Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 6 July 2018 .
^
"Triodos Bank provide financial support for Riverford employee ownership scheme" . www.triodos.co.uk . Retrieved 10 July 2018 .
^
"Riverford owner Guy Singh-Watson places his veg box company into employee ownership" . Devon Life . Retrieved 10 July 2018 .
^
"Guy Watson" . Schumacher College. Archived from
the original on 6 May 2012.
^
"Observer Ethical Awards 2011: judge Guy Watson" . Theguardian.com . 7 February 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2017 .
^ Siegle, Lucy; Vaughan, Adam (3 June 2009).
"Sir David Attenborough honoured in Observer ethical awards" . Theguardian.com . Retrieved 12 October 2017 .
^
"Food awards 2009: best ethical restaurant, Riverford Field Kitchen" . Theguardian.com . 22 March 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2017 .
^ Booth, Richard (3 July 2018).
"Riverford's Guy Singh-Watson on Desert Island Discs: What we learnt" . DevonLive . Retrieved 6 July 2018 .
^ Butler, Sarah (7 April 2018).
"Staff ownership ensures organic veg firm Riverford doesn't forget its roots" . The Observer . Retrieved 14 May 2019 .
^ Butler, Sarah (19 May 2023).
"Veg box firm Riverford to be 100% staff-owned as founder sells stake for £10m" . The Guardian .
ISSN
0261-3077 . Retrieved 30 November 2023 .
^
"Resurgence • Article - From Farm to Feast" . Resurgence.org . Retrieved 12 October 2017 .
External links