My ethical career: Food co-operative worker
37 Education Degree in business studies from Plymouth University, but only after I’d tried and left an apprenticeship in engineering. So, what do you actually do? Suma Wholefoods is a workers’ co-operative selling more than 6,000 foods through retailers, schools, a few supermarkets and restaurants. I fulfil four functions in the company, but that’s only limited by what I chose to do. I’m telesales on Monday and Tuesday, customer services on Wednesday, and media manager on Thursday and Friday. On Saturdays I regularly work in the warehouse, fulfilling orders and truck loading. What makes your job so ethical? Every level of our supply chain is governed by our company ethics. The workers own the business, and because we are all directors, we’re all paid the same whatever our role. How did you get into the job? I was previously a typical salesperson, highly stressed, motivated by little other than money. I wasn’t seeing much of my young daughter, and I decided I didn’t want that life anymore. Food and fitness were part of my everyday life, so when I saw an advertisement in the local press for Suma, I thought it would be ideal. What skills and experience do you need to work in this sector? All life skills are transferable, not just work-related skills. A parent returning to work after caring for young children has as much practical management skill as a middle manager in a bank. What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had in this job? We started in a front room in Leeds 27 years ago. Now we are the biggest independent wholefood wholesaler in the UK. So maybe it was when we walked into this new 65,000 square foot food warehouse and realised that we were a serious business. What’s the best thing about your job? The fact that we own the business outright. We have total control of how our business is run and the industry we work in. There is an incredible sense of trust and camaraderie. And the worst? The mainstream food industry, and the damage it does to people’s health and livelihoods. I despair sometimes when I encounter things like the health claims made by some disgusting orange drink that has never seen an orange. It angers me that I can’t do more to address the balance. Suma Wholefoods www.suma.co.uk
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