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

  1. 1 2 "WG Watson and SE Singh (Baddaford Farm)". www.triodos.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  2. ↑ "Guy Watson and Geetie Singh". tastebudsmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Profile: The Organic Farmer". Startup Donut. Archived from the original on 5 January 2012.
  4. 1 2 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.
  5. 1 2 Butler, Sarah (7 April 2018). "Staff ownership ensures organic veg firm Riverford doesn't forget its roots". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  6. 1 2 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.
  7. 1 2 3 Lambert, Victoria (21 March 2015). "Guy Watson interview: Veg nerd who thinks outside the box". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  8. ↑ "Triodos Bank provide financial support for Riverford employee ownership scheme". www.triodos.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  9. ↑ "Riverford owner Guy Singh-Watson places his veg box company into employee ownership". Devon Life. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "Guy Watson". Schumacher College. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "Observer Ethical Awards 2011: judge Guy Watson". Theguardian.com. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  12. ↑ Siegle, Lucy; Vaughan, Adam (3 June 2009). "Sir David Attenborough honoured in Observer ethical awards". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Food awards 2009: best ethical restaurant, Riverford Field Kitchen". Theguardian.com. 22 March 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  14. ↑ Booth, Richard (3 July 2018). "Riverford's Guy Singh-Watson on Desert Island Discs: What we learnt". DevonLive. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  15. ↑ Butler, Sarah (7 April 2018). "Staff ownership ensures organic veg firm Riverford doesn't forget its roots". The Observer. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ "Resurgence • Article - From Farm to Feast". Resurgence.org. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
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