Exeter Food presents: Guy & Geetie Singh-Watson- Making a life in food: Reflections on careers in the food sector

The University of Exeter Career Zone & Exeter Food: A University Research Network are pleased to present 

Making a life in food: Reflections on careers in the food sector

Please register to attend HERE

Guy Singh-Watson – Founder of Riverford

Over the past 37 years, Guy Singh-Watson has transformed Riverford from a one-man operation with a wheelbarrow delivering homegrown organic veg to friends into a national veg box scheme serving 70,000 customers each week. Tired of meetings, brands, and the assumption that greed is our predominant motivation, Guy transitioned Riverford to employee ownership in 2018, using the proceeds to buy a small farm and return to his passion for growing organic vegetables. In line with his approach to business, Guy has always used his voice to drive change, championing fairness, environmental responsibility, and ethical practices. A long-time advocate for small family farmers and transparency in the food industry, he is now campaigning to expose ‘farmwashing’ by large supermarkets and calling for greater integrity and support for sustainable British farming. Through his weekly newsletters and public speaking, Guy continues to challenge the status quo, advocating for a fairer, more sustainable approach to farming and eating. Like many of Riverford’s co-owners, Guy believes in using business to create a kinder, more considerate, and more sustainable world—reflecting the values that most of us want to live by.

Geetie Singh-Watson MBE - Founder of radical organic pubs and inns with a deep connection to farming.

Geetie was the founder of the first official organic pub in Britain in 1998, The Duke of Cambridge, Islington, London. After working in the restaurant trade for several years, she was horrified by the wastefulness that she witnessed – food was regularly thrown away, nothing was recycled and seasonal eating was unheard of. Geetie was determined to combine her passion for pubs and food, and set up The Duke as a business that could thrive without harming the environment, bringing delicious organic food to its customers, and educating them about organics, sustainable living and seasonal eating. 15 years before anyone thought twice about wasteful plastic or damaging business practices, Geetie led the charge of sustainable hospitality, banning plastic water bottles, packaged bar snacks and air-freighted food back in the 1990s. An active campaigner and environmentalist, Geetie firmly believes that businesses must act responsibly and be led by their ethics and values. Geetie Singh-Watson’s fourth organic pub, The Bull Inn & Albatross, Totnes, opened in November 2019. Radical and sustainable to its core, the thirteen bedroom inn is a beacon of hope for sustainable hospitality. Everything has been thought through for minimal environmental impact, from reclaimed furniture, upcycled curtains to organic linens and locally crafted lamps, but not a hothouse or imported flower in sight. There are no claims of perfection though; instead the business is run with open ears, always seeking to improve. And it’s not just for travellers; it’s for everyone – the community, the suppliers, the customers and staff.

Geetie’s home, Baddaford Farm, which she shares with her husband Guy Singh-Watson, is also home to Baddaford Farm & Collective. The Collective is a cohort of independent land based businesses, working alongside one another with the hope to demonstrate that ethical, economically viable farming is possible, promoting beauty, sustainability and social justice from the ground up. The Bull and Albatross are supplied from the Collective growers, ranging from lamb, veg, herbs to plant dyes for our hand-made aprons, and willow basket woven lamp shades.

In 2009, Geetie was awarded an MBE for ‘Services to the Organic Pub Trade’, and has also been named Business Woman of the Year, Asian Woman of Achievement and Entrepreneur of the Year. The Bull has won numerous awards, including National Restaurant Awards, for sustainability, Country and Town House twice, Sunday Times Eco Hotel of the Year, Soil Association Boom awards and the National Geographic Big Sleep awards. www.bullinntotnes.co.uk