At every company there’s an employee who works incredibly hard, motivates their colleagues or comes up with genius plans to develop the business. Whether in the packhouse, the field or the office, beyond the walls of their workplace, they often don’t get the recognition they deserve – until now. This category gives the opportunity for those unsung heroes to take a well deserved turn in the spotlight.
The contenders are:
Bartosz Debowiec (Langmeads)
For years, Bartosz Debowiec has been working with Langmead Farms and has been a lynchpin in the start up and running of the herb business. He runs operations in the Langmead packhouse with quiet determination and unflappability - a feat that can only be admired if one was to know the true inner workings of such an environment!
When you are working with produce no day will ever run 100% to plan. Dealing with late inbound material, order fluctuations or deciding that material is not up to the standard that he wants to pack, somehow Bartosz has consistently managed to maintain the exemplary standard of herbs that we can proudly distribute to our customers. He also has the almost clairvoyant skill to anticipate when a change is needed to the production plan. With some spectacular mental arithmetic and ability to rally the team mean that he can change the production plan at a moment’s notice ensuring that our customers gets the products they have ordered.
Not only can the raw materials be problematic, there is also the number of people that need to be appeased, mainly the demanding commercial team, supply chain and quality! Bartosz navigates this minefield with a chuckle-inducing demeanour and a twinkle in his eye, not once intimidated by the task at hand. Years of this behaviour has awarded him a team who respect and admire him for all he does.
With a loyalty that never wavers (even if his sanity might from time to time), Bartosz is a deserving candidate for the Unsung Hero Award, as recognition for the long days, sleepless nights and sometime miracles he has been performing throughout the years. It is thanks to him that everyone gets the herbs they deserve - it’s about time he got the thanks he deserves too.
Darius Misiunas (Langmeads)
Some say that magic isn’t real; clearly they have never set foot in the Logistics department at Langmead Farms. I am almost certain the herb industry’s very own Harry Potter is disguised beneath Darius Misiunas’ glasses; that can be the only explanation for the wizardry produced on an hourly basis.
It is astounding how one man can single-handedly appear to create more hours in the day when 24 just aren’t enough. How he can somehow get drivers to hold on just five more minutes (maybe its coffee and biscuits). How he juggles all inbound and outbound deliveries from just one loading bay seven days a week. How he is able to be the oil that keeps this machine running, never asking anything in return.
Even when Darius is not there, his team are so well drilled that the spell is never broken and faultless service remains the order of the day.
What’s more, while doing all of this Darius maintains composure, charm and sincerity that endears you to his character, even on the most stressful days. How?
But a magician never reveals his secrets, and nor would we want him to either. Instead we wish to let him know how grateful we are, and give him a round of applause – in fact, this award would be the standing ovation his sorcery deserves.
Special mention for Andrejs Lupins. Paul Daniels is nothing without his Debbie McGee.
David Morrison (Cornerways Nursery)
Dave Morrison was among the first employees at Cornerways Nursery back in February 2000 and over the last 16 years, Dave has consistently produced some great results, peppered with moments of pure genius! This includes training hundreds of unskilled workers in the unique art of tomato crop working, designing, and fabricating improving and adapting equipment to make his life easier and also to create efficient and safe processes for everyone. Over the years, Dave has progressed from a very capable glasshouse operative to a talented maintenance team supervisor. The move to supervisor was a reluctant one by Dave as he views everyone as equal and is uncomfortable telling people what to do – he would rather coach his colleagues and unselfishly share every bit of knowledge or experience he has than bark instructions!
Alongside this, Dave has been integral in creating a lean and efficient operation by improving existing equipment or designing simple solutions into every step. Examples of this include a polythene roller that reduced a single task’s cost by 65%, resulting in a safer method of installation. This was so good it is replicated on other commercial nurseries! Other examples include simple storage solutions for abnormally long heating pipes and barge-like rafts for team-building fun days. Any time there is anything left over Dave finds a use for it; even leftover packaging rolls (!), creating the bollards that line the nursery entrance.
Beyond all of this Dave has a huge passion for safety. He role models the perfect behaviours for safety and is often seen giving advice to colleagues.
Alongside this and most importantly Dave is seen as the go-to person on the best way to do anything in the greenhouse. The level of respect he has from both his juniors, peers and seniors is unrivalled in the business.
Dobri Kraev (AC Goatham & Son)
Success for all growers depends on the team around them and thanks to the meticulous attention to detail of Dobri Kraev, the packhouse production manager and his team at AC Goatham & Son, the business continues to grow year on year. This season they will grow approximately 150 million apples, 1 in 4.5 of all British-grown apples sold in the UK, predominantly supplying Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.
Dobri has worked with the business since 2001 and worked alongside senior partner Clive Goatham for a number of years prior to his role now. Dobri learned the business from working alongside Clive at the Street Farm site, before moving in 2013 to the brand new £10 million state-of-the-art packing facility at their new HQ at Flanders Farm, Hoo.
Dobri has the overall day-to-day control of the packhouse and staffing levels and his judgement is called upon to organise staffing needs, maximise the efficient throughput of fruit and to ensure the firm maximises efficiencies. This role has to work hand in hand with maintaining the integrity and values of the family business and the high standards it upholds on a daily basis.
Dobri is passionate and enthusiastic about every aspect of his job. When faced with the challenge of a business upscaling and a much larger packhouse and the staffing to go with it, Dobri has over the last three seasons risen to the challenge and ensured this has been a successful transition for the business. Dobri is an extremely likeable member of the team at AC Goatham & Son and his enthusiasm and passion for his role is clear to see. Dobri is quite simply an unsung hero of the fresh produce industry and his hard work deserves to be recognised.
Mark O'Sullivan (BanaBay)
Mark O’Sullivan, MD at BanaBay, has maintained a relatively low profile despite his achievements. Although he has a long history of involvement in supply chain logistics, setting up BanaBay was his first venture into fresh produce just over two years ago.
His approach to the business has been remarkably thorough given that the idea for marketing Ecuadorian bananas was conceived over dinner with a colleague following a single email from a South American farmer seeking to transform his family’s enterprise into a global brand.
Proposing a joint venture arrangement, Mark set his mind to getting the fruit from plantation to customer with a special focus on building personal relationships. Carefully monitoring each stage of the process from growing to harvesting to packaging to shipping, storage, through ripening and to delivery, Mark is playing David to the Goliath competitors in the mature banana market.
Within three years the company has grown into a multi-million pound operation with offices in UK, USA and China and 8.6 million bananas shipped every week to ten countries worldwide.
An important element to the success of the business is Mark’s leadership qualities which were recognised recently when he made the shortlist of the Midlands region EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards for overseeing the dynamic growth of the business.
In the UK, Mark has invested in premises and developed the team from two to 20, much of which is down to his open managerial style. He has given opportunities to his young international team, recruiting on the basis of raw talent and enthusiasm as well as speaking the languages of global business namely Mandarin, Spanish, French, Italian and Russian. Mark has recently invested in sending all of the BanaBay team on a Management and Leadership 18-month course.
Moira Henderson (Greenvale)
Meet a woman who’s spent more than four decades of her life working at the same Borders factory - and isn’t ready to give up yet!
Moira Henderson, who turned 60 on September 13, will notch up 42 years at Greenvale’s potato business in Duns in November, making her easily the longest-serving employee.
And the production team member is in good company, since three of her siblings also work at Greenvale.
Moira, who lives in Berwick, recalls that her working life started in the kitchen of the town’s Castle Hotel, where she cooked and washed dishes for two years.
But in 1973 she applied for a job at the plant, then run as the family concern ES Black. “It was just going to be a stopgap, but I liked it... and I stayed!”
The business had only about 50 staff then, a quarter of today’s total. The other main change for Moira is the introduction of technology and computerisation to the process of selecting, washing and packing potatoes.
“Back then, we did almost everything by hand. The work’s still fairly hard, but not nearly as manual. Things have changed, but I’ve always enjoyed working here,” she says.
Moira points to the fact that, even while the business has expanded significantly since she started, there’s still a family atmosphere at Greenvale.
Two of her three brothers – John and David – and sister Lillie, also work at the factory, while her other brother, George, works at a nearby fish factory. “Between the family members, we’re always OK for making fish and chips!” she laughs.
And when will she be ready to hang up her hat and hairnet? “Oh, not for a while, we’ll see how it goes,” she says.
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