Ambition, people and camaraderie were among Peter Sargeant’s first impressions of G’s when he joined as a celery rig worker back in 1996.
But while targets used to mean the number of celery sticks cut before sundown, nowadays, Sargeant’s remit as chief operating officer of G’s Fresh and managing director of G’s Growers is somewhat more complex – though perhaps no less goal-driven.
“There was an intensity to it, they were long hours, managing a machine and meeting targets, and I liked the sense of camaraderie,” he says, recalling the ‘work hard, play hard’ ethic he noticed in that first year. “What struck me early on, is that for those who knuckled down there were lots of opportunities.”
One of those who clearly made the most of this potential, Sargeant has progressed swiftly through the ranks of product management at G’s, transferring from operations to marketing, before scaling the ladder during the company’s top-level reshuffle earlier this year.
In many ways, he is a G’s stalwart. He joined just as the business was about to embark on its growth era – turnover was just £90 million, but it has since continued to grow rapidly to its current total of around £270m.
After that first summer, Sargeant returned for a second year to become site manager for celery rigs, before eventually managing the entire harvest. Showing his eye for innovation opportunities, he then pioneered a new gem packing operation by moving the flow-wrapping machines from packhouse to field in a move he says “transformed the business”.
The success of the gem rigs system saw Sargeant transferred to the company’s Spanish operations to replicate the system there, in the process cementing his own position within the business. Further stints in the UK and abroad followed, including another two years in Spain that saw him take responsibility for the packhouse, harvesting operations and eventually growing.
Looking back, Sargeant says he has put most energy into radish and mushroom, as “that was where there was most need and opportunity for change”. “On radish, I took it on in 2008 when it was 70 tonnes a week; now it’s 200 tonnes a week. I’ve seen it grow and the quality improve beyond belief, which has come from new varieties, new growing techniques and a strong marketing campaign,” he says.
But one of his most significant impacts on the company came when he took on responsibility for developing G’s mushroom operations. Established after the acquisition of the PGS mushroom business, Sargeant then developed a mushroom facility at May Farm, beginning with 12 tunnels, before doubling to 24 and then 48, with an output of 160 tonnes per week.
Clearly not one to rest on his laurels, Sargeant says he is now looking at how to improve on the mushroom farming operations, add points of difference, improve quality and reinvigorate the category. “It’s a huge market and we have a small share. We want to be a damn good operator, we don’t want to dominate the market,” he explains.
“In other crop areas, it’s a lot easier to gain growth in scalability, the capital involved in increasing production in mushrooms can be considerable. But we are looking at simple stuff, like trying to get people to eat mushrooms in salads. The summer-winter split is a big challenge for the salad industry, so that would help fill that gap if it’s more like a meal with protein. Innovation is key and we have a number of projects focusing on product improvement, sustainability and reducing input costs – as well as labour and raw material.”
Brexit is rightly top of the agenda for issues such as labour supply, single market access and exchange rates, but as head of G’s Growers Producer Organisation, Sargeant is more concerned with PO funding. He believes removing funds after Britain leaves the EU would be “fine”, as long as there was a mechanism to ensure a level playing field across Europe. “The most preferable option would be to emulate the current PO fund, but structure it to suit the UK,” he adds.
With 20 years under his belt, there is still a huge amount on Sargeant’s to-do list – not least developing his own experience with customers. “I haven’t had a lot of experience in customer-facing roles, so I’ve got a lot to learn. I also see opportunity in further integrating the sales and marketing operations with our growers, as I believe they can get even closer.”
Increasing efficiencies across the business is another area of focus – last year he says the company took 300,000 miles off the road by doing more direct orders from Spain. While some in the industry are rightly daunted by the scale of the challenges ahead, as Brexit only compounds pressure caused by the retail price war, you get the sense Sargeant is almost relishing it. “I’m hungry for the challenge,” he says. “That’s my thing.”
Achievement and ambition are common themes in Sargeant’s plans for the future, as is his loyalty to the company. “I’ve never looked outside G’s,” he says. “I’m very fortunate to have been here when it’s doubled every decade. I love success, I really enjoy achieving. I’m not sure I will ever get to that point when I’m happy – I think you should always be improving what you’ve got. You should be a self-doubter – we’re never as good as we could be; that’s what drives me on.”
If the growth of G’s continues to match at least half the ambition of its homemade leaders, the future is bright indeed.
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