The Journal is saddened to announce that Joseph Hunter Saphir CBE passed away on April 4.
He was regarded as one of the best known and most successful of the larger- than-life characters that built the UK fruit trade after World War II.
Joe and his older brother Mon (Emanuel) began life as commission agents, quickly building a fruit importing business. They then developed 15 wholesale market branches and pioneered direct supplies of fruit and vegetables to supermarkets.
Joe was renowned for breaking the mould, often in partnership with Marks & Spencer. Hunter Saphir plc was at the vanguard of the changing role of the trade during the 1970s and 1980s by supporting producers through joint ventures with co-operatives; providing technical assistance; developing new concepts such as ripe-and- ready-to-eat and the growing of iceberg lettuce in the UK; as well as encouraging a more market-orientated approach to supplies.
Joe was specifically proud of the company's successful partnerships with EKP and KentVeg and his long time commitment to the Volcani Institute in Israel. He will be widely remembered for a range of successful relationships throughout the fruit world.
Joe sadly and prematurely lost his first wife Nancy and his son John. Having remarried Monica, he continued to travel the world and enjoy his retirement in London and Brighton. When Monica died he continued to travel. He had just returned from a South American cruise when he died peacefully in the Wellington Hospital London at the age of 85. He will be missed. l
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