What is Cornerways Nursery?
Cornerways Nursery grows 140 million eco-friendly tomatoes every year in an enormous greenhouse. ‘Eco-friendly’ because the greenhouse is heated by the hot water pipes from surplus energy from the nearby British Sugar factory, and the water for the plants comes from harvested rainwater. Once they’re ready, the tomatoes are checked for quality, packed in the next door packhouse and delivered straight to the supermarket shelves.
And what do you do?
I manage the team that controls all our sales, quality control, packing, procurement and transport. As a team we make sure that everything runs smoothly, from raw materials arriving to supermarket delivery.
What do you like about your job?
Everything! The people I work with are young and fun, and we work with a great product. Also, the fresh produce industry is never boring because it’s fast-paced and ever-changing. The hours can be long sometimes but you don’t notice it.
Why did you choose a job in farming and food?
I come from a farming background and have never really considered any paths outside of food and farming. I’d really like to run my own business one day, so it’s important to get some decent experience in a management / business role.
What did you do before this job?
I did a broad range of GCSEs and A-Levels, and studied Geography at university. After that I joined the Management Development Services scheme, which is a fast-track management course for people wanting to get into the fresh food, produce and arable industry. As part of the scheme I worked in a couple of different packhouses before doing a placement at Cornerways.
Any tips?
Work hard and play hard!