Simon Leaver: My career with FFF

February 26, 2015 Posted by David Linton

As part of our new series of career case studies here at Fylde Fresh & Fabulous, we’ll be speaking to different members of the team on how they got involved with the company and how it has shaped their careers, sometimes in ways, they could never have possibly imagined.

First up is Procurement Manager Simon Leaver; here is his Fylde Fresh & Fabulous story:

“I began work for Colin Bradley Ltd and then Fylde Fresh & Fabulous Ltd straight out of university back in 2003. I joined in the summer just to help out for a few weeks which seemed to have stretched into 11 years!

Since I started working for the company, I’ve seen huge changes both in the organisation and my role within it. I think I’ve done every job possible from sales to transport and production to procurement which has always kept my interest and provided the challenges I sought to keep my career progressing.

As a business, we’ve gone from being a sole supplier to McCain, to being a successful processor in our own right with a diversified customer base and a detailed knowledge of the product we supply – spuds!

In my present role of procurement, I am responsible for buying around 27,000 tonnes of potatoes a year and also managing the growing of approximately 350 acres at sites in Cumbria and Northumberland. Further to that, I also have to successfully manage the storage of around 5000 tonnes all the way from October to the end of August the following year.

I am now also a member of the Potato Council Market Information Committee working on behalf of industry levy payers to improve the standard and integrity of important data releases such as weekly average prices and annual production calculations.

Working in the potato industry is something of a rollercoaster and the market goes through incredible peaks and troughs, but there is definitely something special about potatoes that gets you hooked. I think it’s something to do with their unpredictability and complexity that keeps you coming back for more – you just never know what you’re going to get from one season to the next.”

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