​Most sectors have had to adapt how they work over the past 12 months, perhaps none more so than horticulture which, after an initial downturn, has experienced a huge ‘boom’ as a result of the pandemic and sparked an increased interest in careers in this area. At the recent BPOA annual conference, Natalie Porter of Happy Plants described the Coronavirus lockdowns as ‘launchpads for horticulture to catch up with the digital revolution’ with garden centres, growers and flower suppliers being forced to create online shops, click and collect services or drive thru options in order to thrive. In 2020, consumer behaviours changed in so many ways – older customers became more internet savvy as they were asked to shield at home, more people used gardening to support their mental wellbeing during the fine weather of lockdown 1.0 and younger audiences wanted their gardens to look nice (or ‘instagrammable’) while spending so much time at home. Cut flower suppliers were busier than ever in the run up to Christmas with people wanting to send flowers to loved ones that social distancing measures didn’t allow them to see. And, with Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day on the horizon in the current lockdown, these businesses are busy preparing for another huge surge in demand. As a sector, horticulture has demonstrated enormous resilience during the pandemic, something that has not gone unnoticed in the recruitment market. Awareness has definitely been raised about horticulture as a great career option, especially for candidates with transferable skills from the food/fresh produce sectors. Pre-pandemic, Natalie Porter of Happy Plants co-founded the Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA) initiative, of which MorePeople is delighted to be a sponsor. This membership association for under-35s was created to unite the industry to appeal to a younger demographic, both in terms of future consumers and horticultural employees. We look forward to being involved with future events, both online and in-person. The horticultural industry has had to evolve very quickly in 2020 and the key to success this year will be to keep up with these changes moving forward. To find out more about careers in horticulture, click here or give us a call on 01780 480530.

​Did you know that there are more than 40 million people worldwide in some form of slavery on any given day, according to the Global Slavery Index? That includes tens of thousands of exploited persons in the UK. Today. Not historically. Children, women and men. ​We, at MorePeople, feel that’s morally unacceptable. We also have a responsibility, as a recruitment business, to ensure we understand the complexities of modern slavery, including how criminals exploit people and try to infiltrate companies, who are our clients, with enslaved workers. ​Action begins with awareness. So, we are delighted to announce that this year, we are supporting RideForFreedom, a social enterprise that utilises the universal appeal and power of cycling to deliver positive social impacts and specifically to raise awareness of modern day slavery. ​Gordon Miller, the founder, last year set a Guinness World Record when he cycled 620.5 miles around England to spell ‘end modern slavery’. To build on last year, in 2021, Gordon’s committed to cycle 1,700 miles from Spain to the UK to highlight a documented human trafficking route. ​RideForFreedom also aims to pilot a programme, called Freewheel, that empowers survivors – women, children and men – of modern day slavery to cycle. The objectives are to supply referred survivors a bike, provide them with road awareness/proficiency training and basic mechanical skills. Gordon explains more about his motivation:“Modern slavery is a heinous crime that needs to be eradicated. I’m committed to combine my professional communications skillset, passion for cycling and personal goal setting to raise awareness of the issue among the business community and the wider public.”​We commend Gordon’s passion and commitment. To demonstrate our support, we are planning a team cycling fundraising challenge this summer. If all goes to plan, we hope to be able to invite you, our clients, to participate too. Let us know if you’re interested to hear more about the plans. ​And please get in touch with us, or directly with Gordon, to learn more about how you can support modern slavery awareness raising, learn where it might be hiding in your business operations and supply chain, how to spot the signs and what to do if you suspect it is taking place. ​You can read more https://rideforfreedom.org.uk/ donate on the JustGiving page to support RideForFreedom’s aims and objectives and follow the development of the RideForFreedom2021 cycling challenges and Freewheel programme on various social media channels: Twitter @RideForFreedom2 @gordonmiller81LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pub/gordon-miller/b/416/b8Instagram @gordomm8124

Our CEO, Guy Moreton, was recently interviewed by Planteria about the history of MorePeople and how the future for professional recruitment looks in both the UK and Europe. What was your own brief when you first launched MorePeople?Back in 2000, Peter Hunt and I set out with a vision to build a recruitment business that was better than anything we had encountered as clients doing the hiring. We wanted to be the best at recruitment, the most passionate and the most knowledgeable about the sectors we operate in. I’m proud to say that we’ve stuck to this vision for 20 years now, building a strong brand and a great team who fully understand the sectors and the challenges that our clients face. Which sector provided you with a platform to build your recruitment business in the early days?For the first two years in business, we focused our expertise on the fresh produce and flower trades, predominately recruiting for commercial and technical roles in the £40k plus salary bracket. Then, in 2003, we made our first acquisition by purchasing The Peepul Bureau, which was the oldest established recruitment business in the garden centre and landscaping market. Since then, we have continued to expand into the wider food sector and cover all aspects of the retail supply chain. We must ask what changes have you seen in the past 20 years with regard to the recruitment process?Technology has enabled the biggest changes in the recruitment process. Times have moved on considerably since our first ever recruitment advert that was placed on page 2 of The Grocer’s 120-page jobs magazine! Most of our time in the early days was spent sifting through CVs that had arrived via either post or fax, whereas we now operate in a digital world with channels like LinkedIn that make it so much easier to connect with people. Having said that, there has pretty much always been a candidate shortage in our sectors and a general lack of awareness of the scale of opportunities that exist in it. We are constantly working to try to change this and act as advocates of the sectors. Within your market profile, which sectors currently offer the greatest challenge?2020 has obviously presented challenges for all industries but, in terms of our markets, the garden centre sector went through a difficult time when it was forced to close in the first lockdown and it is still recovering. The food service sector certainly felt the biggest impact, and it has been heart-breaking to see our clients continue to suffer in this area. Looking ahead, as most of our clients supply to retailers, I can foresee new challenges if retail price wars take over as the economy tries to recover. From a people perspective, this will bring increased pressure to demonstrate added value in your role. What effect has Covid-19 had on your business and the markets you serve? April and May were very uncertain times for lots of businesses, MorePeople included. For some of our clients, life was very busy and, for others, it ground to a halt, so a few of the team were furloughed during this time. I’m pleased to say that once consumer behaviours returned to some sort of normality, we were able to bring everyone back and have finished the year very strongly. As I mentioned in the previous question, some clients are still feeling the impact of Covid-19, whereas others have had better years than ever before. I just hope that 2021 is a more positive year for everyone. In terms of the Brexit and all the ramifications of this, does this provide you with new opportunities, and if so, in which sectors? Might your recruitment activities in Europe actually be increased?Brexit will, of course, bring about challenges to all of our sectors in the short-term as new regulations and paperwork requirements are introduced, particularly in relation to importing live products. These sectors are, however, very adaptable and used to change, so I’m confident they will rise to the challenge and we’ll soon be wondering what all the fuss was about! In terms of our recruitment activities, we already recruit internationally, but have no plans to make this more of a focus. The UK market is our priority. Which core values have you installed in your company, to ensure your profile has continued to grow? We have shared the same core values since day one, but recently sat down as a team to cement these and properly define them. Our values are: P – Pride, we take pride in what we do E – Empathy, we put our customers’ needs in front of our own O – One team, we create a fun and supportive environment for our colleagues P – Positive, we always aim to have a positive impact on others L – Learning, we strive to continually improve E – Expertise, we are advocates of our sectors. Read this article and more on Planteria.eu

​2020 was a challenging year for everyone, with many businesses having to quickly adapt to new ways of working. As a recruitment expert for the food, fresh produce, horticulture and agricultural sectors, the MorePeople team had to react to the changing needs of clients and implement innovative solutions to keep the recruitment process moving. We delivered a fantastic 2020 in spite of the challenges – Q4 in particular was very encouraging and bodes well for 2021. Like everyone we want to be optimistic about the year ahead and looking forward to a return to normality following the demise of Covid-19. Our first success of this year has been strengthening our team with the addition of three new starters. Richard Hanwell joins MorePeople as Business Director, a new role that will focus on continuous development of client relationships, pursuing new opportunities and helping the team to reach their potential. Richard began his recruitment career in Stamford back in 2005 in the fresh produce and food sectors. He has since held managerial recruitment roles in the UK and internationally, both in and out of the food industry. Aidan Finn supports Morten Andresen and Tom Edmondson-Matthews in the Commercial recruitment team, working on sales and procurement roles. Aidan began his career with Morrisons, learning about all aspects of the supermarket supply chain. He then moved into business development for both the off trade and on trade industry in beers, wines and spirits. Tom Merriman takes over the reins in our Financial team. Tom worked in sales before moving into recruitment where his remit was temporary financial roles. At MorePeople, his focus is on permanent recruitment for all levels of finance positions across the food and agri supply chains. Our Managing Director, Andrew Fitzmaurice, is delighted to welcome them to the team: “It’s fantastic to have new faces in the business. Growing MorePeople and having the capacity to deliver more to our existing (and new) clients is why we are here. 2020 was tough, but we have some strong foundations to build on. I am thrilled to have three high calibre people join us.” “Aidan is already flying along the on-boarding journey and he will be able to put all his experience in FMCG to use. He is quickly picking up great recruitment habits. Tom brings a wealth of recruitment (in particular finance recruitment) experience to the team, and he’s off to a great start in an area where we have a track record in placing senior finance candidates and there is so much more opportunity for us to do so. Having led teams and worked extensively in food recruitment, Richard brings a wealth of talent, credibility and expertise to the MorePeople team. He’s another hugely dynamic addition to help us realise the massive potential at MorePeople.” To find out more about any member of the MorePeople team, click here or call us on 01780 480530 to talk about how we might be able to help you or your business.

​2020 was a year we’ll never forget! And one that forced huge changes in consumer behaviours when it comes to food and drink. We’re all in agreement that life will never quite be the same again, but what big shifts can we expect to see in 2021? Market research and insights experts Mintel and Kantar make their predictions every new year, but this time the trends they identified were driven by a very abnormal year. Three key themes are expected to dominate in 2021 – Health, Value and Identity: Health and WellbeingHistory shows that health is often de-prioritised in times of crisis, but Covid has put health firmly at the top of the agenda and is expected to be a major driver for consumers going forward. Consumers will be looking for food and drink products that support mental and emotional wellbeing or create a new foundation for healthy eating. The challenge for brands will be in offering affordable nutrition products to expand access to healthy foods. ValueValue scrutiny is expected to rise, but this is not necessarily about being the cheapest. Consumers will be seeking a return to the ‘essentials’ and looking for brands that can demonstrate trust and quality. The focus will continue to be on spending time at home, creating opportunities for more Out of Home experiences like restaurant quality meal kits or premium quality coffee to match coffee shops. There will be a lot more interest in the ingredients, processes and people that are involved in producing food. Identity People are united by shared experiences of eating and food is often used as a form of escapism. As the Mintel report* explains, in 2021 ‘food, drink and foodservice companies will encourage people to use their brands to express themselves and reconnect with their pre-pandemic identities.’ Whilst we will start eating out again, the most successful brands will be those who focus on creating online as well as physical spaces to bring consumers together. Covid has highlighted the importance of communities and people can be united by the food they eat, regardless of where they live. A couple of other trends that were sidelined in 2020 are also expected to be re-prioritised. Sustainability, particularly in terms of product packaging, is still at the top of people’s minds and manufacturers can’t afford to ignore it. New product innovation also declined in 2020, but will be needed more than ever in 2021 to match the lockdown sales peaks of last year. We look forward to seeing how our clients adapt to these insights and the new types of job roles that they create. Let’s make 2021 memorable for much better reasons! * https://www.mintel.com/global-food-and-drink-trends

​MorePeople has been in business for 20 years! As part of our celebrations for hitting this milestone, we’re asking some of our valued clients and candidates from over the years to look back at some of their highlights and challenges and make predictions for the next 20.Next up in our interview series is Ian Craig of Fresca Group. Ian was Group Chief Executive of Fresca Group from 2014 to 2020 and now has responsibility for the development of strategic projects.1. What do you see as your biggest accomplishment of the last 20 years? Becoming Chief Executive of the largest privately owned fresh produce company in 2014. The heritage of the Fresca Group is unique in the sector and because our colleagues can own a part of the Group, being seen and available to everyone has been a very satisfying element of my responsibilities. 2. What has been your most memorable career moment of the last 20 years? Without doubt it was turning Thanet Earth around from a situation in February 2010 when this fabulous concept had lost £6m in the first year of trading and had enough cash to last just one more month. I arrived with an overnight bag and 25 years of experience of fresh produce supply to UK retailers and motivated a fine leadership team to establish a sustainable future for a business that is held in high regard by customers and competitors. 3. What’s the biggest challenge you have faced in the last 20 years? Same answer as 2. Which meant working 150 miles from home and the dreaded weekly commute using the M25, M11 and the old A14! 4. If you could go back to the year 2000, what one piece of advice would you give yourself? When an opportunity is available to take control of your own destiny, then take a risk and go for it. There will be many obstacles, some negative advice, but the last twenty years has proved that being in control is very rewarding. 5. What do you predict will be the big trends in the food/fresh produce industry in 20 years’ time? Government guidance and incentives will drive a varied diet to include more fruit, salad and vegetables and we will all have several meat-free meals in our weekly consumption. More of these products will be grown in the UK with innovative growing technology. 6. What do the next 20 years look like for your business? The future looks good for the Fresca Group; the mixed nature of our businesses as customer facing, importers, wholesalers, growers, service providers and varietal developers gives the Group access to the entire UK market and the increasing consumption of healthy fresh produce. 7. What is the best piece of advice you could give to a 20-year-old candidate just starting their career in the industry? Make sure that your employer allows you to experience all the functions of a fresh produce business from customer management to operations to technical to finance. You will become a specialist, but the early year’s understanding of the other functions will be invaluable. 8. How long have you been a client/candidate of MorePeople? I may be corrected but I think that it is the full 20! 9. Where/how did you meet MorePeople? I knew Guy from before MorePeople as we were both hungry young managers sitting in reception at Stamford House waiting to sell flowers and potatoes to a certain retailer based just south of Blackfriars Bridge. 10. In 20 words or less, how would you describe MorePeople? A successful, professional and skillful recruitment organisation with a style that continues to reflect the founders. Read more Q&A's: - Peter Durose- Christine Tacon - Steve Maxwell - Steve Murrells - Nigel Trood - Tony Reynolds - Guy Moreton