Who were Essential's founding members?
Alan Hext - Personal reminiscences of Harvest on the 50th Anniversary
In 1971 David Benson, George Leonard, Janet Jenkins, Simon Bailey & Alan Hext joined together and opened Harvest. Time has proved it to have been well founded and nurtured in turn by many others as a resource of essential foods over the last fifty years.
Our common vision was to provide access to ‘Staple foods for Traditional Cooking’. We were interested in encouraging an ecologically responsible way of eating which served our own health as well as the planet’s. We ate ‘low down the food chain’, simple food to aid the repair of our health and re-awaken our sense of taste. We ate food as it appeared in season helping us synchronise ourselves with the rhythms of the year. This was both food as medicine as well as nourishing a deeper healing for all of us.
The original home of Harvest was at 31 Lansdown Road in Bath, a former greengrocers where we both lived and worked. Its previous owner, Mr Ham was retiring and he invited us to continue to help him grow vegetables on the verdant south-facing hillside where he lived at nearby Charlcombe. We helped raise, and sold, his compost-grown produce at Harvest. The warm generosity of Mr & Mrs Ham’s when we visited them was a memorable experience.
Our inspirations ranged from the Wholefood movement, Organic agriculture, Macrobiotics, Sustainable eating, unprocessed food, Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalogue ecological vision, wild foods, local produce and the wisdom of native cooking traditions. We were clear that we didn’t want to be classified as a ‘health food store’, a label for shops which had turned into just trading outlets for vitamin pills and supplements.
Each of us at Harvest would cook for one day preparing the main meal for everyone, enabling us to share our creativity. The seasonal delights of elderflower blossom tempura, freshly picked sweet corn lightly boiled brushed with umeboshi paste or miso mincemeat pies were memorable favourites. Our experiments included making our own vanilla essence from fresh pods and also sugar-free ‘baked beans’ from basic ingredients. We ate almost totally vegan foods, with the awareness that a combination of cooked grain, beans, seeds, seaweed, vegetables and fruit served us best.
Harvest was established a year before the first McDonalds opened in London. During the last fifty years, the seeds of destructive trends in agriculture, ecology and the nation’s health have become more evident as their effects have ‘come to pass’. Obesity as well as a variety of eating disorders, relatively uncommon when we opened, now beset and disturb an increasing proportion of school children and as well as a proportion of adults. A significant growth in people’s allergic reactivity and digestive sensitivities has also occurred.
The 1960s had been a remarkable decade, recalled sometimes with a rosy nostalgia whilst also taking life to the edge. A time of undeniable explosion of creativity was also one of revolutionary turbulence. Radical ways of living evolved providing ways to lighten our unconsciousness.
In the light of an increasing awareness of impending threats to the world, radical approaches were required. In 1973, following a Middle-Eastern war, the fragility of world dependence upon oil was dramatically highlighted when Arabia tripled the cost of petrol leading to the chastening realism of the 3 day week. It was just one sign of a wider situation which vividly demanded ecological wake-up, which even now 50 years later is only just gaining an agreed consensus.
We maintained our independent identity, serving our local community, uninterested in becoming a chain or ‘brand name’. The discussions with a solicitor to formally establish our enterprise were met with puzzlement. To legally define our working relationship seemed to present them with a challenge. The nature of mutually co-operative ventures appeared outside their comprehension, even though variations of this type of business association had been part of commerce since the nineteenth century.
The care and energy which went into founding Harvest was a labour of love – freely given as we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves building this enterprise. The building was completely restored, including new joists and floorboards. The interior of the store gradually evolved to include colourfully decorated wooden bins from which people could serve themselves in bulk. We used paper and card containers. This was before the arrival of the common use of plastic bags.
We stocked a wide range of grains from Couscous to Bulgar wheat, Corn and Buckwheat along with a selection of freshly stone milled flour. Harvest offered fresh home baked goods such as vegetable pasties and oat date slices as well as natural leaven baked bread. We supported local suppliers, sourcing flour from stone ground millers along with local honey, vegetables and fruits.
Harvest attracted a wide range of customers from the area, from itinerant hippies to the residents of crescents, from council tenants to members of the family at Dyrham Park. People from many cultures came seeking the traditional foods they were familiar with. A woman of Slavic origins once loudly cried out “kasha” when she discovered her native food buckwheat in its original seed/grain form – as if suddenly reunited with an old family friend. Southern Europeans made their way to us for couscous and the Japanese bought quality tamari and nori. A friendly store run by a local Caribbean family opened a few doors away and we would regularly recommend customers to each other if one of us did not stock the foods the other lacked.
The author Angela Carter, who had moved to Bath, frequently came by. The families of the artists Joe Tilson and Richard Smith were regulars.
Harvest was open 6 days a week. The volume of people to serve on most Saturdays meant that it often had a party air.
Prior to the actual opening of the store, we shared a generative bond when we worked as a team to cook and serve simple food at the 20th – 24th June 1971 Glastonbury Fayre. This confirmed a camaraderie and enjoyment of being together to work joyfully as one body. David arranged for a marquee and we organised the food preparation and serving and drew other helpers into the project. There were times I would leave to check out the music and dance to find on our return a totally new group of people running everything in our marquee – a confirmation of the idealism of community realised.
What was founded at Harvest has increasing relevance in terms of individual health and the health of the planet. It offers the availability of food and the opportunity for people to make their own choices as well as contribute to a wider collective responsibility.
Memories of my fellow founding Harvesters:-
George
Pioneering vision for bringing projects into being, a persuasive enthusiast with a clear business sense, strength and cheerful re-newer of sound buildings.
Jan
Creative, down to earth, friendly encourager, community builder and team player, weaving a spell that all is possible, a beautiful voice and singer.
Sim
Quality graphic talent and designer of Harvest logos, quiet and reliable, possessor of well-considered judgement, ability to suggest solutions with gentle persuasion.
David
Inspired dreamer with the ability to realise alternative ideas enthusiastically in a working group, a romantic realist.
Many other people became attracted to play their part in the early days. We were grateful to – Hutch, Mike, Bob, Judy, Gill, Cathy & Larry Mikami, amongst many others, for their friendship and contributions.
May what we originally founded at Harvest continue to serve both its customers and those who contribute to this enterprise, for the benefit of everyone’s health and well-being. I send my hearty congratulations and warm wishes for the continuation and fulfilment of what we dreamed of all those years ago. The circle is unbroken.
Paul Grassick
Paul and Reg Taylor set up Nova with money that had been inherited. Without it, Nova would not have happened. The business and its products and services became popular very quickly and offered alternative foods that inspired others. Paul comments that one of the most popular products was Whole Earth peanut butter,
“We were always running out so I started to make my own using a hand mill. It became very popular and more was produced when new technology allowed.”
Paul comments that the business was going about operations differently from many others in that sector. Paul himself was driving to London and bringing back produce that was largely unavailable elsewhere. He arranged discounts for wholefoods as he was determined to, “change society and change the food that people were eating.” Also important to Paul in this period was connecting closely with other co-ops, as he felt that this business model was fair and most rewarding.
Nova was certainly pioneering, particularly in the local area where there were no other businesses offering a service and catalogue that resembled theirs. Paul mentions that it was vital to “keep on top of things” but it’s likely that they “grew too quickly, typical of a co-op”. Reasons for this were varied, but much of it was down to the produce on offer. They were the first to offer the trail mix that Patrick commented on and the ingredients came from around the world. Paul can recall that their banana chips were imported from The Philippines,
“We ordered some during the monsoon season and nothing happened. We wondered where our order had gone and then suddenly it all turned up and we had loads!”
As a result of Nova’s success and continuing expanding deliveries, Lembas (a Sheffield-based wholefoods wholesaler) established themselves. Paul did comment that Nova “didn’t believe in retaining profits. Profit was a capitalist system that they didn’t agree with.” Prices of the products were not set in association with profit and loss but on what they considered to be a fair and just price.
Paul finally comments that he was, “proud of what we’ve done in wholefoods” and that he is, “still into it.” And quite right too. Without Nova there’d be no Essential Trading and a significant gap in the market.
Patrick Nash
Patrick was number three in the Nova partnership and commented that “it wasn’t a job!” Having returned from Africa as a vegetarian, he decided that he wanted to involve himself in wholefoods. In 1980, he began to visit wholefood shops and walked into Nova and asked for a job. Upon querying whether he could drive a truck, Patrick wasn’t completely truthful, and with his answer, he was employed on the spot. Patrick regards this as “the shortest interview ever done!”
The two trucks used at the business were on hire and Patrick remembers the schedule for loading them. Orders came in on a Thursday, and Friday was spent loading the trucks for Monday to Wednesday deliveries the following week. It was a monumentally busy time, as Patrick comments,
“I only remember sleeping and working. Wages were £25 per week, plus food off the back of the truck. We were paid what we could live on and we all learnt so much about the business in three years.”
It wasn’t only humans that were working at the warehouse, however. “A cat to keep the mice away!” also operated. Innocent days! Despite a UK recession, the business was in a stage of growth. By early 1981 they had run out of space, so a new warehouse and a third truck were rented.
Patrick mentions that because they were all working so hard, he had little awareness of what was happening outside of the workplace. He was unaware that there was a miners’ strike until he was contacted by a Welsh miner, who informed him that he was turning to a vegetarian diet to save money. Patrick then supported the strike. Supplying the mining community in Wales established a good Welsh custom base and this continues today. Indeed, people liked the business and the employees and this was a major influence on the growth of the business. In addition, Nova introduced trail mix (nuts, raisins, dried fruit) which had impressive margins as the business could mix it in the warehouse themselves.
Popular foods for the business continued to be dry goods and Nova had an original way to sell the produce. Patrick tells us:
“there were sacks of grains, flours, nuts and dried fruit on the floor in the warehouse and people were invited in to help themselves. There was very little plastic in those days”.
Deliveries were still happening and they were delivering to more customers than ever before. In those days, limits on driving hours weren’t adhered to, “you could make it up in a log book”. The Department of Transport did, however, notice their non-conforming schedules and took Nova to court to make an example of the business but the case was dismissed. Perhaps if the service station spillage of 4 tonnes of honey that occurred in the period that followed had happened before then, the outcome might have been different! Thankfully, working practices have come a long way since then...
By 1983, Patrick commented that he was simply, “burnt out” and he left the business, but regards this period as a very formative experience and one that he has very fond memories of.
Sanjoy Das
Sanjoy was impressed by Nova’s herbs and spices and was keen to involve himself with the organisation, even though he was studying for a PhD at the time. As a new member, Sanjoy began to discover that the group had many other common interests, and recalls reggae music as one notable example.
Sanjoy was responsible for a curry powder blend and suggested many ranges. The group gave Sanjoy a household bin to mix all the ingredients and simply told him to get on with it! Sanjoy comments that the range he began to develop had a somewhat mystical and pioneering element to it, and mentions that this was in the days when “avant-garde was the Little Chef or the Beefeater!”.
The development of the business encompassed many elements, but there was a significant 'let’s just go ahead and do it' ethos. This optimistic outlook is one that Sanjoy regards as important to the success of the business. It wasn’t just those inside the business who adopted this outlook, however. Customers who were buying from wholefood shops shared similar values and the shops soon became full of familiar, appreciative people. Between them, they had, “a spirit that drove the whole thing.” Sanjoy regards this period as like living on a knife edge, but the group kept it real. The business soon became a commodity trader and delivery became as important as the produce. Runs were full and the delivery hours were long. These runs would likely be illegal now, but back then there were no restrictions from tachographs and the like. Few of them had families, so they could afford to work unsocial hours and spend time away from home.
Sanjoy recalls lots of different characters at the business and at the shops to whom they delivered. He remembers one particular employee who was constantly lifting 80kg sacks of hazelnuts, but a big sound system and happy working environment helped with the hard work. Profits were reinvested into the business rather than lining the pockets of those involved and this reflected the ethos. The outlook was good and personal wealth didn’t take precedence. Sanjoy mentions that there was always a feeling that they were all just a hair’s breadth away from failure, but this simply made them all work harder. Success was perhaps measured differently than now.
One element of the business’ operations that Sanjoy regarded as a risk was speculative buying. Ultimately, it was speculating with other’s lives, “if it goes wrong, they’re finished”. It’s fine for a sole trader to operate to this business format, but risky when considering other people. There was a genuine team spirit in the whole operation and the risk was never considered to be a problem.
I asked Sanjoy why he liked a cooperative business model. His response was wonderfully simple,
“Co-ops give people a chance to learn a trade. There’s real hands-on experience that you might not get elsewhere. Think of it as a tribal set-up.”
Mark Hitchins
Mark was initially very much responsible for the mixing produce part of the business and can be regarded as a muesli pioneer! He remembers mixing tons and tons of muesli for “ridiculous hours” and loading all the mixed goods onto trucks, only to start the process all over again. There was a real energy to the business that all members had at that time. They were all very driven and this was a key element in the success of the operation. Mark recalls that on average they were working 60-hour weeks, but at the time they had the vital energy and enthusiasm to do so. This made it possible.
There were many different cultures involved in the business and the wider community. Nova certainly had a multi-cultural set up and this welcomed diversity made it a success. Although money and profits were put back into the business rather than individual’s pockets, Mark fondly remembers ‘The Fleece’, a nearby pub that became a haven after a long day’s work. Mark remarks that it was a “work hard, play hard” culture, but it worked.
Mark was keen to further his knowledge of business operations and a cooperative business model and began to involve himself in Nova’s bookkeeping when he wasn’t mixing muesli. Although he didn’t have any book-keeping experience, Mark taught himself the ins and outs of financial operations and started attending national wholefoods meetings to gain more knowledge of the sector. Mark mentions that he had a lot of gusto and was, “particularly interested in the wider co-op movement.” With increased business acumen, he also went on to manage purchase ledgers, something he regarded as a very tough job; large containers of produce were being purchased, immediately followed by payment requests that weren't able to be met. A different and more stressful business operation than more recent times it would seem!
When Harvest and Nova merged and sought a new warehouse, Mark was instrumental in recommending Bristol for the hub. Although at first it wasn’t fully supported, his business outlook and comments on Bristol’s benefits did then garner support from the whole group. In retrospect, this was a particularly good business move and made more sense than staying in Bath.
I asked Mark about the products that most stood out. He commented that their diverse range often made them, “a testing ground for the market.” Soya milk is one example that immediately springs to mind. He soon returned to comments on his beloved muesli and is adamant that they were among the first to mix organic muesli in the UK. Indeed, so popular was the product, that they once received a contract to mix 20 tonnes of it! What Mark didn’t like was the tropical fruit mix, and remembers it as being messy, “everything would stick to it.”
I asked Mark about the future of wholefoods. His response:
“the future of wholefoods is organic but depends on an ability to afford it.”
We talked about ethical diets and both named notable sports stars who have adopted vegan diets; Anthony Joshua, Lewis Hamilton and David Haye to name just three. Mark himself wasn’t vegetarian when he first joined Nova, but the diverse products and cultural creations quickly converted him, despite 1980’s media regarding it as a hippy fad. We discussed the farming landscape and Mark shared my thoughts when he commented that, “industrialised farming is a disgrace.” If only everybody shared this point of view.
Steve Penny
Steve joined Nova in 1986, aged 27. He was the 11th member of the co-op and just like all at the business, he didn’t have a certified job title. Everyone there was doing more than one job. Steve remembers, “chopping nuts one day, packing ingredients the next.” Delivering the ‘Oxford Run’ was a regular fixture in Steve’s week. He enjoyed forging close relationships with all the customers to ensure that they were receiving the correct goods. Customer service became an obsession!
When Nova moved to Essential’s present site, Steve worked hard to help develop a structure for the warehouse which, at the time, had no specific design or order. With his preoccupation in ensuring customers were receiving the best possible service, he had inadvertently become extremely knowledgeable of where products were located and increasingly dealt with deliveries from suppliers. Steve developed a vital knowledge of stock levels, so buying duties seemed the next logical step. He began to produce paper documents to share this information with others in the co-op before the live computer system arrived at a later date.
When Nova and Harvest eventually merged, both businesses wanted to maintain their own buying teams. This was a little problematic. There were some disagreements and a genuine fear that the merger might not last, particularly as joining forces and having two buying departments meant there were two of everything in the warehouse! There was even some debate about the name, but the team came together and chose Essential, a play on Essen, German for “to eat.”
The different characters at the newly-formed co-op were one of the endearing features that Steve and the other members enjoyed. He fondly remembers Sanjoy’s creation of ‘Freeworld Trading’, a company that is still operating and supplying Essential today. The co-op was welcoming of people from different backgrounds and nationalities with different beliefs. Steve comments,
“The co-op was an inclusive employer and I’m proud of that.”
Steve believes that the success of Essential is partly down to the products that were selected for wholesaling and the relationships made with the producers. One particular event was the instigator for such trading and relationship-building, namely Biofach in Germany, a huge event based around organic foods. It gained Essential some unique products and is where the La Terra and Campo trading partnerships were forged. In addition, much of the produce was located in Holland, which made importing goods economical as only one delivery was required. Steve quips,
“Suddenly we had wholesale distribution and added products that people had never seen before!”
I asked Steve if he would do anything different in retrospect. He acknowledged that, like every business, there were problems along the way, but the ethos of the co-op was one of, “problems create opportunities.” They were able to overcome most obstacles, including the deadly financial crash of 2008.
And the future of wholefoods? Steve suggests that “The future’s arrived!” Essential has always focused on products that weren’t popular at the time and from producers that were largely unknown and this USP has paid dividends,
“Customers trusted us so much. We were like their research on what to buy.”