Nathaniel Wood

Harvest Supervisor – Mullens Farm

Nat's story

They gave me the freedom to manage a team and take on more responsibilities

I like the people I work with – they are passionate, hard-working, really care and want to do the best they can.

How long have you been with Vitacress?

Just over 3 years

Tell us a bit about your roles

I spent six months at Vitacress Herbs within the growing/agronomy teams then six months at our farm in Kent as a tractor operator on the growing team. This followed by six months helping with various projects and working on our Second Nature priorities on our farms as we work towards net zero. Over the last year, I’ve worked at Mullens farm in Wiltshire managing the harvest team and getting involved in as many projects as possible.

What do you like about working for the company?

I like the people I work with – they are passionate, hard-working, really care and want to do the best they can. They’re always willing to help in any way.

Training and development driven by conscientious managers who encourage staff development – hard-working staff are invested in with extra training and responsibilities.

Are there training and development opportunities for people working at Vitacress?

Training/development opportunities for me – passed FACTs, forklift qualification, undergoing BASIS from January. Initially, working as harvest supervisor was a real show of confidence from my managers. They gave me the freedom to manage a team and take on more responsibilities and are always there to assist and advise when needed.

Sum up Vitacress in three words

3 words – Best at baby-leaf

What advice would you give someone new?

Get stuck in with everything and talk to everyone. There is lots of knowledge/expertise within the business, so try and take in as much as possible!

Share a happy memory with us

Running competitions within the harvest team as to who can most accurately guess how many ‘kilos’ we would get from a drilling of crop. Our harvest driver won more often than not, although I have suspicions that there may have been some cheating going on… his partner was working in the fridge weighing the pallets!

Other stories

Julie Nilssen-Francis

Raw Material Planner - Procurement, Vitacress Herbs

I started on a Graduate Programme in September 2021, and was meant to stay on the programme for two years rotating across four different parts of the business. However, I was offered a permanent position during my first placement, and ended up moving into an R&D Coordinator position in January 2022.

Leah Mathias-Collins

Group Environment Manager

My main responsibility is the management and delivery of the Vitacress environmental sustainability plan, Second Nature; brand ambassador for environmentally sustainability; leading the net zero Science Based Targets initiative; maintaining awareness of current legislation, emerging issues, international, national and local environmental issues, and manage their implications.

Madalina Brutu

Process Improvement Coordinator, Vitacress Salads

I joined in September 2018 working a few days a week with no real plan. Since then, I’ve worked in a quality auditor role and after three years, having built up my experience and understanding of the business, I moved to a process improvement role to progress my career with Vitacress.

Simon Hues

Production Director, Vitacress Portugal

I have always enjoyed working on the farms with the growers in all geographies, a great team of grounded people. Baby leaf is fast moving and I have a lot going on all the time. This is one of the most intensive forms of outdoor farming, which you get a bit of a buzz from.

Vânia Santos

Supply Chain Planning Manager, Vitacress Portugal

I started working in Vitacress in 2001 in reception and expedition of produce. Back then, we only had the export business. After 2 years, my role was expanded and I also started doing quality control on the reception warehouse.