Simon Wright celebrated 27* years since “going freelance” in the world of sustainable food earlier this month at a gathering at Covent Garden’s Seven Dials Club.
Leading luminaries from across the world of natural and organic food joined a sprinkling of rock and rollers to mark the occasion.
There were reflections on Simon’s pre-consultancy career and an agonising decision to be made: Rock star or food technologist? Rock star won and a leather clad Simon Wright burst onto the punk scene with his band Trash (there were two early Polydor 45s on display for rock and roll archeologists to ponder). The punk career was to be short lived and in recent decades Simon’s passion for all things rock has been channelled into writing about it.
There were memories recounted of early roles at Whole Earth Foods and Green & Black’s and collaborations with assorted “food insurrectionists” at the time.
In 1995, Simon started his consultancy (now OF+ Consulting), and has worked closely with some of the best known names in organic, Fairtrade and free-from over the subsequent years. “Too much fun to mention” had happened, he said, but offered up these career highlights:
- Ben Elton and Tony Robinson agreeing to fund the launch of the Divine chocolate range over dinner at Kettners
- Going to Malawi to explore the possibility of Fairtrade tobacco for the much-missed Simon Dunn
- Running The World’s First Organic Cocktail Bar for Sainsbury’s in Cirencester
- Helping to organise the Whole Earth Foods 20th Birthday Party at the Groucho Club
- Having to speak after Prince Charles at a Lancaster House conference
- Launching The Handbok of Organic and Fairtrade Marketing at a very upmarket hotel in Paris
The guest list (all those who could make it on the night)
Abundance Southfields
Richard Konig
Simone Konig
Serena Potter
Bucketful Of Brains
Nick West
Alan Hauser
Chocolate
Gareth Broom
Sadhbh O’Connor
Chantal Cody
Silvija Davidson
Fairtrade
Ian Bretman
Free From
Michelle Berriedale-Johnson
OF+ Consultancy
Lee Holdstock
Tim Lang
David and Teresa Church
Justin Hopper
Adrian Whitefoord
Tracy Kane
Peter Langsam
Richard Austin
Diane McCrea
Quality Food Awards
Jane Milton
Katie Theofanos
Atma Hyett
Beth Treleaven
Beckie Dart
R ’n’ B Records
Nick Duckett & Mandy
Jai Rathbone
Rolling Stones Fans
Chris Davies
Julia Kostic
Mike Baess
Paul Monk
(ex) Sainsbury’s
Melissa Addey
Trash
Keith Steptoe & Sue
Wendy Rose
Wendy Rose
(ex) Whole Earth Foods
Cliff Moss & Lee
Craig Sams
Jo Fairley
Bill Henry
Robin Bines
Renee and Brian Elliott
Photos: Chris Davies
• It was meant to be 25 years, but you know what happened