worldwide fruit

It was July 2005 that Rachel Blackburn first started working on Leadership Development Projects at Lincolnshire-based Worldwide Fruit Ltd. Established in 2000, Worldwide Fruit is an award-winning international fruit marketing and distribution company. It sources products globally from over 1000 growers worldwide, ensuring continuity of supply 365 days of the year to the UK's leading supermarkets.

15 years later the professional working relationship continues and Rachel, along with other colleagues at US2U Consulting, have delivered a wide range of solutions to assist Lincolnshire-based Worldwide Fruit to continue to drive positive change in their business.

"It has been great to work with Worldwide Fruit for so many years; to get to know the people, the culture and the product ranges. The business never stands still. There is always more to do to develop people and processes in line with the Worldwide Fruit values of 'Passion, Quality, Innovation, Together'" said Rachel Blackburn.

Trish McCarron, HR Director at Worldwide Fruit (pictured), said, "During the last 15 years our business has doubled in size and been really successful. Rachel and the team at US2U Consulting have played an integral part in helping to develop our people; they have been like an extension of the HR Team."

We look forward to continuing to make a Positive Difference to Worldwide Fruit in the coming years.

It's been a busy end to 2022 as we have been busy supporting clients and the professional community. A few recent highlights of what US2U Consulting have been up to are below:

Creative Swiping with ETA Green Power at Worldwide Fruit

We often encourage our clients to visit other clients of ours, often from different industries, to conduct 'Creative Swiping' activities to drive their continuous improvement strategies. We recently arranged for Norfolk-based ETA Green Power to visit Worldwide Fruit in Lincolnshire to do just this. "It was a superb day; we have learnt lots of practical things that we can use to develop our continuous improvement culture" said Craig Joryeff, QHSE Manager, ETA Green Power.

ETA Green Power IET Partnership Programme

We have been pleased to also recently launch the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Partnership Programme for our client ETA Green Power. "It is great that we have joined this world class network" said Liam Bowman, CTO, ETA Green Power.

Boniface Engineering 40th Anniversary celebrations continue

Rounding up the 40th anniversary year celebrations of Thetford-based Boniface Engineering Ltd, we were pleased to attend the sponsorship event with our client Thomas Whiskin, Managing Director of ASAMS Ltd. It was another great opportunity to see a truck recovered quickly from a crashed position by the internationally-renowned Boniface Engineering equipment. Pictured from left to right are Thomas Whiskin, Rachel Blackburn, and Boniface Engineering's General Manager Jackie Rix and Managing Director Mike Boniface.

Rachel Blackburn speaks on a Hays Recruitment webinar on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Attracting and retaining great staff is forecast to continue to be a challenge during 2023. We were pleased to be invited to speak at a recent Hays Recruitment Webinar about the importance of maintaining focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as a key part of an organisation's People Strategy - not in a 'woke' way but in a 'Let's make this a great place to work for all" way. More information about the ED&I survey we conducted during the webinar will follow next year.

The Gem Appeal Charity Ball in Manchester

The Gem Appeal was started back in 1994 to raise funds for genetic research with a view to treating and hopefully one day eradicating life-limiting disorders. Two of the team were pleased to attend the Denise Welch Enchanted Wonderland Ball in Manchester in November, which was raising funds to support the appeal. Rachel Blackburn is pictured with some celebrities who attended the event.

We have enjoyed working with many different organisations this year as they navigated the challenges of 2022, and we look forward to continuing to make a positive difference to our clients in 2023.

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US2U Consulting attended the Food Matters Live Exhibition 2017 at ExCeL London on 22 and 23 November in order to learn about the latest trends and innovations within the food and drink sector.

US2U Consulting has enjoyed working with many clients in this sector and we look forward to embracing the challenges and opportunities that will impact this sector in the future.

The exhibition also provided dozens of seminars and conferences about all aspects of food and drink, including a keynote talk featuring celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal. There were also hundreds of food samples on offer, including the much talked-about seaweed pasta (seaweed is predicted to be the next big global food source!).

US2U Consulting has worked alongside Worldwide Fruit to produce a film documenting the growth and supply of avocados, one of the company's expanding product areas.

The film, titled From Field to Fork, was filmed at a number of locations from Malaga, Spain, to Marble Arch in London, and is being used to increase understanding of the process amongst staff at all stages of the supply chain.

Watch the edited highlights below.

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US2U Consulting Director Rachel Blackburn was delighted to be asked to 'produce' a presentation on Change Management at the recent Fresh Produce Consortium HR Forum in Peterborough.

Rachel spoke about the different services US2U Consulting can offer to the fresh produce industry using her experience working with long-standing client Worldwide Fruit Ltd as a case study.

Using the successful projects with Worldwide Fruit as an example, Rachel demonstrated how the US2U Consulting team can make a positive difference in many aspects of businesses in the industry, from senior management and team leader development through to managing diversity.

Three members of the US2U Consulting team travelled to Spalding on Monday 21 October to witness the opening of a new storage facility at Worldwide Fruit.

The company’s new facility was officially opened by former Worldwide Fruit CEO Robert Balicki. Guests were then given a tour and even got the chance to sample the cold temperatures of the storage units, which can range from -1.5°C to 5°C.

Newly-appointed CEO Steve Maxwell said the facility was part of creating a stronger future for the company. He said: “The facility will allow us to provide better quality products and maintain a strong position in relation to our competitors.”

US2U Consulting Director Rachel Blackburn said: “Having worked with Worldwide Fruit since I first formed US2U Consulting, it is great to see them thriving and investing in a successful future.”

For 10 years we have been making a positive difference with our client Worldwide Fruit Ltd using 360 Degree Feedback.

The aim of the 360 Degree Feedback Programme is to enable the employees to receive feedback from their line manager, direct reports and nominated peers against a framework which reflects the key Management Principles that Worldwide Fruit strives to encourage to drive the company culture.

Once the feedback is received, US2U Consulting create a report, debrief the participant and then make a Personal Development Plan which can be actioned and reviewed during performance management sessions.

Worldwide Fruit Ltd are in the fresh produce industry with a main focus on fruit. They supply fruit to many well-known companies such as M&S and Waitrose, and we have enjoyed working with them for 17 years now - with the first project back in 2005!

"As a business we aim to grow our own talent. 360 Degree Feedback is a part of self-awareness and self-development. It is an opportunity for leaders to develop key skills, and we get increased value from people who are self-aware and that is why we invest in it." Said Anna Pike (pictured, left, with Rachel Blackburn), Head of HR at Worldwide Fruit.

US2U Consulting tailors its programme to the needs of its clients and have been creating successful 360 Degree Feedback programmes for Worldwide Fruit for 10 years. It has been a pleasure to work with Worldwide Fruit during this time and we look forward to our future work together.

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Rachel and Kerwin Blackburn attended the "When I Grow Up" careers exhibition at Norwich Cathedral on Tuesday 15 December, aimed at providing inspirational careers advice to over 500 children from the Harleston schools in Norfolk.

The event featured around 80 organisations from a variety of sectors, and we were pleased to be featured within the "something a little bit different" section!

As part of our display we featured several of our clients to convey the benefits of becoming a Management Consultant, including fresh produce from Worldwide Fruit and G's Fresh, and an ABC Taxis recruitment film.

Unsurprisingly, however, Wayne Rooney's signed, match-worn football boots managed to steal the show, with many of the 7-13 year old crowd taking 'boot selfies' and vowing not to wash their hands again after holding them!

Emma Johnson, the schools' Cluster Coordinator, said "Thank you for bringing so many great activities and goodies for the children and sharing your passion for the jobs you do. The feedback from teachers and pupils has been so positive."

We were proud to raise £585 by hosting a fun-filled dinner party that culminated in an auction of promises and a firework display. Thanks to all those who attended and to our sponsors: Blue Sky Leisure, Worldwide Fruit, The Jeffries, Clare College Cambridge, Adnams, Red Hot Poker and Ben Burgess.

NORCAS Chief Executive, Maggie Williams, said "Wow! That's brilliant. Thank you so much for supporting us and our work."

Rachel Blackburn was thrilled to be invited to the Dot Com Children's Foundation Strictly Ballroom Fundraising Gala Dinner on Monday 14th September at Mansion House, London.

Dot Com Children's Foundation is aimed at empowering children through its Value Versus Violence Education Programme and managed to raise an impressive £81,000 on the night.

Attending as a guest of long-standing client Worldwide Fruit and pictured with the night's compare Anton Du Beke, Rachel Blackburn contributed to the silent auction, winning a signed pair of Wayne Rooney's matchworn football boots!

>When a client receives a national award, we take immense pleasure in knowing we've been part of their road to success.

We would like to offer our congratulations to Worldwide Fruit who were recently presented with the Plan A Food Supplier of the Year award at the Marks & Spencer Plan A conference and awards.

In our long-standing relationship with Worldwide Fruit we have seen them, as leaders in their field, take great pride in investing in staff and management development in order that they can provide the best service possible.

Worldwide Fruit are committed to the future both of their people and of their products and this award now illustrates the deserved recognition for the efforts.

Hannah McIlfatrick, Worldwide Fruit Business Unit Manager, was presented with the award by Joanna Lumley and Marc Bolland, CEO of Marks & Spencer.

US2U Consulting spent the day at Worldwide Fruit in Spalding with delegates from Saudi Arabia, studying in the UK for undergraduate degrees and attending an overseas leadership conference. This is being delivered in partnership with the University of East Anglia on behalf of Aramco Overseas UK, the UK arm of Saudi Arabian oil company Saudi Aramco.

Geared towards exploring the implementation of Transformational Leadership within organisations, the visit comprised of a factory tour and presentations from Worldwide Fruit HR Director Trish McCarron along with other colleagues.

"It was great to get positive feedback from the delegates who have gained an insight into how to manage positive change" said Rachel Blackburn.