Sarah Calcutt has been named general manager of a new producer organisation (PO) as she returns to working more directly with growers.
Calcutt will take the reins at the newly-formed Avalon Growers Producer Organisation (AGPO), which combines the Society of Growers of Topfruit (SGT) with the Fruit Growers Alliance (FGA). It is a group of 21 top fruit growers spread between Cambridgeshire, East Sussex, Suffolk, Kent and Hampshire.
Formerly, the fresh produce marketer was a grower and vice-chairman at the SGT and Calcutt is looking forward to working with the grower group once more.
She will continue to work with her key clients as the head of Partners in Produce, a commercial and marketing company that she founded five years ago, as well as leading the National Fruit Show – a role she has held since 2009.
Commenting on her appointment, Calcutt said: “I’m really, really pleased. I’ve had a really interesting five years at Partner in Produce, but I’ve gradually got further and further away from growers. I am a grower in my heart and to be able to come home and work with the group that I grew up with is wonderful.”
As AGPO’s general manager, Calcutt will be a point of contact for growers, informing change in efficiencies relating to farming practice, as well as working closely with the Avalon Produce marketing desk. British Growers will manage the PO’s fund, with Calcutt in charge of its delivery.
