Founder of Peter Cooper (Fruit) lived a rich and varied life
Peter Dennis Cooper, who had a long career as a London wholesaler and was Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, has died aged 78.
Born in 1945 in Maidenhead, Berkshire, Cooper was brought up in post-war London by a father who was a senior fruit inspector and mother whose father also worked in the fruit trade, at Covent Garden Market.
He could have taken a different route, as his father’s family were successful sawdust contractors and several relatives in his mother’s family were – and still are – “Amusement Caterers”, an important part of the fairground community.
Entering the industry
On leaving his secondary modern school, Cooper planned to become an electrician but took the advice of his parents and followed his father and grandfather into Covent Garden, joining British & Brazilian (B&B) as shop boy in 1960 and progressing soon after to be the most junior of salesmen.
In days that Cooper later realised were his apprenticeship in the trade, he counted Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose amongst his daily customers, as well as then well-known names such as F Meyers of Acton, G M Gerrards, Henry Solomons and T Walton.
His first move was to Brentford Market in 1964, where B&B had opened a new branch called James Seymore, but at the age of just 23 Cooper was made manager of Simons & Co Ltd, which at the time was a leading light in the apple and pear import business.
He relocated again to his third London wholesale market and the Spitalfields office of Simons, before spending a year working for a supplier in France in 1975, where he said he learnt that “it was not always the exporter who was at fault!”
Having also developed his spoken French to a level that stood him in good stead often in later life, Cooper was moved back to the UK by Simons and became a buyer for United Fruit Shippers in Tonbridge, where he spent another two years getting better acquainted with the international fresh produce supply chain.
Going it alone
In 1978, now well versed in the fruit trade, he took the plunge and created his own business, Peter Cooper (Fruit) Ltd, at Western International Market. After a year attempting to specialise in French produce, Cooper recognised that “I was only making wages, when the idea of working for yourself was to make money.”
Not one for blind alleys, he changed course and became extremely adept at finding suitable homes for product that other wholesalers were unable to sell. His ability to find a buyer for and make a profit from fruit of all grades, or “unloved fruit” as he often referred to it, became legendary and his terms of trade were always clear: “In this life, one thing counts, in the bank large amounts” and “In the Lord we trust, all others pay cash. No Credit!” were his consistent mantras.
This eminently sensible approach enabled Cooper to trade successfully for 29 years and nine months, until he decided to retire and sold his business in 2007, aged 63.
He had become a liveryman in 2001 and enjoyed a very successful year as Master of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers in 2014. As an official London Guide, Cooper’s knowledge of the City of London was incredible and he brought that expertise, alongside his fruit expertise and many other skills, to his role as Master.
He was an extremely active Liveryman, contributing huge amounts to the company in a variety of roles, including perhaps most extensively as Fruiterers Archivist, which he had performed admirably since 2010.
Fruitnet MD Chris White, himself a Fruiterer, said: “I only got to know Peter in the last few years. He was a great fan of the FPJ. Peter told me he owed it so much because he’d got his first break in the business by applying for a job via an advert listed in our classifieds section.
“Tommy and I interviewed Peter only recently for a thing we wanted to put out about him. All Peter’s stories about the business are there and at one point he surprised us both by speaking fluent French!
“Peter kindly gave me a lift home after the Fruiterers’ Summer Court dinner in June. He was so full of life and had lots of plans. It was to be the last time I saw him.”
Cooper was also a very well-known face on the London restaurant scene, entertaining friends and family almost daily at establishments including The Goring, Galvins, Le Café du Marché and Clos Maggiore, to name just four of many that counted ‘Mr Cooper’ as a respected customer.
A fine raconteur and excellent listener, Cooper was never anything less than great company and delighted in knowing people from all types of backgrounds and trades. He lived a rich life.
Cooper never married. He leaves his sister Jackie, who will release details of his funeral once they are known.
