History

Phoenix Organics Ltd has been trading since 2002. It was decided from the outset that the company would focus on supplying the independent, small business sector. Subsequent development has resulted in a network of customers throughout the U.K. and Ireland.

Principles

We believe fervently in the ethical principles of honesty and fairness. This is reflected in the way that we do business with suppliers and customers alike. Phoenix sources produce from many suppliers, both large and small, and whilst we aim to source as much as possible from local producers, we do also work with both growers and traders from abroad. We aim to pay our suppliers promptly and we expect the same from our customers. We appreciate that speedy cash flow is increasingly vital for small businesses. We take great pride in the way that we communicate with our customers, updating them on the progress of their orders, advising them of problems and generally ensuring that they have the information they need to run their own business effectively.

Suppliers

Our suppliers are crucial to the success of our business. We try and work with as many local farmers and growers as we can. This is particularly the case with less usual crops, and salads where freshness is vital. We encourage them to expand their cropping if that is their wish, and advise them about the crops and quality that our customers require. We also have close links with producers from elsewhere in the UK and abroad, particularly for the supply of fruits. We are always happy to talk with potential new suppliers, and if you would like to discuss this possibility, please go to our Contacts page.

Customers

Having decided from the outset that we wanted to support the small and medium sized organic outlets, we have prioritised Box schemes and independent retailers. We also supply caterers, processors and other wholesalers. We feel that in the organic boom of the 1990’s, with supermarkets taking the lion’s share of the expanding production, the smaller outlets were frequently unable to secure consistently sound produce on a regular basis. Phoenix is determined to source consistently high quality produce to enable home delivery schemes and small shops to compete with the multiples in the supply of organic fresh fruit and vegetables.

Staff

Here at Phoenix, we recognize that in order to be a successful business, consistently satisfying our customers’ needs, we need to have a happy, contented and informed staff. Despite the inevitable stresses and strains of the fresh produce market, our staff will always try to remain cheerful, courteous and helpful. We trust that this ensures that dealing with Phoenix is always a satisfactory and rewarding experience.

Owners

Steve Tomkins has a degree in Agriculture from Reading University. Since graduating he has spent time working on both conventional and organic farms involved with arable crops and livestock before becoming involved with organic fresh produce. He gained experience working with two different companies before combining with long-standing friend Geoff Mutton to form Phoenix Organics.
Geoff Mutton has a diploma in Commercial Horticulture from Pershore College of Horticulture, ran a commercial organic market garden for over 20 years, served on the Soil Association Producer Committee and worked for 10 years marketing organic fresh produce before the start of Phoenix.

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