Tom Mercer, MD of breakfast oats company Moma Foods, on conveyor-belt potato picking, Goethe and Tom Cruise
What was your first-ever job? Working at home on the farm mending wooden potato trays for 20p each.
You've got 25 words to describe your career to date. Spreadsheets as a management consultant, then lots of driving and time in the kitchen as a start-up business, and now selling, product development and trying to be a good manager.
How do you describe your job to your mates? Fantastic, but damn hard work.
What is the worst job you've ever had? On the farm again grading potatoes this time. Basically you stand by a conveyor belt and pick off the bad ones. It wears pretty thin after a few weeks so hats off to the guys that do it.
If you could change one thing in grocery what would it be? The obsession with margins. A good product at a reasonable margin that sells well should make more money than higher-margin products that sell poorly.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? Great feedback from customers.
What is the least rewarding part? Dealing with buyers who think they can judge a product without trying it.
If you didn't work in grocery where would you work? Possibly in economic development work either in Africa or Asia.
Where do you hope to be in five years? That depends how many people decide they like Moma oat breakfasts between now and then!
What is your motto in life? I don't really have one, but this is a great quote from Goethe, which was in Howard Shultz's book about how he started Starbucks: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
What's your nickname? I hear some of the team call me Farmer Tom.
What was the first music single you bought? Roxette's How Do You Do.
What's your favourite movie and why? Top Gun - it is just an all-time classic.
What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? I lost £60 to a street con man in Barcelona - that game where they move the cups around and you have to guess which cup the coin is under.
What's the weirdest thing you've eaten? Mopani worms and mouse in Africa.
What luxury would you have on your desert island? A bottle of Laphroaig whisky.
What animal best reflects your personality and why? I'd like to be a tiger! Determined, energetic and persistent but enjoy chilling out when not on the hunt.
What was your first-ever job? Working at home on the farm mending wooden potato trays for 20p each.
You've got 25 words to describe your career to date. Spreadsheets as a management consultant, then lots of driving and time in the kitchen as a start-up business, and now selling, product development and trying to be a good manager.
How do you describe your job to your mates? Fantastic, but damn hard work.
What is the worst job you've ever had? On the farm again grading potatoes this time. Basically you stand by a conveyor belt and pick off the bad ones. It wears pretty thin after a few weeks so hats off to the guys that do it.
If you could change one thing in grocery what would it be? The obsession with margins. A good product at a reasonable margin that sells well should make more money than higher-margin products that sell poorly.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? Great feedback from customers.
What is the least rewarding part? Dealing with buyers who think they can judge a product without trying it.
If you didn't work in grocery where would you work? Possibly in economic development work either in Africa or Asia.
Where do you hope to be in five years? That depends how many people decide they like Moma oat breakfasts between now and then!
What is your motto in life? I don't really have one, but this is a great quote from Goethe, which was in Howard Shultz's book about how he started Starbucks: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
What's your nickname? I hear some of the team call me Farmer Tom.
What was the first music single you bought? Roxette's How Do You Do.
What's your favourite movie and why? Top Gun - it is just an all-time classic.
What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? I lost £60 to a street con man in Barcelona - that game where they move the cups around and you have to guess which cup the coin is under.
What's the weirdest thing you've eaten? Mopani worms and mouse in Africa.
What luxury would you have on your desert island? A bottle of Laphroaig whisky.
What animal best reflects your personality and why? I'd like to be a tiger! Determined, energetic and persistent but enjoy chilling out when not on the hunt.
No comments yet