Peter Garvin

What has been the defining moment of your career?
That’s dead easy - the day I met Dudley Ramsden. It was a stroke of good luck for both of us. We’d never come across each other before. We met at quarter to 12 for lunch and I got home at two the next morning. It was the best lunch appointment I’ve ever had - and it was the coming together of two ideas from different philosophies.

What’s been the most influential product launch over the past 150 years?
That’s really difficult. Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes - that’s my personal favourite, so why not. They’ve really cracked it there, haven’t they? I suppose the biggest breakthrough is the introduction of chilled foods. Frozen was OK, but now it’s going downhill. Chilled foods were the big breakthrough and will continue to be so. But don’t forget Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes!

How important a tool has The Grocer been to your career?
When one starts a business, all publicity is fantastic. When one has been in business for a bit it’s not as important - but it’s still part of the structure in which we work and it’s vital to us.