Richard Thorpe

From beer testing to cheese tasting, Richard Thorpe, market development director at Ornua Ingredients UK, takes our 60-second interview challenge and explains why food to go businesses are the ones to watch this year.

 

Describe yourself in three words.

Loyal, thoughtful, honest.

What’s your biggest professional achievement?

Judging the Supreme Champion cheese at the International Cheese Awards.

How did you get to where you are today?

Being flexible and changing with the times.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A commute through the Cheshire and Shropshire countryside, checking my emails and then working on whichever of my current projects has the nearest deadline approaching.

What have been the highlights of your company’s history, in your opinion?

The sale of The Cheese Warehouse to Ornua (formally Irish Dairy Board) in 2012 opened up a whole raft of opportunities for growth.

What is your pet hate?

Rudeness and ignorance.

Give us a positive prediction for the food industry over the next 12 months.

We are seeing greater demand for products with provenance and a story behind them. Also, reducing salt in prepared foods is a challenge that the industry will have to face up to in the coming year.

What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?

Purpose, empathy and vision.

Who do you most admire?

I am a great admirer of Simon Sinek, who developed the concept of ‘the golden circle’ and wrote the book Start With Why.

Which people/organisations or companies are the ones to watch right now?

Businesses involved with food to go are the ones to watch, as this sector is currently driving growth in the foodservice and hospitality markets.

Which words do you most overuse?

Leave it with me.

If you weren’t in your current position, what else might you be doing?

Probably running my own cheese shop and deli.

Tell us something about yourself that few people know.

I started my career as a beer tester (including tasting!) in a Manchester brewery.

Any vices?

Cheese.

What single thing would most improve the quality of your life?

I would like to get involved with voluntary work.

How do you relax?

Walking, reading and the occasional beer.

How would you like to be remembered?

As a loyal friend.

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