We’re still a small family business and we have a thriving, growing organism here that is promoting better choices in terms of what you eat and making healthy eating exciting.

Nick Barnard, Rude Health. This interview took place in 2018

Rude Health Owner: Nick & Camilla Barnard Location: Fulham, London Certified for: Importing, retailing and wholesaling, brokerage and trading.

Background: Rude Health was set up in 2005 when Nick and Camilla Barnard grew weary of cereals that claimed to be healthy and organic but included significant amounts of additives and sugar. Originally operating from their own kitchen, they now have a team of 20, an office in Fulham and Amsterdam and a turnover of more than £10 million.

Benefits of working with OF&G: Nick, said: “Over the years, I’ve got involved with OF&G on a supportive basis. I’ve attended conferences and have enjoyed pitching in with views and supporter activity. Every time we encounter OF&G it’s always a very positive experience for us and them.

“Every single farmer I meet who is either organic certified or in conversion, I recommend OF&G to them because they are a quiet, effective and respectful organisation.”

Why get certified? “Our ethos is very much embedded in the organic world, so to get certification seemed completely natural and the right thing to do. We were 100% organic to start with, but found that we had to switch to non-organic for some foods in order to not be priced out of the market and in order to be able to source more reliably.

I’d like to have all our foods organic if we could. We have a close relationship with our producers and we visit farms to understand how they work and make sure it is a sustainable relationship. We only use non-organic ingredients when we are satisfied that our demand for ethics, sustainability, quality and taste are met.”

Why OF&G: “We established Rude Health 11 years ago, and we were certified organic right from day one. We switched to OF&G a few years later – they do a great job.

“I have never had any problems with OF&G. They are practical and collaborative, they are cost efficient and they know exactly what they are doing. What’s nice is that they also know their limitations. I welcome this hugely, because it allows us to do what we do best and allows them to do what they do best.

“We’re still a small family business and we have a thriving, growing organism here that is promoting better choices in terms of what you eat and making healthy eating exciting. OF&G are a key part of that because they support us with our certification and we’re really happy with their input.”

What is the certification process like? “It’s extremely easy as long as you’ve got the discipline and desire to do what is required. For us, because we’re not primary producers, it’s a bit easier because we have a network of producers and co-packers who have either been brought into organic because of us or were already organic, so all we had to do was conform to the requirements of the certification which OF&G made very straightforward.”

Website: rudehealth.com Tel: 020 7731 3740 Email: hello@rudehealth.com Address: 212 New King’s Road, London, SW6 4NZ