1. How long have you worked in the pea industry?
I’ve had the pleasure of running the Yes Peas! campaign for five years, working with the self-proclaimed ‘pod squad’ at Hatch and inspiring individuals in the pea vining industry to bring key messages about frozen peas to consumers in an engaging and inspiring way.
2. How did you start?
Hatch was appointed to take the Yes Peas! campaign to a new level, engaging with a wide range of audiences to promote the nutritional benefits, provenance and locked in freshness messages about frozen peas. Our mighty mission is to increase sales of frozen peas and inspire consumers to perceive peas as a main ingredient (as opposed to an accompaniment) in everyday recipes.
3. What does a typical day look like for you?
Today is a busy day in peas as we’re planning to launch our 2020 campaigns – first up, Young Pea Chef of the Year, which has grown in popularity since its launch in 2016. The team is chatting to interested sponsors who are keen to align themselves with this fantastic campaign, developing our competition webpage ready for launch (on our swanky new website) and producing teacher’s resources to help educate and inspire school children to think creatively about cooking with peas.
Our social media team is celebrating after a very punny Twitter conversation saw BBC Radio 4 concede that a guest on their show does, in fact, LOVE PEAS. We are busy finalising content plans for our social channels and developing creative assets which bring to life the journey peas take from seed through to growing, harvesting, processing and freezing – no easy feat!
Our reports are due and we’re pleased to feedback to the industry that our stunning new recipes and images are a big success and have been featured nationally by The i and Your Home magazine in the last few weeks, as well as coverage on the success of the Yes Peas! campaign in the NFU and Veg Farmer magazines.
We’re also launching a health focus for Q1 of this year which will see us engaging a new audience demographic of young, fitness enthusiasts. Watch out avocados, peas are about to steal your crown!
4. Which three people would you invite to your dream dinner party and why?
The legend that is Sir David Attenborough – no explanation needed. Nelson Mandela – having sat outside his home in Soweto (creepy I know) and attempted, and failed, to read all 630 pages of Long Walk to Freedom six times, it would have been a dream to hear a first-person recount of his life. Michelle Obama – because as they say, behind every great man is a great* woman… (*I think the saying goes ‘better woman’ but we’re all about equality here).
5. What is your second favourite vegetable? (Obviously peas take the top spot!)
Broccoli.
