Sustainability for People

Our people are our biggest strength. We recognise this and prioritise health, safety and wellbeing across our organisation in a number of ways.

Values Driven Business

As a family-run business, it’s important that we share a common set of values and work together with purpose and respect.
We’ve built a values-driven culture through our shared FRESH values, which are embedded into every role across the organisation. These values guide how we work, how we lead, and how we support one another.
We also provide training on our values and recognise team members who embody them through our Employee of the Month initiative.

Investing in People

With a workforce of around 140 employees, Gilfresh invests in its people by providing training and development opportunities. Their focus on employee well-being and growth contributes to a supportive work environment.

Promoting Health and Wellbeing

Our dedicated Health and Wellbeing Team plays a key role in embedding employee wellbeing into our culture through our Health, Wellbeing, and Community Engagement Programme. In 2024–2025, we delivered a full calendar of events and initiatives, including:

Six fully trained mental health first aiders
Company barbecues
Fresh Fruit Fridays
Healthy recipe ideas
Staff walking challenges
Expert-led resilience workshops
Monthly staff newsletter
Awareness days on key wellbeing topics

Giving back to the Community

Our community matters to us, and we’re proud to play an active role through a variety of outreach and support activities, such as:

Regular school talks and guest lectures
Staff-led charity fundraising events
Weekly donations to FareShare
Sponsorship of local sports teams and clubs
Educational site tours
An active social media presence sharing insights into sustainable vegetable production

Ensuring High Standards for our People

We are committed to maintaining high standards in labour practices, health and safety, environmental performance, and ethical conduct — both within our operations and across our supply chain.
These standards are independently verified through regular audits, with results shared transparently with our customers.

Educating and Empowering Our Team

We deliver a broad training and development programme for our people, tailored to identified needs. Key focus areas include:

Leadership development
The 26 Steps programme
Embedding our core values
Health, safety, and wellbeing
Building sustainability awareness and knowledge

Food Safety and Innovation

We are committed to the highest standards of food safety and transparency. Our processes are regularly audited by independent third parties to ensure full compliance with industry standards. At the same time, we continue to develop and bring to market innovative, healthy, and more sustainable food products that meet the evolving needs of our customers.

Click below to find out more about how we are working towards our pillars of Planet and Prosperity.

Planet

We’re committed to protecting the planet. Through responsible farming practices, smarter use of resources, and a focus on continuous improvement, we’re working to better understand and manage our environmental impact — with the goal of contributing to a more sustainable future.
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Prosperity

We strive to build a resilient, future-focused business by aligning sustainable growth with environmental and social responsibility. Through innovation and continuous improvement, we aim to create long-term value for our business, our communities, and the wider food system.
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