Food with Integrity: Charles Redfern's Organic Journey
- Jay Greenwood
- May 2
- 2 min read
Charles Redfern's three-decade journey as an organic food pioneer reveals the fascinating evolution from accidental entrepreneur to sustainability champion. After stumbling into finance against his creative ambitions, Charles found his true purpose in food, starting with a simple desire to bring French cordial to Britain's limited market.
With refreshing honesty, Charles details his early naivety - storing product pallets in personal storage units and learning distribution logistics through painful trial and error. This grassroots education eventually blossomed into founding Real Foods, Organico and Fish4ever, establishing him as a respected voice in sustainable food systems long before it became fashionable.
What distinguishes Charles' approach is his comprehensive vision of sustainability, particularly in seafood. Rejecting simplified standards focused solely on fish stocks, he pioneered a 38-point system examining social impacts, fishing methods, community effects, and transparency - a "who, what, where and how" framework that predated many current sustainability models. His determination to verify sources firsthand, from visiting Maldives factories to questioning suppliers about their practices, demonstrates the depth of commitment often missing in today's checkbox sustainability.
The contrast Charles draws between UK and European organic markets provides crucial context for understanding food system development. While the UK's organic sector remained relatively niche, European countries built robust infrastructure including dedicated supermarkets, research institutes, and political support across the spectrum. This insight prompted his strategic European expansion before Brexit, transforming Fish Forever into a continental brand with presence in thousands of shops.
Charles' experiences weathering economic storms - from the 2008 financial crash to Brexit and beyond - offer practical wisdom for today's entrepreneurs. His candid philosophy of adaptability over rigid planning speaks to the realities of food business. As climate disruptions and political upheavals increasingly affect our food systems, his pioneering work reminds us that integrity and transparency remain the foundations of truly sustainable business.
Comments