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Paul’s top trend predictions for Christmas 2021:

1. MORE VEGAN CHOCOLATE: “Testament to increased consumer demand, this year, we have a bigger vegan offering than ever before in our Christmas catalogue! This includes plenty of vegan alternatives to Christmas favourites, as well premium products for gifting. The trend towards vegan confectionery continues to grow, so we expect brands like Booja Booja and its range of vegan, organic chocolate truffles to perform well. With flavours including Hazelnut Crunch, Espresso Chocolate, Honeycomb Caramel and Salted Almond, there’s really something for everyone to enjoy! Also new for this year, is the Probios organic vegan Panettone, made with spelt – which is sure to be a hit over the festive period, meaning no one misses out on Panettone this year!”

2. BUY B CORP: “As Cotswold Fayre was one of the first companies in the UK to certify as a B Corporation, we’re always looking to support other B Corps. This year’s Christmas catalogue features more B Corp suppliers than ever before – that’s 21 in total, doubling in the last year alone. Consumers are always on the lookout for brilliant brands and products that are also ‘good for the world’ – and there are certainly plenty of these to choose from!”

3. BRING A BOTTLE: “Consumers are always on the lookout for unusual gifts at Christmas time, or something just a little bit different for hard-to-buy-for recipients. This year we’ve included more gift sets than ever before and believe that these will prove popular, as an alternative to a bottle of fizz or chocolates. There are plenty of alcoholic options to choose from like Warner’s Distillery Pink By Nature Gift Collection offering 3 x 50ml gins, – or for Christmas novelty fans, choose the company’s Christmas Cake Gin! Those looking for a non-alcoholic option can look to brands like Gimber, offering a non-alcoholic organic ginger concentrate with lemon, herbs and spices, for a bit of bite.”

4. RUM IN THE SPOTLIGHT: “I’ve long been a believer that the gin bubble is ready to burst, and I’m confident it’ll happen this year! In 2020 sales of gin started to slow, and I expect rum to step in and take its place. A new addition to the Cotswold Fayre range for 2021 is Hattiers Rum, blended and bottled in Devon. As a B Corp, Hattiers meets the highest standards of social and environmental impact - and is now the first British B Corp Rum, and only the second in the world. Choose from a range of large aged, bottled rum premium reserve, white rum or navy strength rum!”

5. CHRISTMAS CRISPS: “Perhaps surprisingly… two of the top bestsellers for Christmas 2020 were Mackie’s Turkey & Stuffing and Pigs in Blankets flavoured cr

There have been many amazing stories of self-sacrifice to come out of the tragedy of 9/11, but none more inspiring than that of Richard Rescorla, a British-American Vietnam War vet. On 11 September 2001, he was working as a security director for Morgan Stanley. Hearing of the first plane strike on the North Tower at the World Trade Centre, he calmly instructed some 2,700 employees of Morgan Stanley to evacuate the South Tower – despite an earlier announcement that ordered them to stay at their desks. He ensured everyone for whom he was responsible had left the building before he started to make his own way out. He was still inside the building when it collapsed. Rescorla was declared dead three weeks later, but his body has never been found.

This story is one of numerous amazing tales of self-sacrificial behaviour in adverse circumstances, many of which involve a person laying down their life in the act of the ultimate self-sacrifice. Now, this is something only few of us may ever have to do, yet I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering how I would react in a situation where I had to choose between saving my own life or those of others. Perhaps a slightly morbid daydream, but I believe those individuals who live their lives in a self-sacrificial way would be the first to lay their lives down if it ever came to the big sacrifices. And I hope I would be one of them.

With respect to the day-to-day type of self-sacrifice that we are often called to perform as leaders, most of us didn’t have any lectures on this as part of our management training! The Western dream is to live our lives in a moral way, gradually increasing our income, our house size and the value of our car, providing for our families and seeing our children gain a good university education. Nothing wrong with any of that, you may say. However, the myth that many of us have been brought up to believe is that sacrificing our own material dreams is painful in some way, deeply upsetting and reduces our happiness – when actually the very opposite is true. Sacrificing our own gains for others is what leads to greater fulfilment and profound happiness; yet many of us are denied that privilege by the impulse to cling on to what is ours, often through fear, rather than letting it go. In other words, we haven’t discovered the great sense of fulfilment that self-sacrifice can bring.

I have talked elsewhere of the ancient wisdom of ikigai, a philosophy of life originating in the Japanese island of Okinawa, which has the greatest percentage of centenarians in the world. They believe that people are at their happiest when simultaneously engaging in four core activities:

1. doing something they love
2. doing something they are good at
3. doing something that pays them
4. doing something that the world needs.

Whenever I describe ikigai, it resonates with people – particularly those in the corporate world, who realise t

Stick the kettle on!

Without wanting to wish away the summer, our retailers have to stay one step ahead of the curve. That means Christmas is already planned, ordered and booked in for delivery, and preparations for the colder months are already underway.

While summer obviously leads to booming soft drinks sales, once the chill sets in, attention returns to Coffee, Tea and of course, Hot Chocolate.

Whether your customers are looking for the convenience of instant coffee or taking the time to brew from bean to cup there are premium options for everyone.

Coffee

Coffee machines were a big seller last year when those working from became unable to pick up a coffee on their morning commute, and so a nation of home baristas was born. The foundation of a great cup of coffee is of course the beans, and we have an incredible selection from Roastworks Coffee Co, as well as Union. For those who favour the kettle and a jar of instant, we’ve got Little’s, who do different origin coffee as well as a couple of flavoured options, Beanies range of flavoured instant is also unrivalled. 

Tea

Loose leaf tea has been growing in popularity again over the last few years but during lockdown last year, it really gained its stride. With the nation working from home, there was now time to brew loose leaf tea in a pot to enjoy alongside a slightly lower pace of life. This paired with the advantage of less packaging at a time when the world is growing more and more concerned about our plastic footprint made it a perfect match. B Corp Brew Tea Co lead the way with their loose-leaf options, whist teapigs offer loose leaf tea in biodegradable pyramid bags made from cornstarch.

With Christmas coming up, keeping a mind on gifting options from our all-year round range and

I was looking forward to watching the new series of Undercover Boss on ITV which has been re-named Undercover Big Boss – don’t be deceived, it is just the same as the previous series. As I say, I was hoping to enjoy the business programme as I have tired a little of Dragon’s Den and The Apprentice, which have both passed their best before date. However, it must be more than a decade since I last watched the programme and much has changed in both business and in me during that time. So, now I hated it!

It wasn’t the rather formulaic patterns I remember from last time; it was the fact that the very rich owner of the business was unaware of the inequality within his business and that he thought he could sort things out by throwing packages of money at problems, rather than going for systemic change. 

The business in the first episode was a caravan park company owning 70+ sites across the country. One part featured the undercover boss working with a maintenance guy on one of the sites, a lovely salt of the earth person doing a wonderful job. He disclosed that he had had one pay rise in the last few years and that was 50p an hour. When it came to the big reveal in the owner’s house to be offered a £5,000 bonus for years of underpayment was, in my view, an insult, particularly as the maintenance man had just walked past a £1.4M Bugatti on the drive. Surely it might be better to have addressed the ridiculous imbalance in the business rather than a token bonus.

Contrast this with the CEO of Gravity Payments in the USA who took a pay cut of 90% to ensure all his people were able to be paid a minimum of $50,000 per annum. Since the change the company has tripled revenues, head count has grown 70%, customer base has doubled, and babies had by staff has grown 10 times. People have left the company half as often. Being generous as a boss isn’t just a better thing to do but it results in more successful businesses.

The traditional answer to this question is “no” and some may argue that friendships at work make it difficult to address issues of performance management, others might think that work and pleasure don’t mix and still others say that bosses should keep their private life private and not let their people see their whole self.

I disagree. 

For far too long we have run our businesses with leaders leading in a rather distant mechanistic command-and-control mode which no longer works. Far better for businesses to be full of people, including bosses, being their real selves, focussed around a strong purpose and having fun whilst achieving their goals. Within this healthy environment friendships at all levels will inevitably happen.

Due to the breakdown of local community in the West, particularly in urban environments over the last hundred years, the workplace is often a vital part of an employee’s community life. Lasting friendships are made, and life partners sometimes discovered. One sign of a healthy company is that the bosses are also able to make good friendships at work. Gone are the days when leaders were put on a pedestal and no-one dared to disagree with their decisions. The best leaders today serve their people by exhibiting their vulnerability and humanity and it would seem strange to me if friendships didn’t naturally develop in that more real, non-hierarchical environment.

There is certainly a dearth of good friendships in the 21^st century and I, as a leader, definitely need friendships outside my immediate environment to gain alternative perspectives. I have several of these, but I also have several close friendships with people in my team, and I believe this makes us a better, stronger business.

Allow your customers to take a trip around the world without leaving their kitchen!

With Euro 2020 behind us, the Tokyo Olympic Games ahead of us, and holidays abroad still not a certainty, world food is high on the agenda. 
 
Whether your customers want quick and easy meal kits, or ready-made sauces to bring the tastes of the world to their tables or are happy to stock up on ingredients to make their own feast from scratch, we’ve got a great range available to inspire your customers!

EUROPE

Maybe a European road trip is your customers ideal holiday, make sure you’ve got great pizzas in your freezer from Crosta & Mollica. Our new Chorizo from La Gloria Riojana is good to have on hand, BBQ it, use it in stews or add to breakfast dishes to turn up the heat. Antipasti from Delphi takes inspiration from Mediterranean countries, perfect for long lunches in sun-baked gardens

Cooks & Co have some great risotto kits for those who need a little bit of guidance in the kitchen, and don’t forget our incredible dried pasta ranges from Filotea, Garafalo and Liguori.

AISA 

For those looking for looking to Japan for inspiration, you can’t go wrong with our collection from Clearspring. Top up on Matcha Powder for tea or inspire your customers to use it in baking, this vibrant green powder adds colour as well as flavour and works well in cakes or mixed with white chocolate. There’s also Sushi Rice for, perfect for those more adventurous in the kitchen who want to try becoming a sushi master. Miso paste is also a great addition to any store cupboard, add to stir-frys, salad dressings and added to cookies for a great savoury bite. 

Chicken Tikka Masala is England’s national dish, and we’ve got some great sauces to help your customers recreate it. For those with who are after something a little bit different, The Curry Sauce Co have got a great range of sauces, and naans to mop them up with.

De Siam will take your customers straight to Thailand with their range of ingredients. Coconut milk for creamy curries, spring roll kits perfect for getting everyone involved in the kitchen, and everything needed

This week, Paul discusses generosity.

This weekl, Paul talks about his learning so far of opening a retail unit. 

We've expanded our Free-From Christmas range to cater for all dietary requirements with great vegan friendly and gluten-free lines, as well as sugar-free and alcohol-free options. 

This week, Paul talks about the need for leaders, not managers.