Fail fast and dust yourself off: how John Said became an industry leader

Call it a sliding door moment or a fork in the road, but when John Said swapped the aircraft hangar for fresh food markets, a whole lot changed for Australia’s salad bowls.

“I did aircraft maintenance engineering for five years, and then met my wife Sandra - her family had a fruit shop,” recalls John.

“I'd go to the market with my brother-in-law and I thought, ‘This is fast-paced, there's lots of stuff going on everywhere - it’s exciting!”

“I just knew it was what I wanted to do.”

Leaving behind a career with aircraft, John began working in his own shop as a fruiterer in the bayside Melbourne suburb of Altona. Early mornings, long days and constant challenges became par for the course for the man who now leads one of Australia’s largest food businesses, Fresh Select.

How he made the leap from humble greengrocer to leading supplier of Australians’ vegetables is something of a winding and bumpy road. Each twist and turn has one thing in common: John’s knack for turning setbacks into opportunities.

“About 25 years ago a good friend of mine was working in Singapore and called me to say, ‘You know, there's not much fresh food here, there's not many vegetables. It's a concrete jungle,”

“At that time, Australian farmers were sending cauliflower and iceberg lettuce over to Singapore because there were so many flights available. So, we sent a box, and one became ten, then a hundred, and the next thing you know we were sending 10,000 boxes of broccoli a week to East Asia,” says John.

It was at this point that John stepped away from retail to pursue a new vision – one that has evolved over the three decades since his first visit to the Melbourne Markets, into what we now know as Fresh Select.

“We were getting stronger in production – but one big turning point was the opportunity to merge our business with an existing distribution company - and it worked very, very well.

“However, Chinese producers improved - Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia started sourcing their produce from China. The industry changed, and we lost a lot of market share quickly.”

What could have been a showstopper ended up being another evolution.

“Our quality focus meant we could adjust to supply the domestic market,” says John.

Such seamless recovery from what could easily have devastated another person seems to be part of John’s indefatigable personality. Though perhaps it’s the story of his first-ever delivery to Coles that captures his optimism and energy best of all.

“I still have a laugh about my first delivery to Coles because it was a disaster,” says John with a smile.

“We were dealing with Heliothis - a shocking pest that would burrow into your lettuce, lay eggs and destroy it. One solution was to trim the lettuce back for sale, and the next thing you know, Coles asked us to supply them - because we offered a solution to the crisis,” he recalls.

His first order of just 24 precious boxes of trimmed lettuce should have been a dream come true, but the delivery manager at Coles had other ideas.

“I had my 24 boxes of lettuce on the back of the ute, and I was as proud as 10 men! As I arrive this guy comes running over and starts shouting, ‘Hey! What are you doing, man?’ – he was really mad,” laughs John.

“It was a real novice move - you're not allowed to roll up in an open vehicle like that. I had no idea what I was doing, clearly!

“I drove back all sad and upset with tears running down my cheeks. But we reloaded the boxes, drove back and they went straight through - so I guess I learned my lesson”.

From an outright rejection of 24 boxes grew a long business relationship that has since gone from strength to strength.

“I think we're up to nearly five million packages annually now, it’s remarkable, the amount of vegetables we transact – we’re not the biggest, but it's just amazing how much food is consumed and sold.

“And yet still, consumers aren't eating anywhere near enough vegetables,” says John.

On farm at Fresh Select

The insatiable need for newer, better, different things is part of what drives John and the Fresh Select team forward.

“You get one great innovation through, but straight away customers are waiting for the next one. And then the next one,” says John.

“That’s why we must be closely aligned to our seed producers - because that's where the base of the genetics for our products sits. Without our seed producers, we don't have a product.

“We’re very serious about looking at different varieties, particularly when we're talking about changing the shape of a category and delighting consumers.

“It all starts with identifying a customer need - then finding the genetics to meet that need.”

Fresh Select’s growth has been decades in the making, and the team around John recognises that continued innovation is vital to sustain that momentum.

“I always encourage my team to fail fast. Fall over, dust yourself off, get up and get going again,” says John with a calm pragmatism.

“Today, we have a very good financial overlay, however, we’re still willing to take risks. We haven’t lost our appetite for change.”

Reflecting on current challenges and risks, Fresh Select remains proactive about shaping its future, pursuing innovations in on-farm mechanisation and diversification.

“Logistics is our biggest challenge. I advocate very heavily for peri-urban farmers because extra road miles add to cost….we need to be close to our distribution centres so, we're not increasing food miles.”

Spread across the vast geography of a sunburnt country, Fresh Select experiences all the ups and downs of farming throughout the year. From flood to drought and everything in between.

“We grow food, and yet there are times when we're depending on others’ food ourselves.

“The water quality issues we’re experiencing in some places make growing harder. We’re chasing varieties now that are more tolerant to issues such as heat.

“Certain varieties like the crunchy cos lettuce do tolerate more, and its solutions like these that we need.”

Although the topics of viability and sustainability in a changing climate are forefront in many farming circles, John reiterates the need for a pragmatic approach to these big issues. Fresh Select have made improvements themselves over the past decade, with some surprising results.

“It’s a bit like vegetable consumption. We know people aren’t eating anywhere near the amount of veggies they need to, so you've got to simplify it. You've got to make their choice easy, right? The same is true for sustainability.

“We’ve introduced alternate cropping and minimum tilling to improve soil carbon, fertility, and biology because these things just make sense,” says John.

“Without us even knowing we became one of the largest roof installations of solar panels in the area. As soon as the sun shines, we're off-grid. Suddenly, we're a renewable energy powerhouse.”

Clearly, the Fresh Select team has a knack for finding solutions to complex problems. But John is quick to assert that finding the right people has been central to this.

“My team is amazing. I have an open-door policy, and always try to pick up the phone -because relationships are key.

“I had the same Executive Assistant for 30 years. Helen retired at 76 and she was by my side from day one. She was inspirational. We still keep in contact, which is lovely,” says John, while acknowledging that succession planning is an ongoing priority.

“Of course, as a senior leadership team we are constantly looking at succession. Who’s going to move on and up? Who will step in and caretake when we need to step away for important things - like looking after family,” he says.

“We need to always ask ourselves what the business looks like three, four or five years out. It’s bigger than us now,”

“We have an amazing team,” John iterates. “I’ve always believed in surrounding myself with people much smarter than me”.

Although slowing down and stepping back doesn’t seem high on his agenda, John is adamant that he’s always got his eye on the bigger picture.

“I'll stay on as long as I can keep adding value and the team turns to me for guidance - that's my barometer.”

John is particularly proud that some of his and his business partners’ family members are making their way into pivotal roles within the organisation.

“Two of my daughters are a big part of the future of the business, as is the son of my business partner. We have nephews and other extended family members who are part of what we do each day. Our families are heavily invested and involved, and that feels really exciting for the future of our business.

“We're all 100 miles an hour in our family and that’s both a good thing and a bad thing. It’s great that my wife Sandra is kind of working a little bit less now because we’ve got a grandchild that we’re all madly in love with.”

“I’m really happy - but I couldn't do what I do without that nucleus of my family, because that's what I depend on."

Despite decades in the industry, John’s enthusiasm for fresh produce hasn’t waned. He still walks through rows of lettuce trials like a kid in a lolly shop, snapping photos and tasting leaves with genuine excitement.

“I still feel committed and energetic…I'm a glass half-full person more than anything.”

As he reflects on 35 years in the industry, his optimism remains undimmed.

“This business is certainly more difficult now, but it was crystal clear to me 35 years ago that this was a really exciting industry - and today it's off-the-charts exciting,” says John with a genuine sparkle in his eye and spring in his step.

For John Said, that sense of excitement for growing fresh produce is as strong today as the day he first opened his fruit shop - and it continues to drive Fresh Select forward.

All photos courtesy of Fresh Select and Rebecca Newman Photography