We're looking healthier than ever

Hip hip hooray, three cheers for us...and you.

Sorry for the self love (we have given you lots too) but we're feeling rather chuffed with ourselves at the moment.  We just did a review of our sales this year and they are up, up, up.  Hooray!

Sales of Simply Nectar are more than 25 per cent higher this year than they were last year.  Good huh?  And we have you lovely lot to thank for that so THANK YOU VERY MUCH.  We're glad you're loving Simply Nectar and we hope our drinks continue to keep you smiling especially through the warm and sunny (fingers crossed) summer months.

Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

These sales figures come at the perfect time because there has been a lot of talk recently about how well soft drinks companies are doing at the moment.  Earlier this month, for example, Food Manufacture reported that sales of soft drinks were on the up. You can read the piece here:

http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Business-News/UK-soft-drink-sales-grow-5-to-14.5bn

Also specific drinks companies,  AG Barr (makers of Irn Bru) for instance, have been reporting on their sales figures.  We therefore thought we'd jump on the bandwagon and have a look at our own numbers and, sure enough, we've also been doing well ourselves.  And not just well but really well.

Jeremy, the big boss, believes the rise in sales can be attributed to how healthy you lot are becoming nowadays.  In fact, his actual words were: “The increase in sales this year is phenomenal and I’d say this is definitely due to all our wondeful customers becoming increasingly health conscious.  They are demanding Simply Nectar because it is free of additives.  What’s more, rising media coverage is making consumers progressively more aware of the high sugar content hidden in many soft drinks.

“People are becoming better informed about what they should and shouldn’t be eating and drinking, and as such are able to make healthier choices i.e like buying Simply Nectar!  The pure ingredients and the goodness of the drinks are exactly why it is such a high end product and why sales are rising.”

Well said Jeremy.  We couldn't agree more.

 

So there we have it.  More and more people are obviously loving the taste of Simply Nectar - and who could blame them huh?  Let's just hope the weather stays great so you can all enjoy our Mediterranean drinks in the glorius British sunshine.

Simply sales,

Simply Nectar

We need you - and not just one of you but two of you

What On Earth and Simply Nectar are growing and we need your help to do so successfully.  In fact, we’re expanding so much that we have not only one but two new job vacancies.  Check us out!

We are seeking two confident and experienced members of kitchen staff – one for a kitchen team member role and the other for a kitchen team supervisor role.  If you’re passionate about producing excellent organic food products and are interested in joining our fun loving team please get in touch.  You can send your CV and covering letter to Tara - tara@whatonearth.co.uk

Kitchen team member – day, evening and night shift

Responsibilities:

• Food preparation and manufacture of products in accordance with general and product HACCP, SALSA food safety practices and health and safety rules and regulations
• Ensure work stations are clean and hygienic at all times
• Adhere to personal hygiene policy
• Ensure all waste is disposed correctly and put in appropriate recycling bins provided
• Adhere to company quality control system and conduct testing prior to release of product
• Ensure appropriate “use by” and “best before” date label is attached to each product according to specification
• Ensure that if applied in the kitchen, an appropriate shelf life date is used
• Produce food up to company spec, ongoing quality control and informing/reacting to any changes to raw ingredients that might affect quality and change of recipes
• Strictly follow deadline for the daily production as specifies by Supervisor/ Manager
• Follow the recipe and method stated on the production card

Kitchen team supervisor – night shift

Responsibilities:

• Supervise food preparation and manufacturing of products in accordance with general and product HACCP, food safety practices and health and safety rules and regulations
• Ensure all staff adheres to personal hygiene policy
• Perform HACCP checks on a daily basis and keeping correct record of such checks
• Ensure all waste is disposed correctly and put in appropriate recycling bins provided
• Adhere to company quality control system and conduct testing prior to release of product
• Ensure appropriate “use by” and “best before” date label is attached to each product according to specification
• Informally train staff on: equipment use, recipes, process notes, basic hygiene rules, all other aspects of production; record such training and keep record of it
• Check the stock levels (weekly) of granola and muesli, reporting shortages to Production Manager
• Ensure all ingredients and WIP is stored appropriately, labelled and rotated
• Ensure that if applied in the kitchen, an appropriateshelf life date is used
• Produce food up to company spec, ongoing quality control and informing production manager of any changes to raw ingredients that might affect quality and change of recipes
• HACCP and QC records keeping
• Ensure all orders are completed, ensure stock checks are made and recorded
• Ensure FIFO system is well maintained and carrying out QA checks

Who we are looking for:

• Quality experience working in busy catering industry-preferred experience of food manufacturing industry
• Good knowledge of industry standards (HACCP) & CIEH Food safety level 3

If you have the necessary experience/qualifications and are interested in either of the roles please apply by sending your CV and covering letter to tara@whatonearth.co.uk for immediate consideration.

We are an equal opportunities employer.  Due to the high number of responses we receive, if you have not heard from us within 3 weeks please consider your application as unsuccessful.  Sorry about that guys.  We do try our best but Tara is a busy woman!

We look forward to receiving those applications.  Good luck.

Simply vacancies,

Simply Nectar

Eggs, asparagus, stories and limericks...and a competition

Every day seems to be dedicated to some cause or another, most of which you have probably never heard of.  For example yesterday (8 May) was apparently “Have a Coke Day” and 7 May was ‘National Roast Leg of Lamb Day’ – obviously.  Why on earth these days exist and who created them I’ll never know, but at least they provide amusement and events the world over.

Not only is it the days that are devoted to causes, though.  There are also months and weeks and possibly even years that have some special dedication.  This month alone is apparently one of six things.  These are:

• Local and Community History Month
• National Egg Monthy
• National Salad Month
• National Chocolate Custard Month
• National Asparagus Month
• National Share a Story Month

Also this week is National Herb Week and next week is National Doughnut Week AND National Sandwich Week.

Now, I can’t imagine that anybody really knows how to celebrate these so called special dates, and even if there should be any celebrations at all.  But we at Simply Nectar (and at What On Earth) say there should be a celebration occurring.  Please feel free to delve into as much salad, chocolate custard and asparagus as you want all month long – within reason of course.  We don’t want to be held responsible for any problems eating these foods could cause!

There are two dates in particular that we’d like you to celebrate with us.  These are:
1)  National Share a Story Month
and
2)  Limerick Day (12 May 2012)

We want you to do one of two things (or do both if you fancy it).  Firstly we’d love to hear your stories so please do email/tweet/Facebook us with some funny stories.  These can be related to anything you want – as long as they make us laugh.

Secondly, we want you to write a limerick about Simply Nectar to celebrate Limerick Day on 12 May.  Again you can do it anyway you want.

The people who enter the funniest story and limerick will win some Simply Nectar drinks.

Get those creative hats on boys and girls.  We look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Send the stories to laura@whatonearth.co.uk, tweet them to @simplynectar or add them to our Facebook page www.facebook.com/SimplyNectar  You can even comment on this blog with them if you fancy it.

Simply creativity.

Simply Nectar

Our new intern

Name: Anissa Selmani or Nissou
Age: 18
Occupation: Trainee in WOE and I study International trade and Management inToulouse.

Where are you from?I currently live in Toulouse, south of France. People call my city “PinkCity” because of its wealth in art monuments, most of which are built in red brick.  I live in Toulouse because of my studies but I am from Lavelanet in Ariège, which is near the border of Spain.  I go home at the weekends.  It is a lovely area with lots of natural beauty.

Do you enjoy living in Toulouse and where do you like best?The two places I love most in Toulouse are Capitole de Toulouse and Quai de la Daurade.  In these beautiful places I can spend my time reading, watching people, listening to music and having fun.




Courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / freedigitalphotos.net



 

How long are you in London for?
I’m in London for 2 months.

How are you finding London so far?Rainy!  But London is beautiful and it always surprises me.  The streets, buildings, people, everything is different and the city amazes me.  The people I’ve had a chance to meet are friendly, nice and cool, but also quiet!

What were your first thoughts on London when you arrived?Again, rainy!  At first I did not realise I was inLondon– it didn’t register.  I’ve always wanted to come here to discoverLondonand learn more about the city.  I look forward to doing that.

Is this your first time in England?Yes! I’m so happy to be there!

What will you miss most about France while you are away?My Mum, my bed and my best friend!  No seriously, except my mom and Nawel my bestfriend, I don’t feel I will miss France too much because every day I am discovering news things so I don’t have time to miss anything.

France is known for its cheese.  Do you like cheese?Not all of them, but I have my favourite! Try it, it’s called “Leerdammer”. Oh my, I have never tasted a cheese like this.

What is your favourite and least favourite food?Simply, I love a good plate of pasta with grated cheese and also the couscous my mum makes.  I really don’t like ham or fish.



Courtesy of Laura Collins



 

If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?Like all people my age I’d like to go to theUSA.  But I loveLondon, it seems a really free city.  I have found Londoners to be more open minded than French people.

If you were an animal what would you be and why?A cat. I don’t really know why, but I love cats. They look so cute and I love it when they come to me for a hug.

Do you know any jokes?My laugh is a joke, so I don’t have to add anything more. Aha!  Indeed my laugh is very communicative and cheerful.

Can you speak any languages and if so, what?Oh yes. I speak English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Occitan, Spanish, and some words in others languages.

What would be your dream job?I’d like to work in human resources or a role in which I’ll be in contact with people. I really love people.  I like getting to know them, helping them and generally just listening to them.

How was your first day?I was afraid and fearful that I wouldn’t understand what people said to me or asked me to do. But now, it’s ok. Everyone puts me at ease. I have my desk, and people are really nice with me.

Do you like Jeremy?Yes, he’s good with me. He’s really respectful and friendly with his employees. I’m just waiting to see him secretly speaking French.  I know he can speak it a bit!

Does Rolf scare you?No, he makes me laugh. He looks funny but I don’t really know him yet.

Do you like Laura?
Yes, a lot. She has patience with me. And she tries to understand my English, aha.
I love the whole What On Earth team and even though I haven’t spoken with everyone yet, I will do as soon as possible

Which of the What On Earth products would you most like to try?Maybe, for my birthday, I’ll try one of the cakes! I think chocolate cheesecake would be the best.

Which of the Simply Nectar flavours do you want to try?Peach. It’s my favourite fruit so why not?

Simply Nectar is made in Provence.  That’s in France!  Have you been there?Yes, it’s not so far from Marseille.  I know this area. It’s really beautiful.

If you were to launch a new flavour of Simply Nectar, what would it be?Hmm, maybe Cherry or Lychee.

What do you expect from this internship?To be more autonomous and to learn how a company works. I want to help the company, learn their knowledge and share my knowledge with them. I also plan to work hard and do my utmost to satisfy everyone.

No sugar warnings needed for Simply Nectar

The results of a British survey are blazoned across the news today because they show that consumers consistently underestimate the amount of sugar contained in milkshakes, smoothies and some fruit juices.
This means that people are consuming more calories per day than they realise.  In fact, the research carried out by the University of Glasgow also suggests that the average person in the UK consumes almost 3,150 calories through non alcoholic liquid intake.  This equates to almost 450 calories a day.

 

The survey asked more than 2,000 Britons to estimate how many teaspoons of sugar were in a typical serving of a selection of drinks.   The research showed that the participants “significantly misjudged” the levels found in milkshakes, smoothies and some fruit juices.

Amazingly, pomegranate juice contained nearly 18 teaspoons more sugar in a serving than people realised.   Participants guessed four teaspoons when it actually contains 22.  Pure apple juice had four more teaspoons than people thought and a chocolate milkshake had 7.5 teaspoons more.  Consumers guessed it contained six when actually it contains more than 13.5 teaspoons of sugar. Serving sizes varied.

Courtesy of graur codrin/freedigitalphotos.net

Participants were also asked to estimate how many teaspoons of sugar were in fizzy drinks but they actually overestimated the amount.  This goes to show that consumers are not aware by the levels of sugar in any soft drinks, which could be down to being misinformed.

The worse part of this story is that certain soft drinks could be adding to obesity levels because half of the participants who admitted to drinking three or more sugary drinks in a day said they did not compensate by reducing the calorie intake of their food.

UK guidelines recommend that added sugars – those used to sweeten food, fizzy drinks, and fruit juices – should not make up more than 10 per cent of the total energy we get from food. This is around 50g a day.

Our answer to this problem is to drink Simply Nectar!  Sorry, we don’t mean to blow our own trumpet but look at the facts about us:

• Simply Nectar drinks contain pure fruit
• They are free from pesticides, colours and refined sugars
• If the drinks do need sweetening at all only natural grape juice is used – definitely no sugar!
• The fruit is sourced locally to the production site in Provence, south of France, and it is organic where possible
• What’s more, our drinks are made in an ethical fashion.  In fact, the production site is almost self sufficient.  For example, any fruit leftovers are turned into a hard matter and fed to livestock.  The water used to clean the juicing machinery gets filtered and purified and is also fed to livestock
  

We would love to try and educate the nation on sugar levels in soft drinks but that could take us a while.  So at the moment we’ll just give out a big clue: GO FOR SIMPLY NECTAR! 

So there we have it…simple!

Simply sugarfree.

Simply Nectar

(Main story from PressAssociation)

Exotic food exploration continues

The quest for exotic fruits in Borneo continued so I visited a few more markets to see what I could find.  I went to Kuching’s Sunday market, which intriguingly actually starts on Saturday morning.  It runs until late Saturday night and then starts again at the crack of dawn on Sunday, finishing around lunchtime on Sunday.  The stall owners come from miles away - a complete other part of Borneo - so they actually sleep at the market so they can sell as late as possible and start again the following morning as early as they can.  

I also visited an indoor food market in a town called Sibu, about 114 miles north east of Kuching.  In was in Sibu that that I saw an even wilder variety of new and interesting food – from fruits and vegetables to meats and fish.  The colours and smells were once again incredible, although not always a blessing on the nose!

While looking at all the glorious but strange foods, I realised that I should tell you more about ALL of what I saw, not just the exotic looking fruit.  I can't keep all of those delights from you.  What follows will therefore consist of a photo diary of the different types of produce that I discovered.  I have to be honest, the names of some of the food are still missing – mainly because I don’t speak Malay and the stall owners didn’t speak English.  Still, it was exciting enough just looking at all the products, and of course tasting them where possible.  If you know any of the names please let me know.

Indoor market at Sibu

 

These may look unappetising but the fruit inside was sweet and juicy

My investigation into Borneo food was helped a great deal by an awesome local man called Ming.  He was superb and in the evenings he took me out of town to the local food courts where we tucked into some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten.  It was here that I tried a lot of local delicacies - from sting ray to jungle fern.  Below is a picture of some fresh jungle fern at the market.  It's so tasty when cooked with chillis and served as a side dish.  Mmmm.

Jungle fern

What alarmed me most about the markets across Borneo and, come to think of it, several other countries I have visited is the lack of cleanliness, hygiene and proper storage of the food.  The fish and meat, for example, just sits out in the heat with flies and other insects doing a jolly dance on it all until they are beaten away by the stall owners.  At least the flies are having an absolute blast!  Having said this, all the fish that I sampled while in Borneo was absolutely delicious so I can't grumble too much.  When in Rome and all that...

So there we have it.  The latest in a long line of photos that illustrate my time in Borneo, soaking up the local food, culture and traditions.  I'll be sure to regale more stories and photos from the rest of my trip, which took me to Australia, Singapore and Bali.  Until then...

Simply Borneo.

Simply Nectar

Simply Nectar goes exotic

As you may know, I am currently undertaking an extremely exciting period of travel.  That's right, I've packed my bag and have hit the road in search of awesome adventures and new experiences.  I'm not only doing it on behalf of myself but also for Simply Nectar and our friends at What On Earth.  I feel my travels can help with research and future ideas.

At the moment I am based in Sydney, Australia, and I have been here for just under a week.  I have another week to go and I'm excited about the prospect of what the next few days here will bring.  Before here I was in Kuching, Borneo, for a week and my time there was unforgettable.  The part of Malaysian Borneo that I saw was magical and I would love to explore more of the area.  I have also had a brief stopover in Singapore, which is a country I will be spending a few more days in next week.  Unfortunately it has rained pretty much everywhere I've been but I'm trying not to let that stop my adventures.

Tropical storm in Singapore

One of the biggest elements of my journey so far has been the food and drink that I've tried.  This gave me inspiration and encouraged me to go in search of new fruits that could be used to make delicious Simply Nectar.  We already have eight exciting flavours but we're always keeping our eyes peeled for more.  There are so many different types of fruit out there after all.

My investigations into different fruits started in Borneo and got off to a brilliant start.  Not only could I admire the fruit and all the colours and smells they offered (the durian fruit not included) I could also taste them.  The kind people at the markets allowed me, a clueless foreigner, to tuck into the fruits they were offering before buying them.  I think this was mainly due to the fact they got a good laugh out of watching me eat these fruits, many of which I had no idea how to eat.  Some had hard skin that needed to be peeled, some had stones in them, some needed to be slurped, some chewed and some sucked.  Eventually, after sampling lots of new types of fruit, I got round to eating the durian fruit.  This is the fruit I was most intrigued about as I saw it many years ago when I travelled through Thailand but never got round to trying it.  I was therefore looking forward to giving it a go.  The durian fruit is an interesting looking fruit - it is hard, green and rough on the outside but once cracked open the middle offers beautiful, bright orange fleshy fruit.  Looks can be deceiving though.  The durian fruit may appear amazing but it gives off a pungent pong.  To put it better, it stinks!  In Singapore the durian fruit is banned from public areas because it smells so bad.  And sadly, for me, the smell overpowered the taste.  The fruit tasted just as bad as it smelt.  It wasn't sweet like people described it, it was more horrible than anything else.  What makes it worse is that the stringy fruit got stuck in my teeth so for hours afterwards all I could taste was the eggy, unsavoury flavour of the durian fruit.  Now, don't get me wrong, many people love eating durian.  It is a bit of a delicacy in Asia but for me it was not an experience I would like to repeat.  I'm glad I did it and am pleased to say I finally got round to tasting durian fruit but would I do it again?  Never!  Maybe I had a bad one, maybe it wasn't ripe....maybe it was just vile!  Either way at least I got to try it and I can safely say we will not be going in for a durian fruit Simply Nectar.  I wouldn't put anybody through it!

As well as the durian fruit, there were lots of other exotic looking fruits through Borneo.  Can you name any of the following?

Send your ideas to laura@whatonearth.co.uk, put them on our Facebook page or tweet them to us on Twitter - @simplynectar.

Simply exotic,

Simply Nectar