A lesson on Halloween - Polish style

Halloween seems to get more hyped up every year.  I never remember it being such a big deal in England when I was a child, but over the years it seems to have gained in popularity.  Commercialism has hit and now we are preparing for the night with almost as much gusto as the United States.  I’m not saying that’s a bad thing.  Oh no.  It’s rather a fun affair if you ask me.  But, since having a chat with some colleagues, I’ve found out that Halloween means something completely different to them. 



Courtesy of zirconicusso / freedigitalphotos.net



The team here at Simply Nectar and What On Earth are a real mixed bunch.  We have people from all over the world working here – a rich mix of individuals that offer something different to the team.  We have people from England, Ireland, Poland, Latvia, Brazil, Italy, Estonia…the list could continue.  The benefits of having such a mixed bag of people are the variety of cultures and traditions.  It was during a chat about Halloween that I learnt more about the traditions of Poland at this time of year.  It was so interesting that I thought I’d share it with you.

In Poland, Halloween is not celebrated.  Instead, All Saints’ Day is observed on 1 November.  It is an important date that allows the Polish to gather with families to recognise and remember the deceased.  In the evening of 1 November, the locals visit cemeteries to place candles and flowers on the graves of the deceased and to say prayers for them.  The tombs and graves of everybody are honoured.  Despite the mournful and sombre feel of the night, the candlelight makes it beautiful. Mass is also held for those who want to go to church.  The people of Poland also believe that spirits roam so they leave their doors and windows open to welcome the visiting spirits.  All Saints’ Day is then followed by All Souls’ Day on 2 November.  More church services are held for those who want to remember the dead.  Nowadays, it seems the fun side of Halloween is becoming more popular in Poland but traditionally it was never celebrated in that way.

Copyright: Taken from Gone-ta-pott.com

We’ll try and find out about more Halloween celebrations from other members of the team.  I’ll report back on anything interesting.  In the mean time, enjoy all the Halloween celebrations this weekend if you’re heading out.  Our very own purchasing manager is going to a Halloween party dressed as Alex DeLarge from Clockwork Orange.  If we can get photos, we will.  If not, you’ll just have to look him up to know what he looks like.  That’s your homework for the weekend J

Simply Polish Halloween.

Simply Nectar

An apple a day and all that…

Today is National Apple Day.  This is a fact.  Last week it was National Curry Week and National Chocolate Week – both in the same week.  This week it is National Baking Week and now, to coincide with all that baking, it is Apple Day.  Does that mean we must bake things with apples??

Courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti / Freedigitalphotos.net

As it’s Friday, a day we all love, and because we're in an office and not a kitchen, we have decided to ditch the baking and do a fascinating blog post to take you into the weekend.  That’s right, we’re going to teach you all about apples…of course we are, what else would we talk about on Apple Day?

From the wacky and wonderful to the downright bizzare, we have come up with a list of facts, stats and experiments for you to learn and try.  Fun huh?!  Just say yes….we think it’s fun so please do humour us :-)

Right, eyes down and look this way.  Here we go….

• Apples, like many other pieces of fruit, give off ethylene gas, which speeds up the ripening process.  If you want to ripen certain other pieces of fruit in your fruit bowl, place them next to the apples.  If you don’t want your pieces of fruit to ripen fast, don’t put the apples next to them
• Fresh apples float on water because 25% of their volume is air
• Some studies have found that the smell of green apples can reduce the symptoms of a migraine AND can shorten a migraine episode. Putting apples on your head is optional
 

Courtesy of Ambro / freedigitalphotos.net

• Apples are high in fibre – one apple can supply about 20 pre cent of the RDA.  Most of the fibre and antioxidants are found in the peel so it is important to eat this part as well as the flesh
• No apple is identical
• The apple fruit itself is covered with a natural layer of wax to protect its high water content. Hence, fresh apples are always crisp
• Now it’s winter we can feed our apple leftovers to our feathered friends who are suffering in the cold outside.  Add the apple to other fruit and seed and those birds have got a meal fit for a king.
• Each colour apple is good for you in different ways:
• Green Apples – Good for strong bones and teeth, aids in vision and has anti cancer properties
• Yellow Apples – Good for heart, eyes and immune system; reduce risk of some cancers
• Red Apples – Good for heart and memory function, lower risk of some cancers and help maintain urinary tract health.

Courtesy of m_bartosch / freedigitalphotos.net

The last and most important fact of the day is this…..

Drink Apple Simply Nectar every day and your life will be better.  

OK, maybe that is more of a prediction than a fact.  BUT this bit is fact…Apple Simply Nectar contains 100 % pure apple.  You won’t find any refined sugars, preservatives or pesticides in the drink.  Plus, one tiny bottle contains over a third of your RDA of vitamin C.  Oooh, what a clever little drink.

Simply apples.

Simply Nectar

What On Earth does SALSA

Everybody at the What On Earth/Simply Nectar office is dancing round their desks…in their underwear. OK, so maybe that last bit isn’t so true - everybody is wearing clothes really.  But, they are still deliriously happy and are dancing around/waving their arms about.  It looks like an odd rendition of the Conga.  In fact, some of the team resemble Morris Dancers!



Courtesy of Tina Phillips / FreeDigitalPhotos.net



So, why on earth are we dancing like crazy people?  It’s not because we’re all desperate for the toilet and no, it isn’t because we are swatting away flies or trying to get attention. We are so happy because we have just found out some fantastic news…

WHAT ON EARTH RECEIVED SALSA ACCREDITATION FOR 2011. Wahooo!

This doesn’t mean that What On Earth are accredited Salsa dancers. Sadly not – they just like to think they can Salsa and that they can swirl, twirl and grind with the best of them. The SALSA accreditation is in fact to do with the food industry – it has nothing to do with dancing…although it has caused us all to break out into dance!

In SALSA's own words:

“SALSA is a nationally recognised food safety certification scheme specifically developed for small and micro producers.  It is a food-safety standard written by experienced food safety experts to reflect both the legal requirements of producers and the enhanced expectations of ‘best practise’ of professional food buyers.”  (Source: www.salsafood.co.uk)

SALSA stands for Safe And Local Supplier Approval.  The scheme allows What On Earth to demonstrate the ways they work in order to show that they use a robust and effective food safety standard.  And that is exactly what they do here, hence the SALSA accreditation.

SALSA is widely accepted and recognised by retailers and food service providers.  We are therefore extremely proud of What On Earth for achieving accreditation once again.  It shows that they can meet high criteria in food hygiene, production, distribution and storage.  It also shows that they produce safe and legal food and that they’re fully committed to meeting the requirements of SALSA.

Let’s hear it for SALSA, woooo!!  Now let’s all dance the Salsa in our underwear.  Participation is optional :-)

Simply SALSA

Simply Nectar

A rather busy and filling spot of lunch!

As you know, Simply Nectar made an appearance on the What On Earth stand at lunch! last week.  Our range of drinks were displayed for all to see and we're pleased to say that we immensely enjoyed our time at the exhibition.  The two day show, which was held at Old Billingsgate in London, was busy, busy busy.  Not only were we spoilt with lots of people, we were also spoilt for an amazing location and glorious weather. Old Billingsgate is based right on the River Thames so when we could afford a quick break from the busyness, we could stare out across the water while soaking up the sunshine.  It was truly beauuutiful.  Plus, with a Simply Nectar in hand, it made us feel like we were somewhere much more exotic.

The show itself was extremely successful – for all involved. There was a wide range of exhibitors offering all manner of food and drink products. The visitors loved it and we loved it…especially as we got to try lots of food. In fact, we got to try soooo much that we didn’t need breakfast, lunch or dinner!

The What On Earth stand was rather on the small side but we made they most of what they had and turned it into a delightful little grotto.  It got covered in What On Earth's signature logos and pictures, lots of organic food and loads of bottles of Simply Nectar.  There was also some products from What On Earth's favourite suppliers, namely organic chocolate from GO*DO, smoked meats from Rannoch and also bottles of water from Harrogate Water. Everything was a hit with the visitors and the food and drinks were wolfed down. We do have a slight confession to make though…we may have consumed a small amount of What On Earth's food and quite a few Simply Nectar drinks ourselves. Ooops. It was just too good – we couldn’t resist!

Some of the items on the What On Earth stand that we tucked into were a variety of organic pizzas and different types of filo rolls – Cajun, curried potato and spinach with feta. Yum!  We made sure every flavour of Simply Nectar was on the stand too, which meant we had lots of choice of drinks to wash the food down with.  The stand next to us – Nature’s Table – also provided us with goodies, including nuts, yoghurt coated raisins and lots of savoury snacks. Lucky us.  This is Jeremy getting friendly with one of our next door neighbours at the show.  That's how you do it you see - make friends and then get the freebies :-)

We managed to get so friendly with the neighbours that the gentleman opposite us even offered to put our Simply Nectar in the fridges he was selling.  Good huh?!

If you came along to lunch! and tried any Simply Nectar on the What On Earth stand please make yourself known to us so we can stay in touch. It would be great to hear from you.

Simply exhibitors.

Simply Nectar

Calling all sales representatives

Look...we're recruiting.  Check out our job advert for the latest available role at Simply Nectar and What On Earth:

Do you have the gift of the gab? Think you could sell ice to an Eskimo? Or, to put it in context, could you sell organic food to new customers? If your answers are yes, we want you to get in touch - this is your chance to prove how good you can really be.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and skilled sales rep. You will be our man/woman in the field so you’ll be responsible for seeking out new customers and increasing sales, as well as attracting and managing a portfolio of clients. We therefore need you to be personable and knowledgeable. A typical day in the life of a Simply Nectar/What On Earth sales rep will see you: 

·      Seeking and managing new customers 

·      Managing current customers 

·      Seeking out new business prospects via the web, press, trades & field visits

·      Presenting samples to new and current customers

·      Collecting new customer information for credit control

As well as these tasks, the sales rep will need to liaise with all other departments in the company – from admin and credit control to the technical department. You will be expected to cooperate effectively with the General Manager, liaise closely with the Sales Director and maintain good working relationships with other colleagues.

Ideally we are looking for a sales rep with a proven track record in selling, as well as one who boasts a big black book of available customers. As we are passionate about fruit nectars and organic food your understanding and appreciation of these industries would be beneficial, but not essential. You’ll soon learn to love them if you don’t already!

The prospective candidate will need to prove their selling abilities as well as their communication skills because they will be liaising with people from all walks of life. They will need to be familiar with MS Office and have good product knowledge. An EU driver’s licence is also essential as the role will involve spending time on the road.

If you think you are the man or woman for us then please let us know. Send your CV and covering letter to Marta, our HR administrator - marta@whatonearth.co.uk

OTE is £30k p/a based on mixture of base pay and commision (dependable on experience)

We look forward to hearing from you.

Simply sales.

Simply Nectar