Our team currently consists of Fred, Ronja, Elizabeth, Tom, Sophie, Maddie, Chloe and others.
We are also supported by various temporary and seasonal workers throughout the season – this is an acknowledgement and thanks to you too.
Fred Groom
It has been my dream for many years to start a small organic seed company. Ever since starting to grow food in 2011 I have been fascinated by the whole process of seed production. Working with plants throughout their entire life cycle gives me another layer of appreciation for the plant world in all its complexity.
Seeds are little time capsules, containing genetic information which has been passed down through hundreds of generations of farmers and will be passed through many hundreds more into the future. They are packets of pure potential, and I feel honured to work with them.
My background is in horticulture, ecology and human ecology, and I have worked in a wide range of environments from urban roof tops to Spanish deserts at Sunseed Desert Technology.
Sophie Holt
I love each seed's unique characters. Each one so beautiful and magical in how they appear and grow on the plant. Working with seeds is fun and fills me with wonder.
I'm part of the field team in the summer, planting, sowing, weeding, harvesting etc. and mainly a seed packeter in the colder months.
Elizabeth Crawford
Seeds are often small and overlooked, yet are fundamental to so much of life on earth. When I look at flowering plants around me, I see staggeringly rich and diverse processes that are all unfolding towards the same endpoint - the seed.
Seeds are an example of true wealth - the actual promise of more life and sustenance to come. I believe caretaking open-pollinated seed varieties in organic conditions is crucial for the future of our food, and therefore the future of us humans here on earth!
We and the seeds are deeply entangled in each other's survival, and I find it interesting and humbling to consider who is serving who in seed-human relationships.
I'm the order fulfilment and germination test co-ordinator at Vital Seeds three days a week - my job is to get seed shipped out to customers, and to test our stock regularly to ensure it is germinating reliably. I also enjoy getting involved in the field and other aspects of the business when needed!
Maddie Canvin
I love seeing the plants go through their entire life cycle and come back round again, it’s a beautiful and fantastical circle of continuous life, each plant expressing their flowers or seed heads in a marvelous manner. Working with organic open pollinated seed saving feels like an act of activism, something good for the people and good for the future
I work on a Wednesday, mostly in the field. I do whatever needs to be done. I particularly like banging or smashing if that’s on the list! But I also love tasting everything and comparing varieties flavours. Weeding is fun at Vital Seeds because most of them taste fabulous.
Ronja Schlumberger
There is something compelling about plunging my hands into a sack of dry beans! It's not just the feeling of it on my skin; to me all seeds are little wonders: a plant grows from this comparatively small thing with the help of air, water, sun and soil and then produces masses more seeds. Obviously there is a whole science behind it and many things can go unexpectedly, too.
Working with Vital Seeds gives me a chance to be
part of that full life cycle of plants. It also gives me an opportunity to be part of building a more diverse and sustainable food system that I believe we need to create a healthy environment where people now and of future generations can provide for themselves.
I grew up in Germany, studied agricultural sciences (BSc) and have worked as a grower, cook, and land/food based facilitator of experiential learning since.
Tom Readings
Sometimes I look around the stock room and consider what an enormous, potent explosion of life is concentrated around me. It's really amazing how sophisticated each of those tiny little almost-plants are, awaiting such precise triggers then vigorously enmeshing with it's environment and bringing together everything it needs to rush for the light.
I’m involved in the whole seed growing process so it's a really varied job across the year. Out in the field and polytunnels I am planting, weeding, putting up structures to support the plants, harvesting, threshing and weeding. Lots of weeding.
Back in the processing room we combine lots of different ways to thresh and clean different seeds to prepare them to store.
In the office I sometimes put together orders and packet lots of seeds after the bulk of the processing is done.
Chloe Eversfield
When I work with seeds I feel a deeper connection with my ancestors. It gives me an opportunity to remember and appreciate the tireless work of those who came before us to protect and maintain what we eat and enjoy today. When so much about the world feels at odds, seeds are such a sacred and important marker of our past and present and it is a real privilege to be a part of helping to preserve and secure them for future generations.
I take care of admin, send out newsletters and update social media, occasionally helping out in the field or in the processing room if needed!