New Member: EKHO Fresh: Permanent Agri-Food Jobs on the Horizon

We are thrilled to announce that Ekho Fresh has officially joined MDS as a Member company. This partnership is an exciting new chapter in the realm of permanent agri-food jobs. A joint venture between Minor Wier and Willis & Greenyard Fresh, this collaboration is cementing the business as holding industry expertise—from sourcing and ripening apples, pears, and peaches to packaging them in their Birmingham facility. Specialising in core categories like stonefruit and top fruit, their decision to join MDS underscores a shared commitment to fostering long-term talent in the agri-food sector. With a new permanent role on the horizon, this partnership promises to bring unprecedented opportunities for aspiring professionals looking to make a lasting impact in agri-food careers. We spoke to Anna Coxe, Head of Technical and Commercial Lead with Ekho Fresh, on why the business decided to collaborate with MDS.

Who is Ekho Fresh?

We are a joint venture between Minor Wier and Willis & Greenyard Fresh, with MWW being the larger shareholder. EKHO Fresh is a specialist business focusing on driving volume through our core categories, in particular stonefruit & topfruit. We continue to be recognised and respected for our industry expertise. The business covers apples, pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries and grapes. Some of which is ripened and then packed into final customer packaging. Other products are packed at source in the country of origin and can go directly to customers or via our packing facility based in Birmingham.

Our values focus on four main areas:

• Customer Focus – We always start with the customer and work backwards, ensuring that the customer is king and remains happy with the business we do daily with them.
• Leadership – Integrity of our actions; we are all leaders and fully empowered.
• Communication – Simple, concise and on time. This ensures that internal and external customers are always happy.
• Teamship & Accountability – Equality of team, environment to succeed and develop.
• Continuous Improvement – Identifying opportunities and challenging ourselves to improve them. We work with lean principles and want to ensure we reduce all of the eight wastes within our business.

Life with Ekho Fresh

We’re a great company to work for, as the business is backed by two major fresh produce suppliers who are financially secure. Furthermore, the opportunities within the wider group in both companies are vast, from farms right through to the supply chain into the UK. There are senior managers and directors who will be able to mentor your career to help you achieve senior management levels.

Why MDS?

Two senior managers here at Ekho Fresh have come through the MDS programme. Understanding and knowing the MDS talent pool is a great benefit to working here at Ekho Fresh. Greenyard (one of the shareholders of EKHO Fresh) have also been members in the past and have seen good candidates come through the system. We are specifically using MDS to try to recruit for a full-time position.

Currently, we are looking for a full-time employee due to the type of position available within the business, specifically a Sourcing and Sales Manager for either our Birmingham or Spalding site. We are looking for a tenacious and driven individual who is great at creating customer and supplier relationships, has good attention to detail and can work at a fast pace.

If you want to learn more about the position available to MDS Alumni and leavers, you can find out more HERE.