CRAIG SAMS Craig actually founded Britain’s first organic bakery, in 1972, called Ceres. That wasn’t the start of his organic pioneering: he also opened Britain’s first macrobiotic restaurant, in 1967, and is responsible for introducing foods like brown rice and tamari - which he imported (with his brother Gregory) to the UK from Japan. (Craig’s also responsible for bringing us - and specifically The Beatles - the Afghan coat, but happily chose food over a fashion career!) The restaurant morphed into a wholefood wholesaler, then a bakery, then the Whole Earth brand; he invented the technique of sweetening jam using apple juice in place of sugar and the organic baked beans, peanut butter, soft drinks and more that Whole Earth-lovers enjoy today are his recipes. In 1991, Craig and Jo (see below) founded Green & Black’s Chocolate, the world’s first organic chocolate company, of which he’s still the President, which is now enjoying global success. Totally and 100% committed to organic living, Craig and Jo moved full-time to Hastings in 2002, and took over in March 2005, to help bring good food to the community they love.

Craig is also author of The Little Food Book, which you can read more about here.

JOSEPHINE FAIRLEY Jo founded Green & Black’s with Craig, but has juggled a food career with journalism and writing bestselling books (including The Ultimate Natural Beauty Book, click here for more info). Interested in greener living since she was given a copy of The Shopper’s Guide to Saving the Planet, in 1971, Jo (who was Britain’s youngest-ever magazine editor, at Look Now and Honey) went on to write a column on organic living for The Times; she was also involved in setting up the organisation ‘Parents For Safe Food’ with Pamela Stephenson, Twiggy, Olivia Harrison and others in the early 90s. Her work for the Mail on Sunday’s YOU magazine has included covering the annual Soil Association Organic Food Awards, which has enabled her to nibble her way through hundreds of delicious, award-winning organic products - many of which you can now find on the shelves at ...

EMMANUEL HADJIANDREOU Emmanuel - and his wife Lisa, our Buying Director - travelled the world before settling in Hastings. Emmanuel previously worked for Gordon Ramsay and was a patisserie chef at The Savoy. He has a real passion for artisan bread - he worked for Flour Power, among other bakeries - and has introduced the art of making organic slow-dough breads to the team of bakers at . He has a special knowledge of Continental breads, having baked in Germany, where he learned to make a world-class stollen that is a huge hit with our customers, at Christmas. While at Daylesford - the award-winning organic farm shop, in Oxfordshire - Emmanuel’s bread won the Soil Association Organic Food Awards, with several other bread creations earning Highly Commendeds.

LISA SAPIRE is our Buying Director - not to mention our resident cheese and wine expert. (In the past, Lisa has worked in the wine trade and learned about cheese at Neal’s Yard Dairy, who supply much of our excellent quality cheeses.) After several years at the organic supermarket Fresh & Wild, in London, Lisa moved to Daylesford, in Oxfordshire, where she worked alongside Emmanuel and helped set up the beautiful farm shop.

NOAH HADJIANDREOU Noah is the ‘ baby’, born to Lisa and Emmanuel on July 23rd 2005 - less than three weeks after we unveiled the new shop! He is our ‘mascot’, and well-known to all our regular customers - especially the many other ‘organic babies’ in the Old town. Noah is going to be a baker, when he grows up.