This Month: Get to Know Ben – A Closer Look at Our Managing Director’s Leadership, Vision, and Impact on the Team

Whilst JFS has a story of it’s own, going right back to 1882, we would like to introduce you to the current team.

Today we meet Ben (Anthony Benton) who acquired Joseph Flach & Sons in 2015. Ben, originally born in East Africa lives in rural Suffolk with his wife Barbara, with their family close by.

Can you tell us a little about your background…

I am a graduate Mechanical Engineer but have spent most of my working life running software development businesses. I bought JFS because I saw its potential, thinking my strong background in operational systems, commercial operations and building effective teams could really be usefull. In my life I think I have been very lucky, I have a large and incredibly loving family and many wonderful friends to support me.

What are your best personal qualities and how do you feel these have impacted the business and culture at JFS?

I love the challenges and creativity that business brings, I cannot sit still and have to achieve and I hate giving up!. I like to look after and motivate people, they are the most important thing in any operation. I have very strong views on management’s role of enablement and support rather than a dictatorial approach. Giving people long term stable and rewarding work is one of the greatest things anyone can do. Without viable employment we would have no wealth, no society and little happiness. I see JFS is a tool for good, we employ good people, we sell good products and we do good outside the business by supporting charities and good causes and of course encouraging employment through the cultivation of plants, which also supports the environment on a number of levels

What is your favourite part of your job?

Seeing the business grow, employing more staff and helping them grow and achieve.

What are you most proud of at JFS?

That we have not messed up Jospeh Flach’s incredible legacy but rather we have built from it and expanded sustainably.

An interesting fact about yourself?

When I was training to fly I got lost on my solo cross country flight. Although I didn’t know where I was I was not frightened.. problems are for solving. Afterwards I decided I should be  more careful at times!

Favourite place you’ve ever been?

That is a really tough question as I have been fortunate to visit some incredible places, the west coast of the Scottish Highlands is one of the places I really love but overall it may well just be home in North Suffolk.

Favourite meal?

Hard to beat a good chilli, spaghetti bolognaise or may be toad in the hole made with wonderful Suffolk sausages…

What do you do for fun?

Run a great company, play tennis, ski, cook, read, listen to music, family and friends and walk the dog.

JFS specific

When you acquired JFS, what were your top 3 aspirations for the company?

1) not to mess up the value already created (I have seen this so many times in acquisitions)

2) to learn what the business was, what mattered and what didn’t, what was valuable and what was not.

3) To use my experience to bring in and build systems, procedures and great people that would enable sustainable and profitable growth.

What is JFS doing to reduce carbon impact?

We import and export all over the globe and so we cannot avoid having a carbon footprint but our products are natural and they contribute a lot to the environment in their own right and increasing their use is by default environmentally good. The products are almost always used for necessary purposes such as food, drink and wellbeing so what we are about is not frivolous. We minimise our direct energy consumption (which is low anyway) and have electric vehicles and we are working with our transporters on caron reduction and making deliveries as efficient as possible. Our packaging is almost entirely 100% recyclable.

Is Global Warming impacting supply of products, if so which?

Yes it is effecting how plants grow, harvest yields and in some cases availability and as the climate gets more unstable it will have an adverse effect on some supply and prices.

What products do you expect to see growth in sales over the next 5-10 years?

Almost all of them as the demand for natural goodness grows and the benefits of plant materials on health and wellbeing become more apparent.

What do you see as the biggest challenge for JFS, and how have you overcome it / doing to overcome it?

The biggest challenge for JFS is probably common with lots of businesses and that is in finding excellent staff. Attitudes to work/life have changed and we are only interested in enthusiastic people who want to be a long-term member of the JFS family. We want to invest in people and we want them to stay and grow with us.

Quick fire round

Smelliest product?

Many smell, some lovely and some not so.. too many to mention in the 600 odd items we stock.

Favourite product?

So many plants have such amazing properties that it’s hard to think of one alone. I do love Devils Claw – it’s physical form demonstrates the ingenious way in which nature solves various challenges that survival throw at us.

Most expensive product per gram?

Saffron is pretty expensive but you only need a tiny amount to achieve great results.

Most popular product?

We have many highly consumed products, and their consumption can move during the year so we do not have any one such product.

Most interesting product and why?

Psyllium husk is an example of an interesting product and one that is one on the up..it is being used as a fibre product replacing flour as people are increasing showing intolerance to gluten and there is very interesting research that is beginning to show how important fibre is to the gut biome and how this also affect cognitive ability and long life. We used to think fibre was just an aid to regularity, but it is so much more.