2022 is fast approaching its end – and so too is Olly’s time at LittlePod. Following five years in Farringdon, London is calling, with Olly due to depart East Devon to seek a fresh challenge in the capital at the end of the month. Olly will exit with our thanks and best wishes, and as he explained in a conversation with Paul, our Multi-Media Manager, he’ll forever be a LittlePodder.  

Leaving LittlePod will be a big step for me. To have spent this time here has been a great opportunity and I’m proud to have been part of the team and the wider LittlePod network. I’m leaving a lot behind, but the time has come to move on to a new challenge. I feel a need to see what is out there in the wider world in general, and in London in particular. I have gained new skills and had great opportunities to develop here and this has put me in a fantastic position to continue progressing and moving forward in my career. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. It hasn’t hit me yet and I don’t think it will until I make the move at the end of the month.

I’ve experienced so much here and it’s impossible to condense it into a single conversation. There have been great achievements and tumultuous times too, and it hasn’t always been plain sailing. From the vanilla crisis to Brexit and its challenges, and then on to Covid, we’ve faced some stiff tests. But we’ve faced them together as a team, and the company has shown great resilience and courage to continue pressing ahead with big projects, such as automating production.

Working at LittlePod has been the perfect foundation for my personal development. The time that I’ve spent working with Janet and the team has helped me develop skills both as a worker and a leader, and it’s important for me to recognise how much I’ve changed during my time here. The thing I’m most proud of is the time that I spent as CEO. To be given that job is a treasured personal experience and an achievement in itself. Janet showed great belief in me and trusted me to lead LittlePod forward and the impact it had is difficult to describe.

LittlePod has ignited a fire in me for learning and growth. I’ve changed so much and I’ll always be grateful.

Working in this environment for five years has allowed me to find my inner confidence and LittlePod has strengthened my resilience. When I first arrived I was unsure of the direction in which I wanted to go, but Janet has an ability to show people what they’re capable of and help them devise a plan of action to get there. I arrived with limited experience, but I had a ‘can-do’ attitude which is very important in a company like LittlePod, where you need to get stuck in, be flexible and work in many different roles. Janet and I have worked closely and effectively together and, from day one, she gave me great opportunities and responsibilities. LittlePod has shown me a different way and has ignited a fire in me for learning and growth. I’ve changed so much and I’ll always be grateful.

There have been many standout experiences over the last five years but if I could name just one, it would be going to Tanzania in 2019. To be there when Janet met Irine and to see how important vanilla is to people and communities in the Equatorial regions was very special. That experience heightened the connection I have to vanilla and to our products, and that’s what LittlePod is all about: education, expanding horizons and increasing understanding. The experience underlined the importance of plants and emphasised how beneficial nature can be to communities. That connection between people and food is LittlePod’s USP and something that is embedded in everything LittlePod does. LittlePod has instilled in me a sense of how important food is and I’m fascinated by the connection between the food we eat and the natural world around us. I feel so engaged by the food industry. I’m not sure what’s next, but this feeling about food is something that I’ll be certain to take with me, wherever I go and whatever I do.

Working with people who are so passionate about what they do is a joy…

I’ll be sad to leave but it’s the right time to test myself in other ways and other places. I’ll miss the people here the most and I can’t stress enough how important everyone at LittlePod is to me. This has been a strong and stable place for me, everyone has given me so much support and that is incredibly special. Working with people who are so passionate about what they do is a joy, and to be around these people and to experience their enthusiasm makes you want to get up in the morning and go to work. I think ‘passion’ is a word that is overused, but in this instance it’s right. For Janet and for LittlePod, there is no other way to describe it.

To complete an MBA whilst also working has stretched me greatly, but Janet and my tutor Jo have been steadfast in their support. I thank them and everybody who has helped and supported me during the last five years. I still feel connected to LittlePod in so many ways and as I look forward to following from afar, that will never change. Once a LittlePodder, always a LittlePodder as Janet likes to say. I might be heading elsewhere, but you never really leave LittlePod, do you?

From us all here at LittlePod, we wish Olly every success in all his future ventures. Best wishes and good luck in London, Olly! We look forward to you heading back to East Devon to share tea and news once you’re all settled. Vanilla hugs x