AFTER FAILING HIS bar exam, Keith Abel fell back on a trade he first tried his hand at while studying history and economics at Leeds University — selling spuds door-to-door. The resulting business, which began in a Catford basement in 1988 with just Abel, his mum Sally, a friend and Paul Cole (who has since left) has grown to eight sites, about 400 staff, and delivers groceries to more than 30,000 homes a week. In the early days, Abel and his co-founders would start work at two o'clock each morning in order to get the best potatoes from New Covent Garden market, and the concept of selling organic produce only arose after a meeting with Devon farmer Bernard Gauvier, who told them about the chemicals sprayed on crops. Once they began giving customers the choice between ordinary and organic, Abel & Cole never looked back. Abel, 48, who describes his leadership style as "informal" and "inclusive", says one of the company's strengths is that he and other bosses listen to and act on ideas from anyone in the workforce. He says: "People on the coalface know much more than the people on the management as to how the business is going and how it's running, so you'd better bloody listen to them." At least once every six months, Abel and Ted Bell, the finance director, speak to all staff in small groups. To ensure they see delivery drivers, this can mean arriving at depots at 3am, where the two leaders make them a bacon sandwich for breakfast. Examples of action taken following such feedback include an upgrade to computers, new rain jackets for drivers and new printers and carpets. Staff say their leaders run things based on sound moral principles (76% positive). Like Abel, Cambridge classics graduate Bell at first seems an odd fit for a firm specialising in organic fruit and veg. The 40-year-old, who qualified as a management accountant at Unilever before a career in venture capital and private equity, relishes no longer having to don a "corporate mask". He says: "It's a business that's got some real life to it. It's fun." Abel & Cole, based in London, minimises food waste and packaging and promotes biodiversity and animal welfare, alongside fair trade and organic farming. Staff say their company makes it easy to be environmentally friendly (85%, bettered by just two others) and genuinely cares about the environment (85%, in sixth place). It gives away about 15 free boxes of food each month to small charities for fundraising activities and since 2010 has collected hundreds of unwanted bicycles from customers that are then repaired and shipped to Ghana. Abel & Cole makes a positive difference to the world we live in, say its employees (77%, ranking 16th). Dave Gibson, 29, who is in charge of a small team of drivers, worked for two supermarket chains before coming to Abel & Cole. He was happy to exchange better pay for a friendlier atmosphere where profit is not the priority. The company no longer has a human resources department, as Abel believes a well-run firm does not need one. He says: "I personally feel that a HR department is an excuse for poor management. If you run a business well you'll get less HR issues." Every employee receives a bag of free organic fruit and vegetables to take home each week and all sites have unlimited supplies of organic fruit available to enjoy during office hours. www.abelandcole.co.uk
