Great food - Business Development Manager Natoora Employee Review

Produce is fantastic and well rounded team always looking to help

Very early start time for most

The product is genuinely exceptional. Heritage varieties, direct farm relationships, and a sourcing philosophy that is virtually unmatched in the premium produce space. The mission is meaningful, the client roster is prestigious, and for anyone with a genuine passion for food culture and gastronomy, the work itself is intellectually rich. The commercial opportunity is real. The category is underpenetrated, the right clients are receptive, and there is growth to be had for someone with the drive and the stomach to pursue it.

The structural issues are significant and worth addressing directly. The US operation suffers from a structural leadership problem that was neither acknowledged nor addressed during my tenure. The most significant issue is this: seniority and trust were routinely extended to inexperienced individuals — not on the basis of merit, demonstrated judgement, or commercial acumen, but apparently on the basis of cost. These were, in plain terms, cheap hires positioned above their competence level, and the organization appeared content to mistake compliance and availability for capability. The consequences of this were felt daily. Decision-making was inconsistent. Workplace culture and discipline were managed weakly, reactively, and — when it suited — selectively. Experienced professionals who brought market knowledge, client relationships, and strategic thinking to the table were passed over, undermined, or simply ignored in favour of individuals who had neither the experience nor the self-awareness to lead effectively. The arrogance that tends to accompany that particular combination — junior, underpaid relative to market, yet institutionally protected — was a persistent and corrosive feature of the environment. This was compounded by a pronounced cultural insularity within the local team that made genuine collaboration difficult and created an implicit in-group dynamic. Those who did not share the same cultural reference points, social networks, or local ties found themselves navigating an additional, unspoken layer of friction that had no bearing on their professional contribution. For a brand with global ambitions, this insularity is not only counterproductive — it is a strategic liability. There is a word for a culture shaped by these dynamics, and that word is toxic. I use it not provocatively but precisely. When trust flows downward to those least equipped to handle it responsibly, it distorts everything: performance standards, accountability, communication, and basic professional norms. On that last point — instances of serious misconduct among staff were demonstrably left unaddressed by local management. Whether through conflict avoidance, incompetence, or something more deliberate, the effect was the same: a workplace where bad actors operated with impunity, and where those who raised concerns found themselves at a disadvantage for having done so. The culture this enabled was corrosive and, frankly, beneath the standard the brand presents externally. Work-life balance is, in practice, a personal burden. Early mornings, operational understaffing, and the expectation that individuals will absorb institutional dysfunction without complaint are features, not bugs. For anyone with family commitments, this warrants serious consideration before accepting a role. It is also worth noting that the product narrative, while genuinely compelling in parts, does not tell the complete story. Despite a stated commitment to seasonality and direct farm relationships, the reality includes a significant volume of commodity lines — product sourced through conventional market channels rather than the heritage supply networks the brand leads with. This matters because the pricing structure does not reflect that distinction. Natoora positions itself at a significant premium relative to competitors who, in a number of categories, are offering comparable product at materially lower price points. For a client-facing professional tasked with defending that premium daily, the mathematics became increasingly difficult to justify — particularly when the product in question was not the heritage, farm-direct variety the brand is built on. The gap between what is charged and what is delivered is, in several categories, uncomfortably wide.