Robert Barnard-Weston, co-founder
Eco-entrepreneur, writer, consultant, speaker and facilitator Rob spent ten years in mainstream marketing and communications before entering the world of sustainable enterprise in the late 1980s. Since then he has co-launched a number of still-thriving initiatives, including:
• The first eco-hotel in Bath, England
• A kitchens, furniture and interiors company working entirely in reclaimed timbers and other materials
• A social and eco-enterprise apprenticeship programme
• An eco-construction company
• A community-supported agriculture buying consortium
• The UK Farmers’ Markets movement
• F3 – the Foundation for Local Food Initiatives
• A Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility consultancy
In his consulting capacity, Robert has been involved in corporate responsibility strategy, culture change, education, training and communications for twenty years. He has published three books and many articles on the topic; spoken at, facilitated and chaired numerous conferences and seminars and worked with a wide range of global, regional and national client organisations in the private, public and NGO sectors.
Rob has always had a passion for local food and, with a small group of friends pioneered BLOB – Bath Local Organic Buyers almost twenty years ago. BLOB went on to win an award for the Best Community-Supported Agriculture Scheme in the UK. He also led the team that created the Apple day Festival in Bath, which not only became an annual event attracting many thousands of visitors every year but became the inspiration for the Bath Farmers’ Market, which caused such a media explosion that we ended up with over five hundred farmers’ Markets throughout the UK. Rob then went on to found Growing for Gold – an apprenticeship scheme in market gardening which both topped up the supply for the Farmers’ Markets in the region and proved training and employment for young schoolleavers in one of England’s hardest-hit unemployment and youth crime areas. Robert holds an Honours Degree in Philosophy and a Masters in Responsibility and Business Practice, whose research topic was local vs global food systems.. He lives in Bath, England with his wife Kari and five children.
Robert Barnard-Weston
Co-founder of The Thoughtful Bread Company
