Adam Brett founded the UK Fairtrade food business Tropical Wholefoods in 1991, after setting up the Ugandan partner business Fruits of the Nile in 1990. Since then he has worked on fair trade food businesses producing products for the European market in Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Guyana, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Afghanistan & South Africa, partnering with local people to create products for export. He has also worked extensively as a consultant for food businesses, NGOs and Government departments such as DFID in Africa & Asia.
In 2001 Tropical Wholefoods merged with UK food manufacturer FM Foods to form Fullwell Mill. Adam is director of Fullwell Mill, which continues to import Fairtrade food ingredients and sell them under the Tropical Wholefoods brand, while also producing other snack & health food products for a variety of UK and European food businesses. Adam is a shareholder and director of Mountain Fruits and Fruits of the Nile in Pakistan and Uganda respectively.
In 2002 Adam set up Step Systems with long-time food systems expert Derek Cox, a business which creates information systems for food businesses & NGOs to manage informational flows & auditing. This business can consult & train such businesses, building information systems to manage the complex traceability requirements of modern food supply chains. This business allows Adam to leverage his extensive knowledge of computer programming, application development, database design, web and internet systems developed for Tropical Wholefoods and its partners for a wider customer-base.
As well as working on his own businesses Adam also works as a Judge & Trustee for the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy an awards scheme giving prizes to businesses & NGOs working with sustainable energy and as a Trustee for the Kilimo Trust, an East African trust supporting innovation in agriculture & business.
Past work has seen him on the board of a small supermarket chain, and working with organisations like Natural Resources International, Research Into Use & other agricultural NGOs & GOs in the UK & consulting for UK government, the Aga Khan Foundation, Commonwealth Secretariat & others. Adam is married with 3 children, lives in London & loves to scuba dive, rock climb, ski & ice skate with his kids when not working.