Food processor: Jocelyn Fordred

Jocelyn Fordred, a food processor and small business owner, always starts her day with a cup of coffee before taking on a busy day of managing staff, doing quality control checks and doing deliveries.

Fordred has been involved in the agricultural industry for over 10 years and started her food processing business, Namton Manor, in October 2023.

“I always had a passion to make and produce things from scratch, and I will look for interesting things to do. I am a hands-on person and like to see things grow within a market, mostly food-orientated, as people must eat,” Fordred says.

Fordred’s business mainly focuses on potatoes and processing frozen chips in different shapes, such as straight-cut chips, shoestring and wedges.

She says she is excited about the soon-to-launch spud balls and spud sticks of frozen potato chips.

Fordred's job description ranges from sales and marketing to deliveries and managing quality control.

According to Fordred, although you can attend a hospitality school or study for a degree in agriculture to start a business in the industry, you still need a passion for agriculture to truly make it a success.

“If you have a passion for something, you can teach yourself to do most things, but certain trades still need skills. In my case, a love for what I do helps and also makes you go look for trends, and teaching yourself just brings bigger rewards,” Fordred explains.

Challenging career

Stereotypes are something everyone in various industries and lines of work has to deal with, and some of the stereotypes Fordred has experienced include people referring to what she does as "that's so easy to do" or "I can do that myself."

She says many people do not take into account the time and intense efforts needed to ensure the success of every project.

“Time and effort play a big role in what you, as a small business owner, have to do to achieve your goals,” says Fordred.

To stay relevant in any industry, you have to stay up-to-date with trends, and this applies to the agricultural industry as well, she says.

She advises anyone who would like to start a business in the agricultural sector, or any sector for that matter, to be teachable, stay up-to-date, and constantly develop their skills.