When you meet Debbie, Tammy and Hayley Fry, you can’t help feeling that these are people who get things done. And that is proven in the success of their family business – Fry’s Vegetarian.
From small beginnings in their Winston Park kitchen, where Debbie and her husband Wally searched for meat replacements for their growing family (including daughters Tammy and Hayley), it has become an award-winning company that employs over 250 people, with sales in 23 countries.
The Frys are a close-knit family and that seems to be a big part of their success. “We just love being together,” says managing director and mum Debbie, “and we spend most weekends together too.”
“In business, you need to understand each others’ strengths and we have individual roles that reflect those,” says Hayley, who is responsible for HR and product development. “It definitely makes a difference that we understand the demands made on us at work and at home.”
Working your way
It may sound simple, joining the family business, but the Frys insist that there are no “golden tickets” in this firm. Tammy and Hayley have worked in the factory and know the business inside-out.
Dedicated to increasing awareness of the role we all have to play in reducing the effects of global warming, marketing manager Tammy is a passionate campaigner for Meat-Free Mondays. “People are becoming more open to ideas of healthy eating and protecting the environment, and with a vegan burger containing no cholesterol and having only 3% of the carbon footprint of its beef equivalent, that’s difficult to ignore.”
Sitting beside these three dynamic women, it’s clear that this is a family that practices exactly what it preaches.
For more on Meat-Free Mondays, visit http://www.supportmfm.co.za/. The Fry’s Range is available in every supermarket in South Africa.