My food & drink job: Jena Anderson, grocery buyer, Abel & Cole

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Jena Andserson Abel & Cole

Name: Jena Anderson

Age: 25

Job title: Grocery buyer

Company & location: Abel & Cole, London

Education: Psychology, University of Bristol

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I always imagined myself as a teacher.

Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? I’ve been a passionate foodie for as long as I can remember and I’ve always cared about where food comes from. As such, working in the industry always held lots of appeal.

“Every loaf, jar, and box has a story and a lot of care behind it”

Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): I bring together a range of organic and sustainably produced grocery products, working collaboratively with our farmers, makers, and suppliers who share our passion for food done right.

What does a typical day look like for you? There’s rarely a typical day as my job is very varied. One day it might be that I’m out visiting one of our suppliers and hearing the stories behind the brands, the next I’m scouting out our next seasonal stars (yes, we’re thinking about Christmas puddings and hot cross buns all year round).

I also spend time checking in on new product launches or diving into the numbers to see where we can fill gaps or surprise our customers with something fresh and exciting.

Abel and Cole van delivery

Tell us how you went about applying for your job: I joined the William Jackson Food Group through their graduate scheme, which involved a three-stage interview process: an industry-focused questionnaire, a telephone interview, and a graduate assessment day that included a mix of interviews and group tasks with colleagues from across the group.

What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? It’s such an exciting industry to work in. It’s full of creativity, taste-testing, and new ideas, but it’s also grounded in real commercial decisions.

For me, it’s the best of both worlds.

And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? A lot of people don’t realise there’s a whole team of buyers carefully choosing what ends up in their weekly shop. Every loaf, jar, and box has a story and a lot of care behind it.

What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? Keep your finger on the pulse of foodie trends and connect with others in the space. It’s a smaller, friendlier world than you might think, and relationships really matter.

What’s your ultimate career dream? I’d love to do a nutrition course so I can better understand the science of healthy eating and its psychological underpinnings. Helping customers make healthier choices (and making those choices the easiest ones) is something I’m passionate about.

One day, I’d love to work as a food nutritionist alongside retailers – Tim Spector is doing incredible things in that space.