My Placement at MWW: Tari Onwuteaka, Technical Assistant

Prior to taking on the role as Technical Assistant for the Fruit Team, I had no understanding of technical and its importance in the food industry. Now having completed my placement year, I can say that I’ve certainly come a long way in terms of the knowledge I’ve gained and experiences I’ve had.

Although my responsibilities were mostly technical, I still had the opportunity to interact with other departments and this helped me gain a more holistic idea of how businesses operate within the supply chain.

If I were to describe the past year in one word, that word would be “rollercoaster” – there have been multiple up and down moments, but none I would take back; they have all been enjoyable. I’ve really loved working within the Technical Team, especially with all they’ve taught me. I recall a time, nearer to the end of my training, when Sarah Wadelin (Technical Manager) was on holiday and we had to bring in a few more pallets of avocados to support orders. David Alder ( Our Technical Director) asked me multiple questions about the due diligence and all that was going through my head was “Oh Lord, what have I gotten myself into?” but that equipped me for when a similar situation occurred and I was able to alleviate concerns about the documents because I now knew what to look out for.

Also, having spent time working with the QAs, I can say the way I view fruit has definitely changed. Before this role, I would go into the shops and pick up what I felt was good fruit, but now I look out for things like fungal spotting when shopping for mangoes and rots when choosing avocados! Most of all, I’ve enjoyed the moments when we’re bonding and having a laugh together. I’m going to miss decorating the technical desks with crazy coloured Christmas ornaments and seeing Sarah’s face when she notices a dehydrated Gino (the team avocado plant)!!! Come September, I’ll be going back to the University of Reading for my final year in Nutrition with Food Consumer Sciences. After which, I’m hoping to get an MSc in Dietetics – that’s the plan at the moment, but who knows where life will take me.