Start Your Career in Fresh Produce!
Join us for our Evesham Open Day on Monday 12 October 2026, meet the teams behind the business and discover our placement opportunities starting July 2027.
SEE THE BUSINESS IN ACTION
Nationwide Produce Open Day 2026
Join us at our Evesham site to get a behind-the-scenes look at how we bring fresh produce to our customers across the UK and Europe. You’ll meet our teams, explore different areas of the business and find out what a placement at Nationwide could look like for you.
Monday 12 October 2026
11:00 – 14:00
Nationwide Produce - Evesham, Worcestershire
WR11 1GS
1. Welcome
Meet the team and introduction
2. Trading & Procurement
Find out what it takes to become a trader
3. Technical
Discover the importance of traceability, compliance, and customer service
4. Warehouse & Transport
See our operation in action
5. Food Tasting
Try a selection of fresh produce
6. Brand & Marketing
Discover the importance of partnerships and social media
7. Felix
Find out how surplus food is changing communities
8. Q&A
Your questions answered
Q&A
Submit a question ahead of the open day.
Got something you’d like to ask?
Send your question in advance or on the day, and we’ll answer as many as we can during the Open Day Q&A session.
ABOUT NATIONWIDE PRODUCE
Fresh produce moves fast. So do we.
Nationwide Produce PLC is one of the UK’s largest, longest-established, and most diverse fresh produce companies.
We supply a broad and diverse customer base across international markets, wholesale and secondary wholesale, fresh processing, retail packing, retail, foodservice and catering.
For the 2025–26 financial year, the Group’s turnover was £196m. Our business combines UK farming and packing, global procurement, specialist European trading businesses, retail packing and an in-house transport network to keep fresh produce moving 365 days a year.
PLACEMENTS
Four Placements. Four Opportunities.
Gain real experience, make a difference and build your future in fresh produce.
Evesham, Worcestershire
44 Weeks
Paid placement
Staring June/July 27
Accommodation provided
Procurement
Work with suppliers, manage stock, support sourcing, availability, quality, purchasing and data analysis.
Apply via Harper Adams
Sales
Suport customer relationships, work on live orders, help with account management, and contribute to commercial growth.
Apply via Harper Adams
Marketing
Support social media, content, events, website, email marketing, brand development and packaging design.
Apply via Harper Adams
Technical
Focus on quality, food saftey, customer requirements, sustainability and continuous improvement.
Apply via Harper Adams
STUDENT STORIES
Ask our current placement students.
“My placement is split across sales and procurement, which means I get to see both sides of the commercial operation and understand how they work together. Day to day can involve speaking to customers and suppliers, checking availability and prices, helping with orders, looking at stock and dealing with anything unexpected that comes up. It’s very varied and fast-paced, which is one of the things I really enjoy about it.
One of the biggest things that made moving away for placement easier was having accommodation provided. It took away the pressure of trying to find somewhere to live and meant I could settle into Evesham and focus on starting the placement. It was reassuring knowing that side of things had already been thought about before I arrived.
The team has been really welcoming and everyone is happy to explain things or help if you need it, but you’re also trusted to get involved and take responsibility. I’ve been able to build relationships with customers and suppliers, visit different parts of the supply chain and learn how commercial decisions are made in a live business. There’s also a lot of flexibility in the placement, so if there’s an area you’re particularly interested in, people will try to give you exposure to it.
What I like most is that you don’t feel like you’re just there as ‘the placement student’. You’re treated as part of the team and the work you do actually contributes to the business. It’s given me much more confidence commercially and helped me understand what areas I might want to go into after university.”
“The Technical placement has given me a really broad insight into quality, food safety and the technical side of the fresh produce industry. There isn’t really a typical day, which keeps the role interesting. I can be working on product quality, helping with customer or supplier information, supporting technical queries, working with other departments or getting involved in improvement projects.
Before I started, I was probably most nervous about the interview process, but it was much more relaxed than I expected. It felt like a genuine conversation rather than a formal grilling. It gave me the chance to talk about what I was interested in, learn more about the role, meet the team and get a feel for the business. I think the main thing is to be yourself, ask questions and show that you’re willing to learn rather than feeling like you need to know everything already.
Since starting, I’ve been given real responsibility but always with support there when I need it. The team is really approachable and they genuinely want you to learn, rather than just giving you the same tasks every day. Technical also works with so many different areas of the business, so you quickly get to know people in procurement, sales, the warehouse and other departments.
The culture is friendly and quite informal, which makes it easy to ask questions and get involved. I’ve also found the placement flexible in terms of what you can learn and experience, so if there’s something you want to understand better, there are usually opportunities to get involved. Over the 52 weeks you build up a huge amount of knowledge and confidence, and it gives you a much clearer idea of the type of career you might want after university.”
OUR PEOPLE
Meet the hiring managers.
Adam Mobbs
Head of Sales
Laura Rose
Head of Procurement
Rebecca Fox
Marketing & Communications Director
Tony Dorey
Group Technical Manager
Mark Edwards
Technical Manager
APPLICATION PROCESS
What Happens Next?
Explore the roles
Read the role profiles and find the right fit for you.
Apply through Harper Adams
Submit your application via the Harper Adams jobs portal.
Shortlisting
Applications will be reviewed by our hiring mananagers.
Interview
Selected candidates will be invited to interview.
Offer & Onboarding
Successful candidates will recieve an offer and details on next steps.
FAQs
Your Questions Answered
By our current placement students.
How do I apply for a placement?
All applications must be made through the Harper Adams placement portal. You won’t be able to apply directly through the Nationwide Produce website. Once the roles are live, you’ll find the full job descriptions and application details through Harper Adams.
Can I apply for more than one placement role?
Yes, absolutely. If more than one of our placements interests you, you’re welcome to apply for multiple roles through the Harper Adams placement portal. We’d encourage you to think about which areas of the business you’re most interested in, but you don’t need to limit yourself to just one opportunity.
When does the placement start and finish?
Our 44-week placements run from July 2027 to May 2028.
For any roles running on a different placement length, the exact start and finish dates will be confirmed within the relevant Harper Adams job listing.
What advice would give to someone considering applying?
APPLY! Nationwide is an amazing place to work and everyone is so kind and caring. Do not worry about the interview process it was really relaxed and straightforward. There were two stages the first was a zoom call to get to know the team and answer a few questions, then the second stage was to come to Nationwide to have an in-person interview where I got to look round the entire site and see where I would be working to see if this was the place for me. The interviews were relaxed and just like a friendly conversation, it was made very clear that not only was the interview to make sure that I was the right fit for the role but also for me to make sure that the role was right for me which felt incredibly welcoming. Be yourself, at the end of the day it is all about your personality.
Is accommodation provided?
Yes. Accommodation is included as part of the placement package. We have a lovely two-bedroom house in Evesham, with parking and a garden, available for our placement students. It’s located close to the Evesham operation, helping make the move away from university a little easier.
Who will I live with?
Accommodation is provided as part of the placement package in our two-bedroom house in Evesham, with parking and a garden. You’ll normally share the house with another Nationwide placement student, giving you someone in the same position to settle into placement life with.
Do I need previous fresh produce experience?
Not at all. One of the reasons we offer placements is to help bring the next generation into the world of fresh produce. We’re much more interested in your attitude, willingness to learn, communication skills and enthusiasm than whether you already know the industry. You’ll learn a huge amount about fresh produce, the supply chain and the wider business while you’re here.
Will I be given real responsibility?
Yes. I have been given a lot of responsibility recently with being given two projects to work on. I am being given support with these as and when needed and the team are more than happy to offer guidance for any queries I may have. My role is very flexible which allows me to be able to continue competing alongside working full time. I personal prefer the earlier start time as it means that I can go home after work and train. As long as you make the time up you can be flexible with the hours you do.
What are the team and working culture like?
Everyone at Nationwide is incredibly friendly and is more than happy to share their knowledge and expertise. I have had the opportunity to go out and visit a supplier which is not technically part of my role but the team want me to get the most out of the year here and so I am given opportunities to learn and explore. You get given independence with the knowledge that if needed the team are more than happy to support you and offer guidance. I love knowing that after only being here a short period of time I am regularly contributing to the success of the business and I really do feel like part of an amazing team / family.
Submit a question ahead of the Open Day
Got something you’d like to ask? Send your question in advance or on the day, and we’ll answer as many as we can during the Open Day Q&A session.
