Jordan Smith (master of global business)
My name is Jordan and I recently completed the MGB program at UVic. After finishing my time in Austria in the MGB program, I decided to search for work opportunities in Europe to broaden my work experience. Having spent my career in Canada, USA, and Japan up until that point made me feel as though I were lacking European experience.
Looking for work in Europe
Moving to the UK made a lot of sense for several different reasons. Of course, I could work in English, but on top of that, my father’s family had moved to Canada from the UK a few generations ago, so I still have many members of my extended family there as a support network.
It was also reasonably easy to get a work visa for the UK as a Canadian citizen. I have always liked big cities, so I set my sights on London. Up until MGB, I worked in the beer industry and was hoping to branch out into a new part of food and beverages.
Working for Daily Dose
I came across the job posting for Daily Dose Juice on LinkedIn and applied. After a lengthy interview process, I found myself as the new Business Development Executive for Daily Dose in West London.
Daily Dose is the largest company in the UK dedicated to the production of juice. What sets it apart from the competition is that we are trying to support local communities as much as possible, buying wonky fruit and vegetables from local farmers to turn into juice.
As this produce would normally not be accepted by shops, we are reducing food wastage and providing local farmers with bonus income. It makes me feel great to be a part of something that is green, sustainable, and also delicious. At the end of it all, you are left with a premium juice that we are selling in cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, and hotels.
Daily role
My role in Daily Dose is to manage current accounts in west London and bring on new business. It includes everything from reaching out to new customers in person or by email to running tastings and samplings with our partners.
I feel quite lucky to be in charge of an area as great as west London. It includes many of the posh residential areas such as Chelsea, Notting Hill, and Knightsbridge. In this role, I have a lot of independence and can decide my own schedule and where in west London I want to spend my time.
This has provided me with a great opportunity to explore by myself and get to know the city. Within my team, I have a counterpart who handles east London, and a manager above us. As a small team of three, we have accomplished so much so far, bringing on over 50 new accounts in the short time I have been here.
Similarities between Canada and London
I have been quite lucky in that there are not so many cultural differences between life in London and life in Canada. Both places are quite multicultural and culturally similar in many ways. If anything, I have had some humorous interactions related to British slang. Until moving here, I thought that chuffed was a bad thing and mince pies had meat in them (they don’t, they have fruit in them).
I feel grateful for this opportunity to spend another chapter of my life abroad. My role with Daily Dose is a permanent full-time role, so it will extend beyond the co-op and I am curious to see where I will end up. So far, the company has been great to me and I love my team and the independence I have as well as our excellent product. My advice to people considering a co-op work term is to keep your options open and don’t be afraid to try something new. Coming from beer, I never imagined I would work in juice and I was never into juice before, but my new role has been a blast.