THIS MUCH I KNOW... WITH NATHAN SILVA
Words of wisdom from Nathan Silva, Sales Executive on the Retail team at Finlays in the US
Words and photography: Thom Walton
When you’re the youngest, you have to work harder to prove yourself. I’ve always been the youngest – one of the youngest in my class at school, when I went to university a year early, and when I was starting out in my career. Being the youngest means you have to work extra hard to prove yourself. Ask good questions, earn people’s trust and show your worth.
You never know where your career will take you.I went to vocational high school at age 13, assuming I would follow my father into working in the electrical field. When I was there, I did a minor course in culinary arts and it turned out I not only had a talent for it, but a passion as well. After working in commercial kitchens while studying, I ended up in a food science role and have never looked back.
It’s important to work somewhere with a culture of trust.When I first joined Finlays as a Tea Applications Scientist, I had experience with coffee, but not much in tea. Finlays’ intensive training programme quickly helped build my confidence. After that, I kept asking questions and was given a huge amount of trust by management. This is something I’ve seen across Finlays – there are people who’ve come from technical or operations roles and become the shining stars of completely different departments.
Technical experience is profoundly useful in a sales role. When a role in the Finlays commercial team opened up, I jumped at the chance. My technical background is a huge asset when I’m supporting our customers – and not just because I can answer their more technical questions on the spot! Having a strong knowledge of our product portfolio and private label capabilities allows me to put together bespoke solutions to our customers’ problems. Being a member of our sensory team, I’m also able to lead customers through tasting sessions to ensure that their critical feedback is fully understood.
I love that my role is about solving problems and helping people. I'm happiest when I'm finding new ways to solve the problem. I like to take an innovative approach - be it in the lab or for a customer project.
Coffee is so much more than a caffeine source. Before working in the industry, I mostly viewed coffee as a source of caffeine. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Coffee is an incredible product offering seemingly limitless possibilities for innovation.
Tea is a sleeping giant in the US. One of the interesting elements of my role is speaking to my international colleagues and hearing about how tea and coffee are viewed differently around the world. In the US, coffee reigns supreme but we always say that tea is a sleeping giant. We know it's on the cusp of blowing up and it could take just one company to make that happen.
I hope I always stay curious. Being at the relative start of my career, it’s incredibly valuable to be surrounded by people who are experts in their field. Being curious and asking questions is a really important way to learn, not just in my role, but outside of it as well. Finlays gives me that opportunity.
It’s all about innovation. We might think that every possible tea and coffee product already exists, but innovation is critical to the future of our industry. There’s always a new twist, and it’s exciting to be part of that process, and to bring new experiences to consumers.
Work and family is a balancing act. My son was born in April and I’m still working to find the perfect balance. But Finlays has been nothing but supportive as I’ve adjusted to my new reality.
Nate Silva is a Sales Executive on the US Retail team at Finlays
