Becky Balderstone, 36, is the founder of Ripe, a company selling local organic produce via home delivery, weekly markets and its own shops. The Briton came to the Emirates to launch BlackBerry Mobile Services, but realised her destiny lay elsewhere and utilised her marketing background and passion for healthy eating to launch Dubai-based Ripe in 2011. With Ripe's popular outdoor markets re-opening across the UAE, her week just got busier. Here she talks to The National about her week.
Sunday
Sundays start with a work out on the beach to get me in the right frame of mind for the week. Ripe operates seven days; markets, servicing homegrown F&B concepts, home deliveries, Ripe Organic Kitchen and our retail shops. The Ripe team has been expanding and we have lots of new faces to greet customers through our various services and events. My priority is to catch up with the team. The Ripe ‘rock stars’ operate from many locations; the Ripe farm, logistics warehouse, retail stores, our offices in Al Quoz. Throughout the week I wear many hats; my agenda is never the same. It can consist of merchandising store openings, sewing seeds on the Ripe farm or reviewing new SME businesses looking to join the markets.
Monday
I start around 5.30am. I work out three mornings a week, and then start my run of nursery and school drops for my children - Freya (five), Buddy (four), Beau 20 months. We often call grandparents further afield or plan fun things for the school day. I manage most new projects for the company, so I am not as active in the daily running and operations of the business. I have a wonderful team, extremely passionate and proud about what they do. I manage the brand of Ripe and all brand developments. I am very active in store openings; we recently launched three new farm shops - Town Centre, Jumeirah; Park Centre Mirdif; and Shoreline 8, Palm Jumeirah. I’ve been on site for the fit-out process, designing the shops and working with contractors with the support of my husband. I recently developed a new range of Ripe Superfood products and am excited about developing my Raising With Ripe programme, which will launch in 2018 and focus around educating children on healthy eating, enabling them to see our farms for themselves. It’s great to see everything come together after months of hard work from the team.
Tuesday
Our bookings team works with Ripe market members throughout the week taking bookings for all upcoming markets, answering questions, helping new members through the application process. Social media is a great platform, evolving every day, so we encourage all members to shout about their business and Ripe markets; it’s a great way for SMEs to get their name out there and grow sales. We have social media platforms for Ripe Organic, which keeps up to date with events and showcases some market members. Juggling work and being a mum is very challenging; I love doing both but I have a lot of support from my husband, James, which enables me to be flexible.
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Wednesday
Market planning, bookings and operations is huge, but totally worth it when you see so many talented people coming together to share their passion and creations. The markets team probably doesn’t receive as much thanks, and credit, as they deserve. Outside of Ripe HQ, few participants and customers are aware of the processes and hard work they carry out, always with a smile.
Thursday
We have individual plans for each market. Naturally, summers are quieter with so many people travelling, but this year has seen the highest number of market vendors apply to take part. Some outdoor market dates sold out within weeks of opening; a positive start for the new season. There are many longstanding members who joined Ripe in the beginning; it’s great to see how their businesses have flourished and we are excited to see new businesses following in their footsteps.
Friday
Our largest market is in Zabeel Park. Set up starts the night before to ensure we are ready for member registration in the morning. I am very involved in the beginning, to ensure everything is set up smoothly and all processes and procedures are followed. Then, throughout the season, I float among the different events, trying hard not to spend too much on the stalls - very tempting with so many wonderful things to buy. I love seeing the Ripe Organic stand coming together; the fresh produce always looks fab. There is always a buzz as members arrive to set up. It’s great to see how creative people get with their tables. With the help of our bookings team new members are prepared for the day; the team help with questions.
Saturday
My teams are split on Saturday because of two separate markets – Umm Al Emarat Park, Abu Dhabi and Al Barsha Pond Park, Dubai - but everything runs as usual. I am not based at any one market but I work Saturdays, whether it be in one of the markets, retail stores, Ripe farms, office, warehouse - or cooking up a new recipe with my children at home. I like to keep busy and show support across all areas of the business.
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
If%20you%20go
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Kathmandu.%20Fares%20with%20Air%20Arabia%20and%20flydubai%20start%20at%20Dh1%2C265.%3Cbr%3EIn%20Kathmandu%2C%20rooms%20at%20the%20Oasis%20Kathmandu%20Hotel%20start%20at%20Dh195%20and%20Dh120%20at%20Hotel%20Ganesh%20Himal.%3Cbr%3EThird%20Rock%20Adventures%20offers%20professionally%20run%20group%20and%20individual%20treks%20and%20tours%20using%20highly%20experienced%20guides%20throughout%20Nepal%2C%20Bhutan%20and%20other%20parts%20of%20the%20Himalayas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest
(Because Music)
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Central%20Bank's%20push%20for%20a%20robust%20financial%20infrastructure
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ECBDC%20real-value%20pilot%20held%20with%20three%20partner%20institutions%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20buy%20now%2C%20pay%20later%20regulations%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20for%20the%202023%20launch%20of%20the%20domestic%20card%20initiative%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPhase%20one%20of%20the%20Financial%20Infrastructure%20Transformation%20(FiT)%20completed%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
