An inclusive culture and a commitment to ensuring all staff believe they belong. These were two of the people-focused features highlighted by the judges at this year’s Best Employers awards, crowning Treatt the Best Overall Large Company.

As a trusted natural extracts and ingredients manufacturer provider to the global flavour, fragrance and consumer goods markets, Treatt has been making the world taste better since 1886 with an extensive product portfolio which includes 100% natural ingredients through to synthetics and aroma chemicals. 

Headquartered in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk at a newly-opened £41m purpose-built facility, it also has operational facilities in Florida, USA and China, cementing Treatt as a global organisation.

Showcasing passion and sharing expertise for the industry they serve is at the heart of everyone at Treatt, who pride themselves on developing people and creating an environment which allows their talent to explore and reach their own potential.

“Our values are integral to everything we do,” says Becca Day, senior HR advisor. "Our employees were involved in creating them, rather than the leadership team saying, ‘here are your company values and you must abide by them’. They showcase the value of our culture therefore we live and breathe them.”

The four values of pride and passion, teamwork, integrity, and challenge represent the cornerstones of the organisation, which boasts a team of over 420 employees globally. “You want to be passionate about the relationships that you've got within the business, take pride in your work and be passionate about supporting the wider community - which we are,” says Becca. “This underpins everything we do, because it's all about the attitude with which we go about our day-to-day tasks.”

Teamwork is clearly key for any successful business – but the challenge is staying focused on that in a large company that works not only across multiple areas but also with a large range of different functions and roles. How does Treatt get it right?

“Communication is the key to success," explains Becca. "We're in the process of moving to our new innovative site on Skyliner Way, which boasts state-of-the-art office, production and research facilities which will bring everybody under one roof - the idea being that everyone will be able to work even more closely together.

“Our value of integrity is about being authentic - and it highlights the relationship that we have in terms of trusting people,” she adds. “We want our team to challenge the way we do things where you feel you can actually make a difference to the business. Everyone has a voice and the opportunity to put their ideas forward.”

What does being named Best Overall Large Company by Best Employers mean for Treatt? “We’re proud of the culture we’ve created and want people who share our values to join our team. The recruitment market is highly competitive, so this accolade really helps to show we're an employer that looks after our people,” says Becca. “Given everything that's gone on since 2020, that’s more important than ever.

“We know from winning the award that we're doing things well, but it also means we can look at areas to push and make ourselves even better,” she adds. “As an employer, we want to stay one step ahead, to do whatever we can to make Treatt a great place to work and for people to thrive.”

Daemmon Reeve, CEO of Treatt, added: “We know that having an engaged workforce improves business performance, encourages long lasting relationships and supports an environment for every person to thrive.

“There is something special about working for Treatt that goes beyond what we create and sell which is all down to our people. We are delighted to win the Best Overall Large Company award, as this proves the exceptional efforts that the whole business has put in to making Treatt such a special and amazing place to work.”

The Best Employers programme was founded by recruitment specialists Pure and psychometrics experts eras, and is supported by Archant and full-service law firm Birketts.