Dig In is unlike a normal small shop in that we are a community enterprise and wouldn’t exist without the hard work and support from lots of people across the community.
As well as our small staff team, who manage the shop on a day-to-day basis, we have shop volunteers working behind the till and stacking shelves and a Management Committee and subgroups of the committee who do work behind the scenes in everything from events, promotion, policies, operations and finance. Finally, we wouldn’t be here at all without the generous support from our 300 shareholders.
As a registered Community Benefit Society, we have the privilege and responsibility to engage with our community and not represent any one individual’s interests.
Staff
We have a small but dedicated team of staff who manage the daily shop operations and keep Dig In looking fresh and beautiful all year round. The shop is currently managed by Morag and Struan (assistant manager) with Steph, Michelle and Ali supervising. Our staff have varied backgrounds in food retail, business, publishing, ecology and design!
Management Committee
The Management Committee is elected by our shareholders to support Dig In behind the scenes with all matters business, strategy, policy, finance, HR, promotion and community engagement and operations.
We can have up to 12 MC members so if you’re interested in contributing and learning more about the running of a community enterprise, consider joining us here…
Short bios below!
Simon Braunholtz – our new Chair, is a regular shop volunteer and was co-opted onto the MC in 2023 and formally elected to MC at the AGM. Originally from Cambridge, Simon worked in London with MORI, the polling and research agency before moving to Edinburgh in 1997. He retired in 2011 and has since had several volunteer roles – including with Open Door in Morningside, as past Chair of the Parent Council at Boroughmuir High School, board member and past Chair of Fountainbridge Canal Initiative and he is now the chair of the Edinburgh Southern Labour Party.
Sue Lane joined the MC in 2023 as Treasurer, having been a frequent shopper at Dig-In and a founding shareholder. She recently evolved from her paid role to voluntary work, in particular in the climate emergency and has also taken on our Treasurer Role. Sue is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and has worked in industry, civil servant and charity roles in her career in the UK and overseas. She is a founding member of the Bruntsfield Area Net Zero Action Initiative (BANZAI)and a board member of the Scottish youth homelessness charity the Rock Trust.
Will Sohler – as our new Vice-Chair, you’re very likely to run into Will volunteering on a Saturday in the shop! He recently moved to the Bruntsfield area with his wife and started volunteering at Dig-In after hearing our story, being co-opted onto the MC last year and determined to help us turn the business around. Will works within a Sales team in market research – with experience in food and drink market research. He spends much time speaking with some of the world’s largest supermarket chains which offers an interesting contrast from his work at Dig-In!
Amanda Lake is outgoing chair of the MC and was re-elected this year back to the MC, our longest standing MC volunteer! Originally hailing from Perth Australia, she moved to Edinburgh in 2010 and started volunteering as Dig-In was opening in 2014, joining the MC shortly after. She has a global role in the water sector as a process engineer with a focus on climate action and sustainability with a large engineering services company, and 2 young boys. Amanda volunteers in the shop when she can and loves cross-pollinating Dig-In with local climate group BANZAI and the wonderful tree planters at FoMBL.She loves to be part of local community action and truly believes in the power of this and in the opportunities through food to build the resilient, regenerative, climate friendly futures we need.
Stephen Brown has a strong connection with the Bruntsfield Area. He graduated from Boroughmuir High School in the 1970s and is a regular shopper of Dig-In and our local shop community. He retired from corporate life after nearly 40 years in the insurance market with a Sales/Marketing and people management background. He is an avid foodie and has a good knowledge of the Edinburgh retail/hospitality sector.
Ingrid Bell is an economist who relocated to Scotland in 2023, from Perth, Australia. She volunteers in the shop and was elected to the MC in 2024. She has 10 years experience with the Reserve Bank of Australia and over 20 years in various economic and finance roles in the water sector. She brings experience as Treasurer for the North Perth Community Garden in Australia, a not-for-profit organisation – where she introduced a budget, improved reporting and saw them achieve a healthy financial surplus for reinvestment in the initiative!
Melanie Main was a member of the large team that set up the shop some ten years ago and served on the Management Committee as chair for 2 years. From 2012 she served as local Green Councillor for the Morningside Ward (which includes Bruntsfield) and retired in May last year. Melanie responded to the call for help from the Dig-In team back in 2023 when she stepped back into an MC role. She is a regular shop volunteer too!
Will Sohler – as our new Vice-Chair, you’re very likely to run into Will volunteering on a Saturday in the shop! He recently moved to the Bruntsfield area with his wife and started volunteering at Dig-In after hearing our story, being co-opted onto the MC last year and determined to help us turn the business around. Will works within a Sales team in market research – with experience in food and drink market research. He spends much time speaking with some of the world’s largest supermarket chains which offers an interesting contrast from his work at Dig-In!