Tom Barton

Tom Barton is Co-founder and Director of Food and Sustainability at Honest Burgers, specialising in regenerative agriculture and sustainable supply chain transformation within the hospitality sector. He co-founded the business in 2010 straight out of university with just £7,500, growing it from a tent at food festivals to 43 restaurants nationwide serving three million burgers annually whilst maintaining scratch cooking standards across 90 per cent of the menu. Through Honest Farming, Tom works directly with regenerative farmers to restore soil health and biodiversity, leading the company's journey towards net zero. His sessions equip audiences with candid insights on building sustainable food systems, challenging broken supply chains, and proving that commercial growth and environmental responsibility can thrive together.

When Tom Barton and his co-founders scraped together £7,500 and opened Honest Burgers in Brixton Village in 2011, they had no business plan, no industry experience, and queues out the door from day one. What began as selling burgers from a tent at rain-soaked festivals has evolved into a nationwide business with 43 restaurants serving three million burgers annually, employing over 900 people, and maintaining an uncompromising commitment to scratch cooking across 90 per cent of the menu. Now, as Co-founder and Director of Food and Sustainability, Tom confronts a challenge far more complex than scaling a restaurant chain: transforming an entire supply chain to prove that commercial growth and environmental restoration can not only coexist, but strengthen one another.

Tom's role has always centred on food. He oversees menu development, collaborations, and all food-related operations, including Honest Kitchen, the company's butchery, and most significantly, Honest Farming. This hands-on oversight of the entire supply chain, from farm to plate, has given him an unparalleled understanding of the structural failures within UK food systems. Through Honest Farming, Tom works directly with a small network of regenerative farmers who are actively restoring soil health and biodiversity in their landscapes, building supply chains that heal rather than harm. His work sits at the intersection of commercial viability and environmental accountability, navigating the financial and operational realities of choosing sustainability over convenience whilst leading Honest Burgers towards net zero. He speaks openly about the mistakes made along the way, the uncomfortable truths about ingredient sourcing at scale, and the genuine cost of feeding millions responsibly. His reputation rests on proving that restaurants hold both the responsibility and the power to drive systemic change within broken food systems.

Tom equips audiences with the clarity and courage needed to challenge industry norms and rebuild supply chains from the ground up. He demonstrates the practical steps required to transition towards regenerative agriculture, the financial trade-offs involved, and the operational complexities of maintaining quality whilst scaling sustainably. Through candid storytelling drawn from over a decade of building Honest Burgers, he reveals what genuine transformation looks like beyond marketing claims, how to build direct relationships with farmers committed to land restoration, and why transparency about sourcing determines both brand integrity and environmental impact. Audiences leave with actionable insights on creating food businesses that honour both planet and people, the confidence to prioritise long-term sustainability over short-term convenience, and a clear-eyed view of how hospitality can lead the charge towards a food system that restores rather than depletes.