Renée Elliott


Renée Elliott is an American businesswoman, serial entrepreneur and the founder of Planet Organic, the first organic supermarket in the UK.

Early life and education

Elliott grew up in Pascagoula, Mississippi, a small town in south-east America. She studied English and minored in health care.

Career

During a personal development course in Boston in 1991, Elliott was inspired by visits to different organic stores in her lunch breaks, including Bread & Circus. She felt that there was an opportunity in the UK’s organic food market segment and that she wanted to open her own stores in London.
Elliott founded Planet Organic, the UK's first organic supermarket, in London in 1995.
In 2018, Elliott sold a stake of Planet Organic to Inverleith, a Scottish private equity firm. The deal was estimated at around $15 million.

Additional affiliations

Elliott serves on the Soil Association's catering mark standards committee.

Works

Elliott published her first book, a family cookbook, in 2012 and her second book What to Eat & How to Eat it in 2017.

Recognitions

The Independent credited Elliott as the "woman who kickstarted the UK's organic food scene back in the Nineties".

Personal life

Elliott is married to Brian and has three children. They live in Sussex.