Naturally, the best bit of my job is tasting the cheese! I love this role and how specialised it is – it’s certainly a great conversation starter too.
What is your role and what does a normal day look like for you?
I am the Cheese Grading & Stock Control Manager at Dale Farm’s Dunman site, managing a team of four cheese graders. We work very closely with the operational and technical functions at the site, as well as the wider supply chain and commercial teams across the business.
I am responsible for managing and maintaining the grade profile of our cheese stocks and the cheese we supply to customers. Every day we are grading cheese to ensure our customers get the quality cheese they expect.
What do you enjoy most about your role at Dale Farm?
Naturally, the best bit of my job is tasting the cheese! I love this role and how specialised it is – it’s certainly a great conversation starter too.
I love working with such a great, enthusiastic team. We all love what we do. We also appreciate the value of our roles; indeed, cheese graders are often called the ‘gatekeepers of quality’. That is a responsibility we take very seriously.
How did you get to where you are today?
I always loved Home Economics at school and from an early age I knew I wanted to work with food. I studied Food Technology Management at university and have been working in the dairy industry since placement and post-graduation.
My journey with Dale Farm began in 2006, initially in a Laboratory Supervisor role before moving on to positions including Cheese Technologist, Cheese Production Manager, Cheese Production & Quality Manager and Cheese Grading Manager. Having experience in different parts of the business over my 17 year career with Dale Farm was key in gaining the skills and knowledge required for my current role.