What is it really like to work at Kettle Produce? Some of our staff have given us their thoughts below
I joined Kettle Produce in 2003 at the tender age of 16! To begin with I worked as a Process Worker 3 nights a week from 6pm-10pm after school to earn some extra money to fund the social side of life, which my paper round couldn’t keep up with. After leaving school I continued at Kettle whilst I started a plumbing course at Fife College which unfortunately didn’t work out for one reason or another. As a result, I started full-time with the business in 2004. Moving to full-time work gave me the opportunity to gain my forklift license and a subsequent move into our Logistics dept.
During my time in logistics, I have developed my skills further and I have gained multiple MHE tickets from my forklift license, telehandler, tractor, and my HGV shunter. I have also built strong and important relationships with our contractor base which involves me organising forklift repairs, waste uplifts, and deliveries.
In my current role as Logistics Team Manager, I spend the majority of my time at our Balmalcolm site. My responsibilities include managing a team of 10 who deal with booking in our homegrown and procured intakes. As a team we also carry out daily stock checks, deal with deliveries from third party companies and organise the reloading of vehicles with the stock required to fulfil our orders. In order to do this smoothly we have built strong communication channels with our procured and transport teams to ensure the correct stock is going out on the correct vehicles.
The best part for me working at Kettle has to be the people, many of whom have become close friends which makes the working day that little easier being able to have a laugh whilst getting the job done. Many of our staff come from different backgrounds and cultures but we all come together as one team to ensure we meet targets and get the orders delivered to our customers.
After completing a two-year management development programme with Kettle Produce, which involved a number of placements across various departments, I secured a permanent role as Assistant Harvesting Manager.
I much prefer to be outside than anywhere else, so having the opportunity to work outdoors and learn about different crops is a great job, even in the rain!
Each day I can be found working with different type of crops, whether it be swede, salads, or Brussels sprouts. Walking and sampling crops takes up a lot of my time. I also co-ordinate harvesting and help the agronomy team. Weather is usually the main challenge, for example, heavy rain showers present harvesting challenges, or hot and humid conditions can cause crop growth to accelerate affecting harvest dates and yields.
My key tools for the job are my phone, my van for getting from field to field and my salad knife for sampling lettuce”
I started with the business 16 years ago as a Process Worker and I have progressed my career to my current role as Development Production Manager.
Most of my day is operational, ensuring that the factory is running as efficiently and safely as possible, whilst achieving the quality standards our customers expect.
It can be a demanding role especially at certain times of the year due to unpredictable weather conditions. I enjoy the fast pace of production and the fact that every day there is a new challenge. I also think that the people make Kettle Produce, there is such a diverse workforce that it makes it an enjoyable place to work”
After joining the business as a Graduate Team Leader working in production nearly 22 years ago, I have progressed and developed through the business to my current role as Distribution Manager.
The main function of the Distribution Department is to ensure orders are picked accurately and delivered to our customers. A typical day involves monitoring product availability, picking/loading progress and ensuring that departure is on time. I am in regular contact with my team and external hauliers.
A key challenge is building and developing our teams for future volume demands, ensuring every member of the team is adequately trained and multi-skilled where possible.
Distribution is at the end of our supply chain and we often work to tight deadlines. I am passionate about the job that I do and strive to instill the same values within the team"
I started working with Kettle Produce almost three years ago. Since then I have completed my AAT Modern Apprenticeship course and have spent my first two years working on Sales Ledger.
I deal with supplier invoices and credits, company expenses and prepare ledgers for the month end. On a day to day basis I liaise with internal customers and suppliers to resolve any queries or issues we may have.
I love the problem-solving element of my role. When I finally work out what has happened and have a solution, I feel I have achieved something"
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