Our people are at the heart of what we do. Crafting greatness relies on many hands and minds working together as one. We recently spoke to our Export and Multiple Retail Sales Manager Jane Quicke who shared with us what it is like working at Quicke's and of course her favourite cheese!
How long have you been working at Quicke's?
Good question! Technically I first worked representing Quicke’s at the British Cheese Awards in Stow-on-the-Wold around 20 years ago and since then I have worked in many areas of the business from the milking parlor to the Cheese Box (our shop on the farm) but there have been some gaps in between. Most recently I have worked at Quicke’s for just a month!
What is your role at Quicke’s?
I am the Export and Multiple Retail Sales Manager
What time does your day start?
I am currently based in British Columbia on the West Coast of Canada, 6am Local time for me, 2pm local time for many of the people I work with in the UK! I tried starting at 9am in the UK (1am local time for me) but the night shift was very hard work!
What does a typical day look like?
Because of the time difference, when I wake up there are a lot of emails in my inbox to address! They say you shouldn’t start your day with emails but if I leave it too long people in Europe have already gone to bed before I get the chance to respond.
Then I meet with clients and potential clients and talk about opportunities to bring our cheese to new customers and make sure existing customers are happy. This is the bit that I enjoy most. It is fun, consultative and creative at times!
What is the best part of your day?
I haven’t been here for long but so far the best part of my day is when problems get solved, either by myself or the teams I work with, people have been patient, positive and focused in dealing with some of the more difficult and complex problems that, for example Brexit has caused.
Is there a particular month you prefer on the farm?
I love the farm in the spring! So… March? This month!
What is your favourite memory so far?
When I was working on the farm one summer I got to spend some time taking care of the new born calves. Feeding them and checking up on them to make sure they were developing as expected. It’s amazing really that they can stand and walk right away (much more than human babies) but they are also so funny and uncoordinated – very sweet and entertaining.
What is the best part of your job/ working at Quicke's?
My job is to showcase the work and craftmanship of everyone on the farm to our end customers – the people who eat our cheese – the grass, the cows, the farm team and the cheese making team. I love that I get to do that.
If we could give you a lifetime supply of any of our cheeses, which one would it be and why?
Another hard question! I think I would have to say Extra-Mature! To me that age profile often produces a wonderful balance of texture and flavor.
Do you have a favourite recipe using Quicke's cheese or butter?
Butter - One of my favourite things to eat are fresh artichokes from the garden. The best butter to make a butter and lemon dipping sauce is our butter.
Cheese - Can’t beat a cheese sandwich – Extra-mature, lettuce, chutney with sourdough bread
Other - With a nod to my current Canadian location I should mention that our cheese curds make INCREDIBLE poutine (chips, curds and gravy)
Our cheese is made with 3 primary ingredients (milk, sea salt & time). What are the main ingredients in your life and work?
Food, Family, Friends (in no particular order)!
What’s your favourite thing about Quicke’s?
The people, the cows and the cheese
