Lactalis UK & Ireland

As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability, we are pleased to announce a reduction in our environmental footprint, with new packaging for Président Crème. Our Great Taste Award winning spray cream packaging is now -10g lighter, removing steel/tinplate from the aerosol can body, with no other changes to dimensions, nozzle or cap performance – assuring equal quality for customers familiar with the luxurious creamy swirls. The aerosol and cap are also fully recyclable and contain 17% recycled material. Coinciding with the new packaging launch, and for the first time, we are also supporting Président Crème with an influencer media campaign this month and next, demonstrating ‘A Quick Way to Slow Down’, featuring Président spray cream in ‘Slow-mo moments of bliss’ and ‘French coffee breaks’. Who's joining us? #sustainability #newpackaging #Président #PrésidentCrème

It’s time to meet our second mentee – as part of our celebration of National Mentoring Day today! As a business we are proud to offer a mentor and mentee initiative at all levels to develop and support our colleagues. We know how important mentoring is – and this week caught up with two of our current mentees to find out more about their experience, and share their advice to others. As part of our programme, we offer both internal and external mentorship, including for the first time this year, participating in the D&I in Grocery mentor initiative and have been part of the IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution) Mentoring programme for 8 years. Our Channel Controller, Tom Piechota, has been in his role at Lactalis UK & Ireland for 4 years, and is currently part of our external mentee programme with GroceryAid. *What first attracted you to working for Lactalis UK & Ireland? My background is working for non-food consumer goods manufacturers and I’d always wanted to work in FMCG and specifically food. When the role came up and I did some research on the scale of the company and the brands it really appealed to me and my aspirations. *How long have you been part of the mentoring programme? 1 year *Why is mentoring important to you? I think it’s always valuable to gain different perspectives on my work and development. Mentoring has allowed me to seek advice and opinions from someone with a completely different background to myself and has helped me broaden my knowledge and views on various things. *What are the key things you have learned/new skills from your mentor? There isn’t one big thing but as I’ve been part of the programme my mentor and I have talked through various numbers of work scenarios, and they’ve shared new ideas and different perspectives that have given me a more rounded view of my work. *How have you applied or implemented what you've learned as a result of mentoring? A big part of what I’ve learned is how my mentor has listened to me and offered their advice. They’ve done it in a way that has allowed me to come up with new ideas as well as offering their own opinion. The way they’ve done that through questioning and listening is something I’m trying to do more with my own team to get the most out of the discussions we have together. *What one piece of advice would you give to someone looking for a mentor? You have to be clear on what you want to get out of mentoring and be open to sharing things with someone who may ultimately be a bit of a stranger to you. Mentoring is definitely something that the more you put in and the more open you are, the more you get out of it. #NationalMentoringDay #MentoringMatters #Mentorship #Mentoring

Did you know that today is National Mentoring Day? As a business we are proud to offer a mentor and mentee initiative at all levels to develop and support our colleagues. We offer internal and external programmes, including for the first time this year, participating in the D&I in Grocery GroceryAid mentor initiative and have been part of the IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution) Mentoring programme for 8 years. We know how important mentoring is – and this week caught up with two of our current mentees to find out more about their experience, and share their advice to others. Rachel Keanie is our Finance Manager and has been part of the Lactalis UK & Ireland team for 14 years, with four of those in her current role. *What first attracted you to working for Lactalis UK & Ireland? Joining Lactalis UK and Ireland was a great opportunity to work for a company with great brands and products, as well as progress my career in a new type of finance role, the company were keen to support my progression by offering full training and support as well as an opportunity for study support to gain a professional qualification in Accountancy. *How long have you been part of the mentoring programme? I was introduced to the Lactalis mentoring programme a couple of years ago when one of our directors offered to mentor me to help with my career progression. After an initial call we put in place regular meetings (an hour every two weeks) and I was asked to think about what I would like to get out of mentoring so we could set some goals. I was also given a great book to read about qualities of a leader. The book was full of inspiring leaders in history and we had some great conversations how I could bring this into my role. We came up with a few key skills to work on and I was set challenges to help achieve my goals, after each one I was given feedback. *Why is mentoring important to you? Mentoring has been a great experience for me, it has helped me clarify my own career goals, learn new skills, gain confidence in my existing abilities and collaborate with different areas of the business. *How have you applied or implemented what you've learned as a result of mentoring? One of the main areas I wanted to focus on was my presentation skills, my mentor gave me great advice and opportunities to practice, setting goals, offering feedback and ideas how to improve. Stepping out of my comfort zone and taking on constructive advice has definitely helped me improve in this area. *What one piece of advice would you give to someone looking for a mentor? Be clear on your goals and understand your strengths and weaknesses to find the right mentor for you. Be open to learning and taking on feedback to get the most out of your experience. #NationalMentoringDay #MentoringMatters #Mentorship #Mentoring

Earlier this month our Development Chef Rory Larkin RNutr and National Account Manager Bradley Johannie hosted a Lactalis Professional Cheese Education Workshop at North Hertfordshire College, providing a fantastic opportunity for the team to engage with culinary students and share an in-depth look at Lactalis cheeses and our award-winning brands. The session included an overview of the history of cheese, with a brief dive into the origins and evolution of cheese-making – and types of cheese, exploring French and UK cheese and their unique properties and uses. And of course no session is complete without a focus on our range including Galbani, Président, Seriously, Cricket St Thomas, and Leerdammer with plenty of cheese tasting, and learning how to differentiate flavours and textures (based on the AOC model). The highlight of the day for Rory was the mystery box challenge, where students were given 90 minutes to create a dish using Lactalis cheeses and a selection of ingredients from a chef’s larder. The creativity and enthusiasm from the students was super impressive, with some very interesting final dishes – the perfect opportunity to showcase our products and support young culinary talent. We love working with the next generation of chefs and nurturing talent, and if you’d like to find out more, or would be interested in hosting future workshops or collaboration, do get in touch! #nurturingthefuture #lactalisprofessional #cheeseeducation #culinaryworkshop #cookingwithcheese

We are passionate about nurturing & developing our people & are pleased to introduce you to our two ‘new’ Quality Management Trainees Helen Bodle & Louise Lewicka, who are taking part in the Foundation Degree in Dairy Technology (formerly EDEN) at the University Centre Reaseheath College. The programme, a groundbreaking initiative designed to develop world-class professionals in the dairy industry, covers all aspects of dairy technology including practical hands-on craft skills & key science principles to run an efficient modern dairy operation, We took 5-minutes to talk to them about their current roles & what they’re looking forward to learning as part of their apprenticeship. *What first attracted you to working for Lactalis? HB: I started working for Lactalis in 2019 as sickness leave cover, hoping to gain some Laboratory experience for my CV… which lead to me getting a full time contract in 2020. LL: I started work as a laboratory technician for Lactalis in 2005, on a temporary 3-month contract, across chemistry & microbiology labs. *Can you tell us more about your role & apprenticeship? HB: For the past 5 years I have been a Laboratory Technician, working in both the Microbiology & Chemistry Labs doing everything from Environmental Swabbing to testing Fat & Protein content in products. I love the variety of the days in the lab. The University role will consist of 2 day/week online learning, mixed with 3 weeks per semester on campus. The other 3 days will be spent between Quality duties & within the factory gaining knowledge to complement my studies. LL: For the past 18 months I have been the Quality Assistant working with the Quality Management team on a range of duties including document control, cheese & powder COA, & lab order processing. When I’m not attending sessions at Reaseheath, as Helen mentions, the remaining days will be spent on development & quality focussed tasks. *What have been your most memorable experiences or achievements at Lactalis so far? HB: Being selected to do the Eden course is one of my biggest achievements, it’s an amazing opportunity to do a course which is so highly sought after. I was also involved in organising an Easter Egg collection this year for local children, with more than 100 given out to local charities! LL: I met my now husband on my first day in the lab! That definitely changed the course of my life & career. My greatest achievement would be the feedback from staff about the GMP courses I recently became involved in delivering! *What do you enjoy most about working for Lactalis? HB: I enjoy the variety of people I get to work with. Lactalis is a huge company with so many opportunities, I’ve been supported well in anything I’ve wanted to achieve so far. LL: Even after being with the company for 19+ years I am still learning new things & no two days are the same. #nurturingthefuture #ourteam #Reaseheath

Our team has had quite the year, and with a flurry of recent awards across our brand portfolio, it’s only right that we take a moment to reflect and celebrate our award-winning summer! 🧀 First up, Seriously Vintage Cheddar was awarded the Best Cheese produced in Scotland, and the Reserve Cheese Champion at the Scottish Dairy Produce Awards, hosted at this year’s Royal Highland Show. 🥇 We then scooped 21 awards at the prestigious International Cheese & Dairy Awards & EXPO with five products receiving Gold Awards, ten picking up Silver, and six bronze. 🏆 But that wasn’t all – we also won the DSM cup for Best Mild Cheddar, the Delamere Trophy for Best Goats Cheese in Show and the Best Foodservice/Catering Cheese for our Cricket St Thomas Somerset Brie! ⭐️And we finished in style, winning ten Great Taste Awards across our Seriously, Galbani, Président and Orkney brands – with Seriously celebrating five awards across cheddar and spreadable, for Seriously Extra Mature Cheddar, Seriously Cheddar Cheeseburgers, Seriously Red Mature Cheddar, Seriously Vintage Cheddar, and Seriously Spreadable Chilli Cheese Spread. What an incredible achievement and recognition of our supremely talented team and cheesemakers, all committed to nourishing the future through the sharing of flavours! #Awardwinning #ScottishDairyProduceAwards #InternationalCheeseAwards #GreatTasteAwards #ScottishCheddar #Lactalis

Since 2019, Lactalis Group has been committed to cleaning its sites worldwide on #WorldCleanUpDay. The event is an opportunity to raise employee awareness on the importance of sorting and recycling waste, linked to our CSR packaging commitments. In the UK, for the third year, teams from Lactalis UK and Ireland and Lactalis Nestlé Chilled Dairy took to the outdoors, braving all weather conditions including a thunderstorm, to benefit the local community, at Priory Park, Reigate. Working with Helen West from Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, the team took part in a litter pick, collecting 11 bags of rubbish, and removing plenty of non-native Himalayan Balsam. As well as helping to tidy the park, the team also built new nest boxes to welcome local wildlife, and expressed their creative flair with plenty of decorations too! In 2023, 19.1m participants from 91% of countries took part in World Clean Up Day, with the NGO Let's Do It World, making a positive impact by removing 205kT from our environment. This included the efforts of our colleagues across Lactalis Group from 41 countries, with 2,300 employees taking part and 30 tons of waste collected. We’re looking forward to seeing the impact of this year’s global initiative, well done team! 

We are excited to introduce you to a new addition to our Seriously Spreadable range, with the launch of Seriously Spreadable Black Pepper this month! Bringing a new and irresistible flavour to the cheese spreads category, Seriously Spreadable Black Pepper is made with a delicious blend of 50% award winning cheddar and a pinch of black pepper to give an extra kick. We’ve loved testing this one out at HQ, and can confirm it’s delicious topped on crusty bread, crackers or bagels, and even better served warm on baked potatoes or stirred into pasta. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s also been selected as a finalist in The Grocer New Product and Packaging Awards, in the Dairy Foods category! Fingers crossed for more good news in the coming months. #NPD #SeriouslySpreadable #ScottishCheese #Lactalis #GrocerNewProduct

A huge congratulations to Kevin Beer and David Evans from Millbrook Dairy who completed their mammoth Tuk-Tuk challenge on Friday. Reaching the finish line in Orkney, they have travelled 1,600 miles from home, in Bideford, Cornwall, in their Cheese Tuk-Tuk, all in aid of raising funds for BBC Children in Need. The team were met by John Miller, General Manager of Orkney Cheese Co and sampled our traditional, Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) accredited, multi award winning Orkney Cheddar - produced from 100% locally sourced milk from Orkney farms, following a traditional recipe and process. What a way to end their journey! The Lactalis UK & Ireland team has made a £500 donation towards their target of £25,000 to support this important cause. They have now raised more than £20,000 and you can show your support by visiting: https://lnkd.in/evfnniAw. #TukTukChallenge #ChildrenInNeed #Charity #Orkney

The team in Stranraer welcomed the Millbrook Dairy Cheese Tuk-Tuk this week as they continued their huge 1,600 mile challenge, travelling from Cornwall to Orkney, to raise funds for BBC Children in Need. Kevin Beer and David Evans were welcomed by TOM FERGUSON our Business Unit Controller, David O'Shaughnessy, Operations Manager and David McCluskey, one of our three cheese graders, and got to sample our delicious Galloway and Seriously cheddars, before they hit the road again! The Lactalis UK & Ireland team has made a £500 donation towards their target of £25,000 to support this important cause, you can show your support too, by visiting: https://lnkd.in/evfnniAw. Great job guys, we’ll see you again in Orkney for your journey finale!