Rafal Naumczuk

Production Manager

“We have people from lots of different backgrounds and many different nationalities, so communication and compromise are key to working together as an effective team.”

When I came to England in 2015, I was only planning on staying for a year. I’d completed a master’s degree in engineering, transport and logistics in Poland and really needed to get some work experience. I figured it would be good to keep my options open, so I signed up with an employment agency.

My first posting was in the Branston Fresh factory as a Packer/Stacker. I enjoyed the work, and it must have showed, as I was soon offered a permanent job with the company. I began training to be a Machine Operator and was soon moved up to that role. I could see that there was a career here, so I decided to stay and make Lincoln my home.

In 2017 I was promoted to a Team Leader role and received supervisor training to prepare me for the next step. Then in 2020 I was promoted to Production Manager for the B shift in Fresh. I look after over 60 people on the shift, supported by a Supervisor and Team Leader.

Branston has supported me with lots of training over the years to help my development. Most recently I’ve just completed the ILM level 3 award in leadership and management, along with a few of my colleagues across the business and people from other companies.

It’s been really useful, and I’m looking forward to following up with the level 4 award next.

Fresh is the best place in Branston. We have an amazing team, full of positive people who work together to get the job done. It’s a lively place to be and that’s how I like it. We’re always on the look-out for people with the motivation to progress and who will benefit from development to help them achieve their potential at Branston.

Lindsay Burrows

Driver Training & Compliance

“It’s not your average 9 – 5, but there’s a certain camaraderie amongst lorry drivers that you don’t get in other jobs.”

I started off as an agency driver. I covered a few different companies, but I found that Branston was the one I enjoyed most. It was a tight-knit team and I found them to be very friendly and supportive. I learned a lot from the other drivers. Most of them had been with the company for years and they were happy to pass on their experience.

After two years I joined the Branston team permanently. It was a small team when I joined (with just eight lorries) but over the next few years it grew as Branston took on more of its own haulage. After five years I started looking for a bit more of a challenge and I was offered a job as an instructor elsewhere. Branston didn’t want to lose me, so I was asked to stay and help set up a new driver training programme. By this point the company was up to 20 lorries.

We now have over 50 at the Lincoln site alone.

As well as making sure our drivers understand and comply with all the regulations, I make a point of supporting their wellbeing. Lorry driving is not a 9 - 5 job and it can be a lonely one. You’re in that cab for long hours, with only your own thoughts for company. You’re also in sole charge of a 44-tonne truck, which comes with a lot of responsibility. We have regular 1:1 check-ins, as well as opportunities for the drivers to get together as a team.

Our rapid expansion means lots of new opportunities. For example, I’m leading on our work with colleges to support newly qualified drivers into their first lorry-driving job. It can be quite hard to transition from learning to working as a driver, so we provide lots of on-the-job coaching and training.

I’ve recently completed a Transport Manager (Certificate of Professional Competence) CPC, which is proving helpful in the planning and organising side of my role. I’m also doing the Road Haulage Association (RHA) Driver Training training, so that I can support my colleagues in sharing best practice across the company.

Anca-Sabina Gropeneanu

Production Manager (Prepared)

"I enjoy leading the team to achieve our targets together."

I initially joined Branston when I was working for a temping agency. I was working on the lines in the Prepared factory at the beginning, doing lots of days and quickly picking up the skills I needed. After three months there was a vacancy in the Fresh factory, so I moved over there and was soon promoted to a Key Operative role, initially on Days, but then moving onto the Night Shift.

This was a great learning opportunity, but I missed the buzz of Prep so when a job came up for an Area Leader in the Ingredients section of Prep I moved back across, initially covering the Night shift but then moving on to Days. I was trained up as a Key Operative, covering all the lines, until a vacancy for a daytime Area Leader came up and I moved into that.

There’s a lot to learn in Prep. It’s very dynamic and there are a lot of product changeovers with short runs and complex processes. I got a good grounding in all of this so after a couple of years I felt confident in applying for a role in the Process team. I think all the experience I have of the way everything fits together in the Prep factory has been really useful for that.

I was a Process Technologist for one and a half years, involved in introducing new products to our ranges. I did lots of testing and trials in the factory to make sure that we could make the products the way they should be and they would meet the technical specifications.

After this I spent six months as a Continuous Improvement Manager, which is all about trying new ways of doing things and working out solutions.

I’ve since been promoted to Production Manager in Prepared. Every day is different, and you have to understand the pressures as the teams focus on meeting the day’s orders. I thrive on a challenge and enjoy leading the team to make sure we work together to achieve our targets.

Merren Lewendon

Agronomy Operative

"I really enjoy going out in the fields, especially on a lovely summer's day."

"I started at Branston in May 2016, working part-time whilst studying for a foundation degree in Agricultural Management. I’m from a farming background, where everyone helps everyone else out and works together as a team, so I was really pleased to find a workplace that’s like that too. From being a summer temp, I moved on to providing maternity cover for one of our agronomists. Now I’m also involved in procurement and grower payments. Branston has been really flexible with me. So during term time I work three days a week, then through the holidays I work full-time.

We work very closely together in the Agronomy team to make sure that all our growers are looked after. That’s what I really like about Branston – the teamwork. No matter what anyone else is doing or how busy they are if you’ve got a problem they’ll happily help you out. From coming in, knowing next to nothing, the support I’ve had from everyone has been amazing. It makes it all so much easier. I’m involved in all aspects of our local growers’ crops – from planting, right through to when they’re packed in the factory. I really enjoy going out in the fields, especially on a lovely summer’s day! I’ve also been involved on the trading side and I get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing the whole process from end to end.

There’s always something to learn in a business like this. Lots of my friends work in jobs that are quite unrelated to their uni courses and it’s all just about making ends meet, but for me there are lots of elements of work that I can relate to my course and vice versa. It’s a balance, and sometimes it can be a bit stressful and challenging, but overall I really love my job. I think it also helps me to add a level of professionalism to my assignments. I’m hoping to apply for the Graduate Development Programme next. Branston has given me lots of really great opportunities and I’d love to carry on working here once I finish my degree."

Mark Abbott

Maintenance Co-ordinator

"There's always something to learn and some new challenge to overcome."

"I originally started working at the South West site back in 1996. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years as the site has developed into what it is today. And I’ve done quite a bit of training to make sure I’m multi-skilled and able to deal with pretty much anything that needs fixing. I’ve done a mechanical engineering NVQ, fast track welding course, electrical regulation and done courses with Ishida, Yamato and Sandiacre to better understand our packing equipment.

Every day’s different. Okay a bearing is a bearing and a belt’s a belt, but every day is a new challenge and that’s what I enjoy. I’m not stuck doing one specific thing.

In 2017 I was promoted to Maintenance Co-ordinator. So now I’m planning and allocating jobs for the Engineering team. We’re a small team so we work very closely together and I still get plenty of opportunities to get hands-on. I’ve had a lot of support to help me grow in to the role too, because it is quite different once you’re taking responsibility for what the rest of the team is doing. Branston is good at that - looking after its people and helping them to find the jobs that are right for them.

Work is a big part of my life. So it’s great that everyone here gets on so well. Sometimes it feels like an extended family. We all have a laugh and a joke, but we do keep it professional. I look forward to coming to work each day. I’ve always said to myself if I’m coming to work and I don’t really want to be here then it’s time for me to move on. If I felt that there was no room for improvement or no way to progress there would be no point. Here there’s always something to learn and some new challenge to overcome. And that’s what I love about it."

Jim Aitken

Senior Agronomist

"I'm passionate about getting the best out of potatoes and making sure that the end consumer does too."

"I was brought up on a mixed farm in the borders and I studied agriculture at college. My first job was as a teacher, but I think I felt stifled working indoors. It wasn’t long before I moved in to a technical position with a vegetable-producing business, which meant that I spent a considerable amount of time out in the fields with growers. In 1990 I moved into potatoes and over the next few years I learned everything I could about this challenging crop, in the classroom as well as out in the fields.

I joined the team at the Abernethy site in 1996. Initially it was a technical manager role - a cross-over position, working closely with growers and following crops from growing in the fields and all through the factory. I was keen to utilise my extensive knowledge of potato agronomy and I worked hard to set up many of the technical controls, systems and protocols that are taken for granted today.

When Branston took over the site in 2004 my job description changed to agronomy, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t see the crops through the full packing process. I’m passionate about getting the best out of potatoes and making sure that the end consumer does too. There is a very close working relationship between agronomy, procurement, technical and production at the site. Potatoes aren’t a straightforward product. There are many natural variations and challenges to be overcome. Tri-party decisions often need to be made and I aim to champion the needs of the consumer at all times.

As senior agronomist, I liaise closely with our Scottish grower group, whose potato growing covers around 2,500 hectares. I’ve got a bit of a reputation within the industry as never being one to shy away from a problem. I’ll challenge growers and colleagues if I believe they are falling short of the high standards they can deliver and I’m always looking out for ways to drive improvement. There’s always something new to learn in this industry and I’ll always push to make sure that we’re at the top of our game to keep us ahead of the competition."

Dominic Groom

Customer Technical Manager

"I get to be involved in every step - from stock selection in the field to how the products are presented in store."

"I joined Branston in April 2016 as a Technical Assistant on the Waitrose, Co-op and Booker fresh potato accounts. I didn’t come from a food or farming background, and to be honest I hadn’t really planned a career in potatoes, but I’d heard good things about Branston and I was keen to learn.

I’d been travelling after university, but after Southeast Asia it was time to come home and get a job. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, but after five months in a call centre I knew it wasn’t that! I heard about the Technical Assistant vacancy through a friend and I had a look online. It sounded interesting with a lot of variety so I read up all I could about potatoes, applied and was lucky enough to get the job.

It was a very steep learning curve but my manager has been really supportive of my development. I’ve been able to spend time with other departments to understand exactly what they do and it’s given me a really good all round knowledge of the business. It’s been great to get involved with customers too - from visits to technical conferences.

I’ve done lots of training, including Food Safety, Pest Control, Level 3 HACCP and microbiology. Branston is also supporting me in studying for a Food Challenge for the 21st Century post graduate diploma, from Lancaster University. It’s a modular course - mainly online distance learning, with some residential workshops. I’ve found this really interesting, especially meeting all the other students from different parts of the industry.

I’ve really enjoyed getting up to speed, and in 2017 I was given another good opportunity to learn more about the business when I was seconded to our Prepared foods division for four weeks. This exposed me to a whole different environment and the demands that go along with a high-care facility in terms of food safety and technical expertise. So when a Customer Technical Manager role came up I already had some relevant experience and understood what they were looking for. I went for it and I got the promotion in January 2018.

What I enjoy most about working in Technical is that every day is different. Yes, it has its challenges but that’s what makes it interesting. I get to be involved in every step – from stock selection in the field right through to how the products are presented in store. On Day One I didn’t know anything about potatoes, so really the business took a bit of a punt on me. I’m really grateful for that and I like to think that it’s paying off."

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