Name: Chloe Graves
Age: 23
Job title: Marketing co-ordinator
Company & location: Glebe Farm Foods, Huntingdon
Education: Marketing management at University of Northampton
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Growing up, all of my family worked for the NHS, so I always assumed that would also be my path.
Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? When I was studying English Language at A-level, there was a unit where we looked at how Cadbury and Galaxy used language to create clear identities and connect with completely different audiences, despite offering a similar product – I found it fascinating. It was like a switch flicked in my head.
From there, I suddenly became super aware of how language was used in all campaigns related to food and drink and how brands would use it to connect with its target audience and what they were trying to say with their product. It led to me enrolling on the University of Northampton’s marketing management course, where I ended up writing my dissertation on Innocent smoothies.
Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): I always think of my role at Glebe Farm as like being on a ferris wheel of marketing. Always moving, with something new to focus on (and because ferris wheels are at fairgrounds and they are fun!)
“I was relentlessly passionate in the interview – I don’t think I gave my interviewer time to breathe!”
What does a typical day look like for you? My typical day is about being proactive rather than reactive to ensure we are doing everything we can to get PureOaty into the hands of customers as easily and quickly as possible.
For me, this involves connecting with our customers and consumers via social media, working with our PR team to generate news opportunities around our recent wins and successes – everything imaginable to make sure people know we are here. As a smaller brand, research and education is also key. We all have to be market-leading experts across a multitude of topics relating to Glebe Farm to ensure we are best placed to take our product to the next level.
Tell us about how you went about applying for your job: Well, I’m Huntingdon born and raised – I grew up two roundabouts away from Glebe Farm!
However, despite this, when I first left university I was realistic in knowing that I needed to gain any marketing experience possible. I had been offered a role at a nearby private school heading up their marketing and outreach, but then I saw Glebe Farm were hiring. It was perfect.
Although I didn’t have the experience on my CV, I was relentlessly passionate in the interview – I don’t think I gave my interviewer time to breathe! I let them know just how much food and drink, marketing and making a difference were all key elements to who I am and what I was looking for. My passion shone through and I’ve been here ever since and loved every second of it.
What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? You can feel the difference every single person makes here. For Glebe Farm Foods to be a success, everyone has to be passionate and dedicated to making a positive impact on our business.
As a challenger brand, we have to work together to turn small wins into bigger possibilities. If we can do good for Glebe, we can help so many people, not just those who need our gluten-free produce, but also in our local community by growing the business to create more opportunities.
And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? The journey to get a product into a customer’s hand can be forgotten or taken for granted. The amount of people behind a product, be it a single chocolate bar or a carton of oat milk onto a shop’s shelf, is ginormous. The idea, the hours, the passion, the problem-solving, the commitment, the perseverance. Not just from the literal manufacture and delivery, but from the conception of an idea, the creation, the perfecting, the pitching, the selling, the marketing, the personal sacrifices. All of it.
There are no end credits on the back of a carton. However, behind every product is an army of passionate, dedicated people who take so much pride in their work and have given so much to make it happen and deliver it safely into your hands.
What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? I would suggest two things. Firstly, educate and immerse yourself in the wealth of free literature and material available at your fingertips.
People and companies share their stories, campaigns, and insights freely on LinkedIn and across other social platforms, while there are pages on the likes of TikTok that are dedicated to detailing and educating its followers on how advertising and marketing campaigns are put together. It’ll help you build your knowledge of everything that is happening and how the landscape evolves and changes. Question everything. Always ask yourself ‘why?’.
Secondly, the best fmcg education you will ever get is by working with a smaller, startup brand. It’ll allow you to be much closer to the action, the decisions and the development of the business and its products. You will learn faster, evolve quicker and become more dynamic, and, what’s more, you will make an impact.
What’s your ultimate career dream? Going back to my roots, my family has always made a difference helping people, and I want to do that.
I want to use my voice to help those who don’t have one. Be it in food education, distribution or raising awareness for those who are struggling to feed themselves and their families, I believe working for a charity or a non-profit organisation is where I can make a real difference and a lasting impact.
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