Name: Hannah Parkes
Age: 30
Job title: Head of people & impact
Company & location: The Jolly Hog, Bristol
Education: Law LLB at University of the West of England
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I had no idea! I went from wanting to own a restaurant, to being a nurse, and I’m pretty sure I had big dreams of being in the West End at one point…
Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? I’ve always had a passion for working with people, which came from working in hospitality from a very young age. My dad is food obsessed! I have very early memories of him hammering home the importance of good-quality food whilst teaching me to cook in the kitchen.
We grew all our own vegetables and as I grew up by the sea, many of my family were fishermen, so I was always learning different ways to cook new ingredients. The job I have now allows me to combine my passion for both food and people at the same time, I feel very lucky.
Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): My role is all about creating an amazing workplace where the team can reach their highest potential while making a difference. From championing our people to driving sustainability and community projects, it’s a role that’s all about making things better for our team, our planet, and our community.
“The B Corp community is so fun and collaborative – other brands are always so willing to help”
What does a typical day look like for you? Typically, no day is ever the same! It’s always a mixture of people-focused and impact-driven activities.
Recently we have been doing a lot of recruitment at HQ so I’ve been looking for our newest team members. We’ve also been doing lots of work on career development plans for each of the team to ensure everyone has objectives to grow personally and within the business for the long term.
Our ‘Jolly Good Deeds’ programme (community/charity work) has grown significantly this year – we have been working with local schools to ensure we can get our food directly into the hands of families that may benefit from it. This has been a huge project involving a lot of co-ordination, the whole team have been involved on a monthly basis, and it’s been amazing to be able to help our local community.
Tell us how you went about applying for your job: We’re going back six years! My interviews were in our restaurant, Pigsty, with Olly and Max (co-founders). I had to present how I would recruit and grow a team in a certain part of the business, and how I would make The Jolly Hog an amazing place to work.
I had a few face-to-face interviews with the brothers, and it was just as important for me to understand whether The Jolly Hog was the right fit for me too, as moving into a much smaller business was new for me.
I think I was asked my favourite sausage flavour, which at the time felt like a strange question for an interview but would now feel perfectly normal!
What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? I love working with a team who all have such a similar passion for food and pushing The Jolly Hog forward. Everyone really cares about all the decisions made and always wants what’s best for the brand.
I think working for a challenger brand particularly in the B Corp community is so fun and collaborative – other brands are always so willing to help and share ideas or learnings they have had. It goes without saying that the food we get to eat is a huge plus!
And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? I don’t think many people know the work that goes into developing products and getting them onto shelves. We’re a fairly small team and everyone works so hard individually and collectively in not only developing new and innovative products, but also spreading awareness and distribution of our current range.
The amount of thought, testing and planning that goes into every product that sits within a retailer is something I don’t think many people would know or understand.
Read more:
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The Jolly Hog partners with Belazu to launch Pork Cheek SKU
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Shoppers have been re-evaluating red meat, but not necessarily in a good way
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Fresh - meat, fish & poultry 2024: red meat soars as beef adds £242m
What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? Look for a business whose values align with yours – this is what will keep you within a business for a long time, and ensure you are surrounded with like-minded people who encourage you to reach your potential. Choose an industry that excites you with products you are passionate about, regardless of the role you are pursuing.
My role is not directly involved in the actual products, but the work we do on creating great products allows us to do great things for our communities and keep making it an amazing place to work for our team.
What’s your ultimate career dream? I think it’s really important to always be open to learning new things and open to new opportunities. My role at The Jolly Hog has developed a lot as we have grown, and I hope that continues into the future.
I don’t really have a much longer plan – my goal is to always be doing something I love in an environment I am passionate about that allows me to make a difference. I am very ambitious and always eager to grow and there is a long way to go yet!
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