MARKET AND BRAND
Branding power in the food industry
By Charlotte Hogg T
he complex relationships people have with food brands will never cease to amaze me. From a young age I remember being
fascinated by my father who, despite my mother’s attempts, would only ever eat Heinz baked beans. I, over the years, have become more interested in getting to Starbucks for my morning coffee than I have been in getting my clothes on the right way round and my boyfriend is often happier to see the golden arches than he is to see me. I know this relationship goes beyond the quality of the food and to some extent, further than the adverts we are exposed to throughout our lives, these behaviours are based on our relationships with food brands and to find out more, I decided to meet leading food expert and founder of
notjustfood.co.uk, Jane Milton.
Jane knew, from the age of about 10, that she wanted to do something food related, she was just unsure of what this was and was forced to jump the first hurdle of her career a few years later when she had to study for her Chemistry Higher (Scottish A’ Level
24 entrepreneurcountry
equivalent) privately so that she could take Home Economics at school. She continued to study Home Economics at university and enjoyed each aspect of the course although she now admits that she didn’t find it a particularly stretching experience and this is part of the reason she thinks she enjoys challenging projects so much now.
During her degree, Jane completed a short placement at a Salvation Army home for teenage girls and wondered if she should follow a career in social work. She then joined the graduate training programme in 1986. The retail store was growing really quickly having just launched their menswear department. They very quickly branched out and Jane found that she was thrown in the deep end, dealing with various aspects of project and retail management. Much as she loved the pressure and fast pace she realised how much she missed food and went to work for Greggs, initially in Scotland working with a great people- focused team who were happy to give her opportunities and shine the light on her achievements. Jane was charged with helping build their Scottish sandwich business , responsible for everything from creating recipes to
sourcing ingredients and negotiating with partner businesses. Jane also worked closely with Ian Gregg, whose father had owned the first Greggs store in Newcastle, helping to shape the sandwich offer throughout the business. Jane found Ian to be a truly inspirational individual to work with. He was a real people person and built his business on that basis which meant that all staff were loyal, committed and work hard for him. Jane was pushed and challenged and loved that, staying in touch with Gregg’s throughout her career.
Jane completed her CIM diploma in Scotland during this time.
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