What's it like to work for your company? There is great camaraderie at South Caernarfon Creameries, so it makes it easy to come to work each day!

Why is it a good employer? There is a real sense that South Caernarfon is willing to invest in its staff, and if someone is looking to progress in their career, the company will do everything in its power to support that.

Are there any unusual benefits? All of our staff have the opportunity to sample our new products! It helps that we all like milk, cream and cheese!

How does the company differ from its rivals? As Wales's leading farmer-owned dairy co-operative, everything from the raw ingredient to the production process and packing is from Wales. We are proud of our Welsh roots; it's our point of difference as it is something that most of our competitors cannot claim.

Is there a definable company culture? Because of its location in South Caernarfon, 90% of our employees are Welsh speakers. We also have a very high percentage of staff who live within 10 minutes of our site. It therefore has a local, friendly feel.

If the company were a car what would it be and why? It would have to be a Bentley. A Bentley is an iconic British brand that has great heritage. South Caernarfon Creameries has great provenance. We've been a farmer's co-operative since 1938 and have been manufacturing cheese for over 50 years. We still use many traditional methods, and our products are made with local milk, produced and packed in Wales.

What's the training like and what qualifications can I earn? We actively encourage and openly ask staff whether they would like training. We don't just offer the typical training courses that one would expect; for example, one of our Polish employees is undertaking a Welsh language course.

Has the company won any awards? Apart from the numerous awards we've received for our products, we are IIP-accredited, which will be reviewed once again in 12 months' time.

What's your proudest achievement of the past 12 months? It has to be staff retention. Some of our staff have recently celebrated 25 years' service. If you join us, we promise to provide the opportunity to develop.

What is the most important HR issue that you are dealing with? We have had to implement new working patterns to match productivity requirements and profitability while adjusting to the current economic climate.

Is the company working on anything exciting right now? We are about to launch some traditional Welsh butter. We have recently invested in a traditional butter churn and plan to launch authentic salted Welsh butter, which will be made using Welsh milk and packed in Wales we couldn't make it any more authentic.

Topics