ANN-LOUISE GETS TO KNOW THE SCORE ON MAKING AND SELLING CHEESE (December 2005)

To meet the growing demand for its produce the Northumberland Cheese Company Limited, of Blagdon, near Morpeth, has appointed 23-year-old Ann-Louise Roper, of Blyth, as trainee retail manager.

Ann-Louise holds a BA (Hons) degree in Business Studies from the University of Sunderland. In the newly-created post she is taking charge of the cheese company’s farmers’ markets operations besides reviewing all aspects of the way it markets its range of nine award-winning cheeses. Northumberland Cheese Company’s sales are up 15 per cent this year, according to Mark Robertson, its owner.

Ann-Louise says when she left university she was looking for a challenging job, preferably not a mundane one. Life at the busy cheese farm and coffee shop where the Christmas rush has already started, will certainly not be mundane for lively, enthusiastic Ann-Louise who is proving a quick learner.