For September's ‘meet the team’ profile, we sat down with Hannah, who joined Summerdown 8 years ago after an earlier career in marketing agencies working with food and drinks clients. Hannah is passionate about all the amazing artisan food and drink brands in this country and loves the stories behind these makers so jumped at the chance to work with a family-run producer like Summerdown. It's her role to develop the Summerdown brand, tell everyone about it and share Summerdown's very special story. In Hannah's words "It's fair to say I've been fully 'Summerdowned'- even my notebook and kitchen island is Summerdown's mint green! "
What's your favourite Summerdown product?
All of them! Please can I have some creative licence here and pick something from each category?! From the chocolates, peppermint crisps - the most delicious combination of chocolate, peppermint and sugar crystals which I could happily eat in one sitting!.I get through litres of our peppermint tea - I drink it in the afternoon to perk me up when I'm feeling sluggish and also every evening after food. I have the mint & lemongrass diffusers in a couple of places around the house - it's just such a happy sunny fragrance that makes me smile.
What's the most interesting fact you've learnt whilst at Summerdown?
That peppermint has mood-boosting benefits. I always knew that peppermint was known for digestive health benefits, but didn't realise it had other wellbeing benefits like aiding concentration and helping you with focus and clarity.
Favourite place on the farm
In the family landrover accompanying Jo and our farm manager Ian on a farm tour. However many times I've done it, you learn something new every time. I also feel in awe of all the flora and fauna around - when walking into the fields there's this amazing sense of peace and calm, like you're trespassing on another world where the wildlife and plants take centre stage.
Favourite food
It depends on the season, but as we enter Autumn, especially after this balmy weather, I'm craving roast chicken with all the trimmings.
What do you most enjoy about working at Summerdown?
The variety. Being a small team, it really is a hands on job, so I can be testing a new product, writing one of our newsletters, talking to our designer about our packaging or updating our website all in one morning.
And the worst part?
My lack of willpower when it comes to the chocolates! I'm always being told off on photo shoots for eating the props!
Marketing highlight?
I've been here for a while so there are a few, like winning the BBC Food & Farm Award or seeing Summerdown in print in a beautiful feature in Country Living magazine or on TV. But it has to be walking into a store and seeing our new chocolates and teas packaging on shelf. It took months of hard work (and persuasion) to change it, but we worked with a very talented design and copywriting pair who just got where we wanted to take Summerdown and now seeing the end result, when all the boxes are stacked up - it was worth it!
What Summerdown product would you most like to see?
A Summerdown advent calendar
Box set or cinema?
Box sets without doubt although we always seem to have more than one on the go and it's hard to keep up. We're slow to the party on Succession and have just binged Hijack and we're loving the feel-good Ted Lasso.