Blue Earth Foods Our People Chris Brazier
Chris Brazier

Job title: Team Manager

Length of service: 13 years

Career overview: “I started out as an operative working with prawns, and after two years was promoted to Team Leader. Then I progressed to Shift Manager before taking on the Team Manager role, which I’ve been in for the last three years.”

Roles and responsibilities: “I’m responsible for day-to-day activities, such as planning and providing guidance to team members. I set targets, implement guidelines and boost awareness of team strategies through technology, mediation and management. By mediating any issues within the team I can help create a cohesive, creative and comfortable working environment.”

Favourite aspects of the job: “I enjoy working with people from all around the world, making a difference and achieving my targets. Blue Earth Foods gives you the opportunity to grow within the business. It’s a family-friendly business that follows – and believes in – its core values.”

Fun fact: “I’ve been married for nearly five years to my wife Monika, who I met at work.”

Blue Earth Foods Our People Jake
Jake Styler

Job title: Assistant Engineering Manager

Length of service: 10 years

Career overview: “I started as an apprentice when I was 16 years old, then became a full-time engineer. A few years later I was promoted to Engineering Team Leader for the A shift and I’m now one of the Assistant Managers.”

Roles and responsibilities: “It’s my job to oversee the production side of engineering. This could be anything from supporting day-to-day breakdowns and making sure we hit our weekly maintenance plan to overseeing projects and product launches.”

Favourite aspects of the job: “The people I work with. We have a really good engineering team and all the departments pull together and work well with each other.”

Fun fact: “I’m a big football fan, and I’ve had a season ticket watching Aston Villa for the last 18 years.”

Blue Earth Foods Our People Mohamed
Mohamed Tahar

Job title: Logistics Manager

Length of service: 10 years

Career overview: “When I started at Blue Earth Foods I was a Line Leader. I was a Packing Supervisor before progressing to Packing Manager. Dispatch and Packing were combined into one department so I then became Packing and Dispatch Manager before moving into planning, and then production. It was 2020 when I was offered the Logistics Manager role – so I’ve moved around a lot within the business!”

Roles and responsibilities: “I monitor the goods going in and out, working in dispatch and the warehouse. I book deliveries, look after the stock, and allocate finished goods to the customer.”

Favourite aspects of the job: “I like how the company treats its people – it’s a good environment with a focus on the core values of teamwork and honesty. I moved here from Tunisia and I really enjoy my job. I’ve had good development here and I’m treated fairly.”

Fun fact: “I love travelling and discovering new places. I travel to Europe by car – France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy… I really enjoy driving so don’t mind the time it takes! It’s worth it to explore all of the old cities.”

Blue Earth Foods Our People Maria
Maria Karagiannopoulou

Job title: Quality Assurance (QA) Manager

Length of service: Five years

Career overview: “I started in August 2016 as a Quality Team Leader. I was working shifts and was responsible for a team of QAs who were reacting to factory issues. I then progressed to become Supplier Approval Coordinator and then a few years later QA Manager.”

Role and responsibilities: “As a QA Manager, it’s my responsibility to ensure food safety and quality across all of the products we are making. I oversee and support the QA team who monitor day-to-day compliance to procedures and resolve issues. I also conduct factory audits, prepare presentations, investigate complaints, drive factory improvements within production, and work with colleagues, customers and suppliers to resolve any issues.”

Favourite aspects of the job: “It certainly isn’t boring! Every day brings new challenges, which keeps me on my toes. I also really enjoy that I am part of a bigger team who are all passionate about improvement (and food, of course!), which makes my work a bit easier.”

Fun fact: “I started doing sculpting in lockdown. Working with clay isn’t easy, but after working in a fast-paced environment it’s nice to unwind and do some sculpting – it’s creative and makes me feel relaxed. I’ve already made some jewellery trays, and I’m trying my hand at vases next.”

Blue Earth Foods Our People Ed Haynes
Ed Haynes

Job title: Supply Chain & Projects Manager

Length of service: One year

Career overview: “I joined Blue Earth after five years working for Marks & Spencer in its Food Supply Chain team. Before that I worked for two other large food manufacturers.”

Role and responsibilities: “I lead the production planning and materials scheduling teams. This involves liaising between commercial, production and warehouse teams to achieve the smooth execution of the production plan, ensuring our customer demand is met. I also implement process improvements to address any inefficiency within the supply chain.”

Favourite aspects of the job: “I really enjoy the fast-paced world of fast-moving consumer goods. No day is the same, which keeps things exciting with new challenges to overcome.”

Fun fact: “I am a Junior Lancashire county table tennis champion.”