The Greencroft Estate in Annfield Plain is home to Greencroft Bottling and Lanchester Wines, sister businesses within the family-owned Lanchester Group. Each is among the leading businesses in its sector and, combined, they are one of the biggest employers in our area. Consett Magazine has been given access to meet the people behind the scenes who keep these businesses running.
If you've enjoyed a glass of wine in a pub, restaurant or bar anywhere in the UK, there's a fair chance Lesley Cook had something to do with it.
Lesley joined Lanchester Wines on 1 March 1993. Back then, the business was a very different place. Including warehouse staff, there were around a dozen employees, and the wider Lanchester Group, including Greencroft Bottling, didn't yet exist.
"There wasn't really a job title when I started," laughs Lesley. "I suppose I was processing customer orders, speaking to customers and chasing deliveries."
The technology was a little different too. Working from the old office in Lanchester (hence the company's name), Lesley would have to ring the warehouse in Houghton-le-Spring to check stock levels. Staff there would switch on the modem and send orders through manually. Someone also had to be in the office to answer the phone so the modem could be switched on in the first place.
Growing with the business
As the company grew, so did Lesley's role. Alongside looking after customer orders, she became PA to Tony Cleary and began supporting the director responsible for purchasing and shipping. She learned the business from the ground up, covering everything from customer service to monitoring incoming containers and coordinating stock.
"We used to have hospitality customers collecting wine directly from the office," says Lesley. "We'd help load their cars before they headed home."
Fast forward 33 years and Lesley is now Director of Purchasing, overseeing both the purchasing and sales office teams while working with suppliers across the world.
Her day can involve anything from negotiating wine and shipping costs to forecasting demand, developing new products and identifying emerging trends. With suppliers spread across multiple time zones, the working day rarely follows a predictable pattern.
Today, Lesley helps manage a portfolio of more than 800 wines alongside customer own-label projects. She is also responsible for sourcing and managing around 25 million litres of wine each year for both Lanchester Wines brands and customer programmes.
A million bottles a year
One achievement stands out above all others.
"Nika Tiki Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is probably my biggest success."
Lanchester Wines' best-selling wine brand, Nika Tiki Sauvignon Blanc, started with Lesley. She sources the wine, created the blend specification and helped develop the packaging that's now recognised by customers across the UK. The brand now sells around one million bottles every year.
After 33 years with the business, Lesley still enjoys the challenge of finding the next opportunity, the next trend and the next great wine. Given her track record, there's every chance the next success story is already on her desk.
For more information on Lanchester Wines and Greencroft Bottling, visit lanchesterwines.co.uk and greencroftbottling.com
In association with Lanchester Wines
