Eleanor Thatcher certainly knows her apples, having grown up at Myrtle Farm, at the heart of the family business. But as the fifth-generation Cider Maker has found, it’s valuable to step outside the business to get a wider perspective.
For Eleanor, expanding her horizons entailed living for a while in Australia, where she worked for another family business – a wine maker. There, she enhanced her understanding of the fermentation process (“I have a passion for cider making – I love that part of the business”). She has also worked for a family-owned dairy business, where she got to experience family business management in a whole new way.
Now back in the UK and working in her family’s business in Somerset, she continues to push herself to keep learning. While Eleanor spends half of her time making cider, she spends the other half talking to customers to find out what they want. “I love the balance – you get to see what our customers want and what they like to drink. That really helps when you’re doing new things and setting the direction for the future.”
A key to Eleanor’s professional growth has been tapping into the wisdom of two mentors, one being from outside the business, who helped her to think through what she needed to know and where she was trying to go. “You can get a really challenging perspective. That’s the same with non-executive directors… Challenge is really important.”
Stepping outside the business can also feed innovation, a critical ingredient for any business, and especially one marketing to a demanding public, and Thatchers continues to introduce new ciders to the market.