Simpsons Malt Limited has bid a fond farewell to Customer & Sales Support Manager, Craig Dixon, who has retired from the fifth-generation, family business after more than 43 years of service.
Having grown up in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Craig started at the company’s Tweed Valley Maltings aged 16 on October 12, 1981, at a time when the business was producing around 65,000 tonnes of malt per year.
His early role was as Office Junior Clerk under the guidance of George Murray and, eager to learn and contribute – as well as earn some extra beer money – he frequently worked overtime on weekends across various production areas: from shovelling peat into bags for export to Japan, to sweeping silo floors and cleaning intake areas.
As production capacity increased, in 1986 Craig moved into a more customer focused role, working closely alongside colleague Peter Inglis. He soon added another string to his bow by becoming Transport Manager, which included the overseeing of weighbridge operations. During his time in this role, the company’s fleet grew from eight to 20 vehicles.
In 2010, Craig stepped into the role of Customer & Sales Support Manager, acting as an intermediary between the sales, production, grain trading and finance departments, where his responsibilities included everything from barley storage and processing customer orders, to managing customer contracts and production planning.
Throughout his 43-year career, Craig has seen annual malt production quadruple, the company incorporate agricultural merchanting division McCreath Simpson & Prentice into the business and the positive development of Long-Term Agreements (LTAs) and dedicated Growers Groups.
Speaking on his final day, Craig said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Simpsons Malt, where I have built great relationships with customers and suppliers, embraced daily challenges and worked alongside a whole host of different characters.
“Having worked for Simpsons Malt for three generations, to witness at close quarters the company’s development and success has been fantastic and it’s wonderful to have been a very small part of that. While I am looking forward to enjoying my retirement, I will dearly miss the colleagues and friends I have made within the business and wider industry.”
Richard Simpson, Chair at Simpsons Malt Limited, added: “I’d like to thank Craig for more than 43 years of dedicated service at the Home of Good Malt.
“Craig has worked in many roles during his time with us and although his industry knowledge and expertise will be greatly missed, we are grateful for the time he has spent with us, and I’d like to thank him for the time he has spent in recent months passing that knowledge on to the next generation.
“Craig has been a dear friend and colleague to me over the past 30 years and, on behalf of us all at Simpsons Malt Limited, we’d like to wish him a long, happy and healthy retirement.”