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Chris Sandham

Chairman
Chris came into the family business at the age of 16 where he learnt all the time honoured family skills from his father, Chris. He took over the running of the business in the early 1990’s and strived to maintain the tradition and quality that is expected from a 3rd generation family business. It was Chris’s decision to start making vegetarian cheese in 1986 and went on to develop a whole range of blended cheese the same year, which are still immensely popular today.
In 1996, Chris started to get cheese smoked for customer supply, before investing in our first smoking kiln in the summer of 2000 and then, due to demand, a second smoking kiln in 2014. A third and even larger smoking kiln was installed in 2023 giving a smoking capacity of 40 tonnes a week; you could say it was one of his better ideas!
In January 2020, after 44 years, Chris stepped back from the day to day running of the business in order to play more golf. However, with the small issue of a global pandemic, he was happy to return to help out and continues to do so, but in a more reduced manner than before.
His golf is still as bad as it ever was.

Michelle Gates

Managing Director
Michelle joined JJ Sandham in 2017 on a part time basis, gradually working her way up the ranks, becoming Commercial Director in 2020, then Managing Director in 2023. With over 25 years’ Sales and Customer service experience, Michelle has a positive, ‘can do’ attitude and is always at the end of the phone to discuss new ideas, proposals and requirements.
When asked what JJ Sandham means to her, Michelle says “We are a small, friendly team, each one of us playing a vital role in running a successful, reputable business. I am very proud of the team, our ability to adapt quickly and develop in the ever changing industry, whilst maintaining a friendly, but professional approach."
My passion for the business is unwavering and I feel so lucky that I genuinely love coming in to work every day. We are the biggest and best, dairy only smokehouse in the UK and my ambition is to be the biggest in Europe.
When not working, you’ll find Michelle either cooking in her kitchen or pottering about in the garden, usually with a glass of wine!

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Faye Kitching

Production & Quality Manager
Faye joined the business in April 2023, after running her own Organic family dairy for more than 20 years & her
knowledge of the cheese & dairy industry is second to none. Faye manages the daily production plan of the factory, spinning all the plates to make everything run smoothly and just....happen.
With her dedication to quality & food safety, as well as hosting audits and technical visits, Faye is driving the business forward with her beaming smile and wicked sense of humour, as well as being the caring colleague and friend to all.
When not working, Faye loves line dancing, walks around the beautiful Ribble Valley and supporting animal welfare charities.

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Stuart Greenwood

Smokehouse Manager
After a successful career in Engineering, Stuart joined the Management team in December 2022. As well as running and maintaining all 3 of our smokers, he is responsible for planning the (very!) busy smoking schedule and ensuring each of our customer specifications are met to achieve the perfect shape, flavour and colour profile of their cheese.
40 tonnes of cheese each week is no mean feat, but Stuarts relaxed and laid back personality, means he takes everything in his stride.
When asked what he loves most about his role, Stuart says its the people & how we all pull together to get the job done. Stuart loves nature, his dogs, the countryside & spending quality time with his young family.

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Debbie Bradshaw

Office Administrator
Debs started at JJ Sandham in April 2023, bringing some much needed admin support to our ever expanding business and workload. Debs is organised and meticulous and adds a calming influence to the chaos of our busy office.
Debs is the voice at the end of the telephone and loves nothing more than chatting to get to know our customers and their requirements. If there is a tricky task to undertake, you can guarantee there will be a spreadsheet and cup of tea involved, as Debs keeps us all in tow with her intricate filing systems.
When not working, Debs lives the high life of weekends away, fine wines and as many holidays as she can manage.

Steve Fuller

Driver
Steve joined the team in 2020 on a temporary basis to cover holidays. Fast forward to 2021 and he loved it so much that he joined us permanently. Having retired from over 25 years in teaching, Steve enjoys nothing more than jumping in his van and heading out across the country, taking everything in his stride.


With a love of Whisky, Golf and Motorbikes, Steve is a great addition to the team and is always ready to greet you with a smile.