When your business is growing, it can feel like you are trying to keep 100 plates spinning at once.
It’s a lot to try and keep up with.
So when recruiting new hires, you need to make sure that they are;
When running a successful business, time is the most valuable asset to have. Sifting through unsuitable CV’s and meeting unsuitable candidates is so frustrating. Morgan Jones can take all of that stress away and only introduce good quality people.
This was the issue for Macknade Fine Foods.
For a long time, Macknade had avoided recruitment agencies and preferred to source candidates themselves.
However, these traditional methods (advertising through Indeed, Reed and in the local paper) hadn’t produced quality candidates and a growing backlog of tasks needed completing. This process was taking up too much valuable time, as anyone who has scoured through a stack of CVs can attest to.
It was then Macknade decided to look for a recruitment agency that could provide what they needed; the guesswork to be taken out of the recruitment process and time to be saved. They came to us on the recommendation of another business that we had successfully worked with.
There were three key roles where experienced people that truly understood Macknade’s niche were required.
The first role was for a Chef in their very successful and popular café with a sterling reputation. Macknade needed someone with experience, who could quickly take on the responsibilities quickly and make the role into their own.
Due to expansion and growth, they also required a Shop Manager and a Food, Beverage and Events Manager.
These two roles required people with varied experience and good quality track records of helping businesses during periods of growth.
The Shop Manager was needed to run the successful food hall and the Food, Beverage & Events Manager was required to help grow the café and events offering.
To start with we set out to to truly understand the roles and - most importantly - the business.
As Macknade’s General Manager, Finnian Dunlop said:
Macknade is unique in both what we do and our size. We’re larger than a local farm shop but smaller than a supermarket. We have the range of a large shop but are niche enough to showcase the best from the local community and brands. It’s a beautiful middle ground that has allowed us to grow into a successful fine foods retailer and cafe.
There is a big emphasis on growth and the success of Macknade is evidence of that. Finding people that shared that vision and passion for supporting the local community, a passion for fine food, drink and service and were in it for the long haul was vital.
As a generalist agency, we have a large database of candidates actively looking for work across multiple sectors. This allowed us to find qualified experienced professionals that fit the bill.
As a result, we had sourced, interviewed and placed all three roles within a month.
That is a lot of time saved to allow Macknade to concentrate on what they do best, provide amazing quality food and drink to the local community.
Due to our experience, building a relationship with a generalist agency like Morgan Jones is more effective than trying to build multiple relationships with several specialist agencies. Morgan Jones really listened to us, our needs and our ethics as a business. They were then able to replicate this passion and understanding to help us find people that have already helped benefit the business.
- Finnian Dunlop
Macknade Fine Foods is, by their own admission, all about food, family & friends.
Staying in the same family for six generations, what started life as a family farm is now a thriving 10,000sqft food hall, delicatessen, butcher & café on the outskirts of Faversham.
Stocking some of the finest foods from around the county and further afield, they also have a café where you can unwind & relax, enjoying produce from across the food hall, without having to cook it yourself. Don't miss the amazing deli counter, which stocks over 200 varieties of cheese!
