The Marinelli Pontifical Foundry is Italy’s oldest family business and among the three oldest family businesses worldwide. Campane Marinelli foundry has a very long history; the first bell was made around the year one thousand and since then their work has been a long sequence of success and honours. One of the most significant honour that the foundry can boast, is the possibility to use the Papal Arm Coast in their production; it was Pope Pio XI in 1924 to grant the privilege to the foundry. Campane Marinelli foundry, considered to be the oldest foundry in the world, is located in Agnone (Agnéune in the local dialect), a small Italian town of 5,200 inhabitants in the province of Isernia in Molise. The Marinellis have been handcrafting bells since 1000 AD, and current co-owners, operators and brothers Armando and Pasquale Marinelli are the 26th generation to run the business.

The story began in 1972 when John and Barbara Dunning, local farmers, set up Tebay Services in partnership with local bakers when the M6 cut through the Lune Gorge. It was the first and is still the only family run motorway service station on the UK road network – a small 30 seat café serving home cooked, locally sourced food. Forty years on and they are still there, still family owned, still farming and still with a fierce passion for, and a pride in, their landscape, their people, their environment and its products. In 1976 the Tebay Services Hotel opened, five minutes from the services. With its deep pitched roof reminiscent of mountain architecture, open log fires, real ale, a restaurant that serves home-cooked food and wide, sweeping views over the surroung fells, it has been welcoming weary travellers from far and wide ever since. Over the next 10 years, a Caravan Park and Truckstop joined the fold. In the year 2000, they opened a 90,000 square foot visitor attraction hidden under a grass roof on the edge of the Lake District. Today the Rheged Centre is home to a gallery, shops and cafés plus an IMAX-style cinema screen that regularly streams world-class opera, ballet, theatre and music events from around the globe. So the innovation continued. 2004 and back to Tebay where the family’s farming roots inspired the creation of two farmshops followed four years later with butcher’s counters promoting a ‘nose to tail’ approach to butchery – beef and lamb produced on the family farm, sold and butchered at their butchery units or cooked and served in their kitchens, ensuring that the use of local produce was as sustainable and accountable as possible. Ultimately, this is a family that know that if they stand still they start to move backwards. While they celebrate and are inspired by their heritage and roots, like generations of hill farmers before them, they understand that to survive and ultimately to thrive, they must continue to innovate, keep their ‘family’ and community close and always believe in what they do. Take a look at the inspirational story behind the making of the business that is all about the place, Westmorland.

The Marinelli Pontifical Foundry is Italy’s oldest family business and among the three oldest family businesses worldwide. Campane Marinelli foundry has a very long history; the first bell was made around the year one thousand and since then their work has been a long sequence of success and honours. One of the most significant honour that the foundry can boast, is the possibility to use the Papal Arm Coast in their production; it was Pope Pio XI in 1924 to grant the privilege to the foundry. Campane Marinelli foundry, considered to be the oldest foundry in the world, is located in Agnone (Agnéune in the local dialect), a small Italian town of 5,200 inhabitants in the province of Isernia in Molise. The Marinellis have been handcrafting bells since 1000 AD, and current co-owners, operators and brothers Armando and Pasquale Marinelli are the 26th generation to run the business.

For many years, partly as a result of their portrayal as ‘ma and pa’ lifestyle businesses, family firms have not been recognised for the true contribution that they make to the UK economy. In the current economic climate, family firms are being looked upon much more favourably not least because of their underlying values, plans for the future, longevity and desire to succeed. The contribution they make should not be under-estimated either with significant jobs being provided, communities being supported and the fact that family firms are truly the backbone of the British economy. So what makes working with family firms special and ‘Why do big corporates and PLC’s like doing business with private family businesses? Paul Andrews, Founder and Managing Director or Family Business United sums it up in three areas: 1 – Leadership From The Front First and foremost, family firms tend to be headed up by someone who has the family business in their blood, and as such doing business with someone who takes personal pride and ownership in their business makes them desirable to work with. Rather than simply doing business, family firms make it personal, traditional values such as honesty, integrity and personal service comes to the fore. No longer are you doing business with an organisation per se but a business that is owned and very often managed on a day-to-day basis by someone that cares about their business, and appreciates that delivering good, consistent customer service is key to driving the business forward. To that end, family firms provide a good relationship base with access to the key decision makers who are happy to engage with clients. 2 – A Sense Of History And Purpose Secondly, family firms have a history, tradition and legacy and tend to be around for the long term. Recent research done by Family Business United identified the ten oldest family firms in the UK and collectively they have been trading or over 4,200 years, no mean feat in the current climate and they have survived world wars, recessions and more besides. Family firms tend to plan for the future and are able to adapt and evolve to ensure the business survives. As the business transcends the generations there is a desire to succeed and pass a successful organisation on to future generations, and as such this can offer customers in the corporate world more security about who they are doing business with, and assurances that the business is in it for the long term. 3 – Because It Is Personal Thirdly, it is personal. Brand, name and reputation mean everything, especially when it is ‘your name above the door.’ Many family businesses have been around for generations, take the Warburtons, The Goring Hotel, Floris, JCB and Kinloch Anderson for example, and the family name is associated with everything that the business stands for. To that end, corporates know that they are dealing with a long established brand, one with values that permeate the organisation, and one with true values underpinning the work that they do rather than ‘corporate words, mission statements and meaningless charters.’ Family businesses are renowned around the world for being outward looking, in it for the long term, willing and responsive to change and sustainable and as such represent excellent business partners, many leading the way in their respective markets. Family firms represent more than 5 million firms in the UK economy, provide 12 million jobs and make up nearly half of all mid-sized businesses in the UK (£20-500 million turnover). Far from being small ‘lifestyle businesses’ families are behind some of Britain’s best known and loved brands and you may find that you are already working with some of them.

R J Balson Butcher provides great tasting West Dorset and Somerset meat from local farms less than 30 miles from their shop in Bridport. The business is over 500 years old and is currently run by the 26th generation of the family, Richard Balson, and is the oldest butcher and the oldest direct lineage family firm in the UK today, dating back to when in was founded in 1515. Paul Andrews spoke to Richard to find out more. What does your family business do? We are a retail family butcher based in Dorset and the oldest family owned butcher in the UK having traced our heritage back to 1515. How did you get involved? I was born in to the Butchery craft and I guess the outcome was inevitable really. What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a footballer but was not good enough. What are your first memories of the family business? Skinning rabbits at the age of 7 years old with my father. What values are important in your family/family business? Offering great service to the public with pleasure and pride. What is the best thing about being a family business? You are in control of your own destiny. You only get out what you are prepared to put in. And the worst? Unnecessary paper work, although this is probably the same for all businesses having to deal with the vast volume of red tape! What is the best thing about your working day? Looking forward to servicing my customers. What is your proudest family business achievement? Being recognised as not only the oldest, but being one of the best in our occupation. Is there a next generation waiting in the wings to take over? Yes, but when the time is right. What do you see as the biggest challenge facing family businesses? Staying ahead of the competition of the supermarkets. What words do you associate with family businesses? Top quality, personal service and commitment to customer’s requirements. Words of wisdom – What piece of advice would you pass on to someone thinking about joining the family business? Be prepared for long hours, plenty of hard work and you will reap and enjoy the benefits of being your own boss in control of your own destiny.

The ability to carry on a successful intergenerational transfer of ownership and leadership (succession) is one of the most important issues facing a family business. This issue is plagued with conflict, and accounts for the majority of engagements with family business consultants. Succession has often been called the final act of greatness. How ideal for a family business founder to have his or her creation live on long after they are gone. Most family businesses do not have a successful transition of ownership from the founding generation to the second generation. Studies have generally agreed that about 30 percent of businesses transfer to the second generation, while only 10 percent to 15 percent successfully transfer from the second generation to the third generation. Only four percent manage to stay in the same family in the fourth generation. The majority of family firms want to keep the business in the family and pass it on to the next generation. The American Family Business Survey in 2002 found that 85 percent of the firms surveyed wanted to continue with family ownership. A family-owned business is more likely to fail due to lack of a succession plan upon the founder’s illness or death than for reasons having to do with competition or market forces. One survey reported 77 percent of failed family businesses that declared bankruptcy did so after the death of the founder. Many family business researchers agree that the primary underlying reasons for failed successions are a lack of effective decision making and a lack of proper planning. Often the failure to plan is caused by an entrenched owner who cannot concede power or will not tolerate a reduction in personal authority, responsibilities, or control. The reasons for this scenario are numerous and can be quite complicated from a psychological perspective. Often, the previous generation simply does not want to be put out to pasture. If they are the founders of the business, they often feel the company is their “baby” and their identity is closely interrelated with the company. Others equate retirement with death and simply do not want to discuss the issue. Of the CEO respondents to a large nationwide study, nearly one in seven reported they would never retire! This causes much consternation in the family, especially among the next generation members. The next generation waiting in the wings wonders when they will ever get their chance to lead. Awareness of the life cycle stages becomes apparent when initiating conversations regarding succession. Research has shown that at certain ages, the relationship of the founder and the successor can be either rife with conflict or relatively smooth. This is especially relevant with a father-to-son generational transfer. When a founder is in his relatively young 40s and 50s, and the successor is in his 20s or early 30s, the role conflict can be at its worst — and most visible. The current familial roles of each family member in their respective life cycles present barriers to effective communication and to efficient working relationships. If a founder is in his 60s or 70s and the successor is in his 40s, the competition and conflict typically is less, resulting in a more positive working relationship. There is often significantly less conflict between a father and daughter, and transfers of leadership can be very smooth between opposite genders. Reproduced with permission from Keanon Alderson and The Press-Enterprise Keanon Alderson Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Robert K Jabs School of Business, at California Baptist University in Riverside CA. His book “Understanding the Family Business” was published in 2011. He can be reached at kalderson@calbaptist.edu

Muntons began life back in 1921 in a small converted brewery in Bedford. Much has changed since then but much has remianed the same too! Muntons was known originally as Muntons and Baker (Bedford) Ltd. Nearly a century later, Muntons plc, as it is now called, has grown and evolved to become the company it is today. Their move in 1948 from Bedford to Stowmarket in Suffolk, was a strategic one, placing their business centrally amid one of the best malting barley growing regions in the country, thus ensuring that they would be able to keep the delivery costs of their main raw material well under control. The site they purchased, for the princely sum of £100,000, was the old British Nylon Spinners factory located on a 45-acre plot alongside the main Stowmarket railway line and bordered by the river Gipping. Converting this to a modern maltings was a challenge. After the Second World War, there was a surplus of aluminium originally destined for the manufacture of Spitfires. Some of this War surplus material was used by a local engineering company to manufacture the four drum maltings which were installed into Muntons new premises. Interestingly these original drum maltings are still used today, nearly seventy years later, to make small batches of high quality niche malts. Suffolk as a location for the business was perfect, not just because of the proximity of top quality malting barley but also the rail link into London and the growing importance of Felixstowe as a deep-sea port. As containerisation became the norm, and trade with mainland Europe grew, so traditional ports such as Liverpool and Southampton saw volumes decline in favour of the now more convenient East Coast ports. Malting is an ancient craft – an art, and its origins can be traced back around 4,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia. These days, whilst machines do the hard work gently turning the malt, making the finest malt still relies on the skill of the maltster. Muntons take the finest malting barley, from within the very heart of the region, and grow this under carefully controlled conditions. They complete the malting process by gently drying the malted grains in kilns and gently remove the tiny rootlets before storing the malt and delivering it to their customers around the world. Throughout Suffolk, the local farming community has a rich heritage, growing high quality malting barley aided by a winning combination of light soil and moderate climate. These qualities, along with the easy-to-farm flat landscape, provide perfect conditions for exceptional malting barleys to be grown. Malt is one of the key raw materials used in the production of beer and whisky, providing a source of fermentable sugars to produce alcohol and impart its distinctive flavour. Few however know the true versatility of this natural ingredient. Malt made from local barley finds its way into a vast range of foods and drinks: In breakfast cereals, and bread, confectionery and cakes and then there’s malt vinegar, great on chips and for pickling. You will even find malt in some milkshakes and cola’s. To find out more please visit www.muntons.com

The succession of a family-owned business is often on the minds of its owners. For most, the transition of a family business from one generation to the next is planned. There is significance and pride in continuing the family legacy, and successfully passing the torch; knowing that your hard work and investment will hopefully bring greater abundance for your offspring. More often than not, a son or daughter of the owner has been groomed for, or at least involved in, the business operations and is looking forward to this promotion. But one aspect that is often forgotten in the planning of succession is how to navigate the role of in-laws. Of course, the matrimonial decision of a son or daughter who will be taking over the family business will influence the family, but how should it impact the business? Typically, the “what should I do with my in-laws?” question can go one of two ways. Some families embrace in-laws as their own. The in-laws are given the same privileges and opportunities as all other family members. On the other hand, some family businesses exclude non-blood relatives from involvement in the business. Both options have merit, but when considering which way to go, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of this decision. Weighing the Pros and Cons The positive side to embracing the in-laws into the family business is that they can be a great source of support and strong ambassadors for the company. If a child is about to take over the family business, his or her spouse is someone he or she can trust and rely on. An in-law, like any new employee, also brings new insight and ideas and can provide a refreshing, and perhaps new, much-needed perspective. An in-law might also be a highly qualified asset to the business. For example, if a son or daughter-in-law is a graduate from an MBA program and has strong experience in finance and marketing, a position that allows him or her to focus on these strengths can be a remarkable asset to the family business. On the other hand, inviting the in-laws into your family business can be detrimental, and many family businesses have established a strict “no in-law” policy. Ultimately, in order for a family business to be successful, there must be a shared, consistent, and lasting set of values, as well as common business goals. Additionally, the success of a family owned and operated business requires strong communication. The culture of a family business is likely unique to that family, from the way the family communicates with one another to the customs and hierarchy within the family structure. This can make it very challenging to bring on board an in-law, even one who is qualified. One fictional but true-to-life example that comes to mind is found in the current top-hit TV series, “Empire.” The show gives viewers a glimpse of what looks to be a dysfunctional family-business dynamic with family members involved in each other’s personal business, loud and heated arguments on how to run the company, and no clear delineation of the business role of each family member. The point illustrated here is that each family business has a unique method of operation. Family-owned businesses operate on the culture or norms of that particular family. To an in-law, or any outsider, a family-owned business operation may look dysfunctional, but for that family it may work just fine. Implement a Family Work Policy and Clarify Business Goals This decision shouldn’t be taken lightly, and family business operators should consider creating a written family work policy in reaching this decision. The phrase “make sure it’s in writing” rings true. Documenting a family work policy is an excellent way to ensure transparency and avoid conflict in a family business. After a family business owner has made the decision to either include the in-laws or not, creating a family work policy that defines who can and cannot work in the business will be beneficial moving forward. When conflict arises, this is the document that can be referenced for clarification. This document should include specific rules on who can work for the family business, under what circumstances these rules can be amended, and perhaps the plan for succession of the business. For example, say a family business owner’s child gets married. The new son or daughter-in-law is interested in joining the family business. Should he or she be included? Perhaps, the family work policy will allow for his or her involvement, since he or she is the spouse of the business owner’s child, who will likely be taking over the family business. However, let’s say the son or daughter in-law’s sibling would like to join the family business. Should he or she be included? The decision to include the in-laws can get complicated. Therefore, documenting these types of details in a family work policy is crucial. Additionally, take the time to clarify the goals of the business and what is needed from the family to achieve these goals. The success of any business requires that all members are working to achieve common objectives. Create trajectories and set time aside for meetings with your family business members that allow for open discussion and dialogue. As your family expands and more members come on board, it’s important that everyone be on the same page in achieving the business goals. Family businesses that are considered to be the most successful are ones that share values, openly communicate, and are founded on trust and respect for each other. This article was first published by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP . It has been reproduced with their permission.

The circumstances behind Stalker’s entry into the haulage and logistics industry is certainly a unique one, as Paul Andrews found out when speaking to their Managing Director, Karen Stalker. “Strange as it sounds, the company as it exists today originally came about after Eddie Stalker was involved in an incident with a drunk driver in Jersey, using the compensation money from that to buy his first heavy goods vehicle, which was a T.K. tipper, in 1968. With this, he carried stones from the quarries throughout Cumbria for use in the construction of, what was then, the new M6 motorway, “ explains Karen. Together with his wife Rene, the pair ran the business under the name of E.T & I. Stalker, trading in that first tipper for a 17 foot Ford D2000 flat-bed and securing a significant contract with The Inveresk Paper Company, based at Denny in Stirlingshire, to haul paper. This contract helped kick-start a period of steady expansion for the business, which coincided with Eddie’s sons Hughie and Gerald joining the company, which soon rebranded as Stalkers Transport. The 1980’s was a decade of important change for the business. “By 1985, the family came to realise that they had outgrown their existing infrastructure, and this led to its relocation to its present site at Townfoot Industrial Estate in Brampton, Cumbria,” Karen continues. “It was around this time that the company officially became a limited one, continuing to be family-owned and now run by my father Hughie. Under him, Stalkers grew even stronger, becoming a founder member of the Pall-Ex palletised freight network in 1996, servicing a sizeable area covering the whole of Cumbria, The Borders and up into Edinburgh.” By the end of 2001, the company had purchased an additional 14 acres of adjacent agricultural land, much of which has since been developed to further expand and improve the site through the addition of extra warehousing, the increasing in size of its truck and trailer park, and so forth. Now a genuine third generation family business, Stalkers has made it of paramount importance that it maintains what it calls ‘good old-fashioned family values’, strongly emphasising the ideals of hard work and reliability. “We have always strived to do things a little bit differently from most other haulage companies,” Karen explains. “Any company can run up and down roads with full loads from point A to B, but Stalkers is unique in that we have come to be recognised as experts in groupage and multi-drop deliveries, offering a guaranteed next day delivery service between Scotland, the north west and south east of England.” “As well as groupage and multi-drop deliveries, we also specialise in national full load distribution, just-in-time deliveries, ex-works collection and part load services, and just-in-time warehousing. We enjoy working in partnership with like-minded, quality companies and these collaborations have also helped all of us reduce empty running, reduce turnaround times, and massively improve our carbon footprint, another issue close to Stalkers’ heart.” “The Brampton depot acts as an onward distribution hub for companies not wishing to travel in to Scotland. The third party hauliers drop their goods into Stalkers, can get their trucks serviced and maintained whilst their drivers have a break and then they are loaded back to an area of their choosing.” Going that extra mile for its customers is something that Stalkers takes great pride in, yet this would not be possible without the work of its valued employees. “The dedication and loyalty of our staff of almost 70 men and women over the years has undoubtedly been key to our success,” Karen enthuses. “Many of them have been with us through the tough times and the good, and it is because of that continuity that we have been able to come through periods of difficulty and move the business forward. We have worked very hard to make our employees feel like they are part of one big family, and I think this is reflected in the fact that we have individuals with us today who first started when they were 16 years old. Our six traffic planners alone have some 114 years of service with us between them, which is truly amazing and, I believe, speaks volumes for Stalkers.” In order to support the efforts of its employees, Karen and the rest of Stalkers management team have made it their priority to invest heavily in the company’s infrastructure and fleet of vehicles. “By putting back into the company, we have been able to give it a complete overhaul, modernising our site and maintaining a regular replacement programme for our trucks, which currently ranges between every three-to-five years,” she reveals. This programme has contributed to the quick adoption of technologies such as Euro 6 engines, which has helped achieve massive savings in fuel costs, and has allowed the company to provide their overnight drivers with a comfortable and accessible environment to operate from, which has no doubt aided in the retention of a workforce that is becoming ever-more few and far between. The newest additions to the company’s fleet, six new DAF trucks, also happen to represent an impressive milestone event for Stalkers, namely its 50th birthday which it is celebrating this year. The arrival of the new trucks also marks the re-emergence of the company’s original red, white and blue livery. “These new vehicles are incredibly eye catching, you can see them coming down the road a mile off, and follow a successful rebranding of the business a few years back,” Karen adds. “We understand the importance of brand recognition and our newest trucks and trailers will really help to advertise the Stalkers name to more people.” As Karen goes on to state, the celebration of 50 years of operations has also allowed herself and the rest of the family to reflect on just how far the business has come. It was this that led to Stalkers doing something it historically had not been known for, and that was applying for inclusion in several local industry awards. The outcome of this amazed even Karen. “The feedback we received, and the interest we had in our story was nothing short of incredible, and culminated in us winning the Transport and Logistics Category of the Cumbrian Family Business of the Year’ award at the Cumbria Family Business Awards 2018, and in early June we went on to win the same category in the National Final of the Family Business of the Year awards hosted by Family Business United in a glittering ceremony held in the prestigious London May Fair Hotel. As you can imagine, such an incredible accolade means everything to us and is particularly well received on this our 50th anniversary. It’s a huge pat on the back and massive thank you to our amazing people that all contribute to making this company as great as it is. We are so proud of them all.” “Cumbria is often regarded as a distant backwater but the county came away with no less than six awards across a variety of industries which made us very well represented and reconfirmed how fortunate we are to live and work in such a beautiful part of the country. ” When it comes to what the future holds, Karen is very optimistic about the company’s ability to grow steadily as it makes greater use of the assets that it has invested in. What she is concerned about, however, is about the need to raise the profile of the transport and logistics industry, particularly amongst students and young adults. “I myself have six children, and having spent time with some of them as they go about their adult education it soon becomes clear how little attention is given to logistics, and how few people have an understanding of what it is all about,” she states. “This is something that we, as an industry not just as a company, need to address and put right.” “Together we need to push for more effort to be made in developing awareness, training and apprenticeships, as this will be the best way of attracting the next generation of men and women into this incredibly rewarding and diverse industry.” Visit www.stalkers.co.uk to find out more

Vigne Marina Coppi was established in 2003 in the town of Castellania, the birthplace of Marina’s father Fausto Coppi, one of the greatest cyclists of the 20th century. Fausto was the first man ever to win the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same year! The family has taken the traditional heritage of the area and applied a modern approach in the winery to produce wines of excellent quality concentrating on the native varieties of Timorasso, Favorita, Barbera, Nebbiolo and Croatina. Timorasso has been cultivated in this area since the middle ages and is the hallmark of this corner of Piemonte whilst Barbera has always been cultivated in the Tortonese area. Marina Coppi is the daughter of the legendary cyclist and with her husband Giovanni works closely with son Francesco and his wife Anna, using sustainable methods in the vineyard and employing great expertise in the winery to produce their wine. Though vines have always been planted at Castellania, a small village in south eastern Piemonte, it was only when Marina’s son Francesco, along with his wife Anna, took over the property that they began bottling their own wine. They focus on the native varieties of grape; Barbera, Nebbiolo, Croatina, Freisa, Favorita and Timorasso to make wines that are vibrant and well defined. The vineyard is only a few hectares in size and allows the family to grow and harvest directly, thus focussing on quality throughout the process. Their wines are the result of modern, careful and respectful winemaking based on local knowledge of the peculiarities of the area. Productions is only about 25.000 bottles per year and can be called ‘artisanal’ allowing them to manage directly each step of the process and produce wines that reflect their ‘will and personality and the strength of the land.’ The human factor is the key to the philosophy of this winery and is only by understanding Francesco, a true viticulturist, that you can also understand the wines and their relationship with the market. His vineyard and ethical choices are essential to the production of high quality grapes and great wines. His wife Anna, mother of their three daughters, has been on his side since the first harvest in 2005 and contributes to the management of the property whilst Giovanni and Marina, Francesco’s parents contribute to the workload, adding the level of wisdom and input that you only achieve with age and experience. A great family of wines with a great story behind each one of them, the legacy of one of the greatest cyclists of the 20th century too. Fausto – This wine of character and a great personality, an expression of the land which is dedicated to their grandfather Fausto. It is `made from Timorasso grapes and highlights the natural qualities of this rare grape variety. complex, elegant aromas, red blood in the body of a white, minerality, flavor, warmth and freshness. It can grow over the years and likes to excite those who will have a little `patience’! Marine – This white wine is dedicated to the two Marinas in the family: Marina Coppi the grandmother and Marina Bellocchio, her grand-daughter, who was born on the eve of their first grape-harvest. It is made from Favorita grapes which are harvested late so as to attain high sugar content and a particularly intense aroma. Their structure and bouquet are highlighted by a prolonged contact with yeasts and manual batonnage. Its bouquet is fine and intense with distinctive hints of rennet apple, peaches and meadow grass. It is full on the palate, round and balanced and has traces of the sapidity of a sea breeze. I Grop – This name comes from the local dialect and is the name given to the calcareous and fossil-rich boulders which characterise a particular area of the vineyard. This important ‘Cru’, made from Barbera grapes embodies both structure and elegance. I Grop is aged in big barriques, according to Piedmontese traditions, so that it keeps its balance between the merits of refinement and its fruity bouquet. After two years in the cellar, it gets ready to emerge but we have to wait just a while longer before imbibing in this long-living wine. Sant’Andrea – This wine is named after the locality of Sant’Andrea in the village of Castellania. In fact, at number five via Sant’Andrea, which is close to the centre of the hamlet, you will find the Vigne Marina Coppi winery. This is predominately a Barbera with a harmoniously small percentage of Croatina. Its simplicity, the intensity of its bouquet and its pleasantness to the palate make this young red wine pleasant to drink, even when served at a low temperature. A legacy of one of the cycling greats that lives on through the generations on the family vineyard.

Whilst many new businesses are founded each year it is not often that you find one that has been created by a number of siblings. Check out the trio behind this fishing innovation. It is three brothers, Daniel, Harry and Kane, working together that are the team behind the recently launched business, Dangler. Paul Andrews spoke to them to find out more. The idea for Dangler originated back in 2017 when Daniel Hughes was rummaging through the garden shed looking for something and soon realised that he had loads of fishing tackle that he no longer used. He thought about selling it and uploading it to the current second hand sites such as eBay or Gumtree. At the same time, he was selling clothes on Depop, a marketplace app for clothing, where he was taking pictures from his phone and uploading straight to the app, which is full of people wanting to buy clothes. Depop was a simple but effective buying and selling community around clothes. But nothing like this existed in the fishing industry. As Daniel explains, “the birthchild of Dangler was created. The aim was to create a social marketplace to buy and sell fishing tackle, and with all 3 of us brothers being very passionate anglers it seemed the perfect fit!” Dangler is a social media marketplace app that provides a platform for the everyday angler, alongside retailers and manufacturers to buy and sell their second hand and new fishing tackle. Dangler will provide a social platform that includes lower costs, buying and selling protection and the opportunity to build a social profile and communicate with other fellow anglers. Dangler’s aim is to create an innovative community that enables anglers to share their passion for buying and selling fishing tackle. Dangler is founded by 3 brothers, who are dedicated to revolutionising the way that anglers buy and sell their fishing tackle, by creating an online marketplace in every angler’s pocket. Like most start-up businesses there was a lot of up-front commitment from the brothers to create their vision and start building the dream. As Daniel continues, “from the beginning of Dangler, we worked mostly on weeknights and weekends, fitting it around full-time jobs and studying, but when we began working with Shout About Suffolk (a Suffolk based incubator) it meant we had the freedom to allow Harry to work full time throughout the summer on the business.” This proved a turning point for the business as it allowed them the time to prepare to raise funds and when they successfully gained ‘seed funding’ for Dangler it allowed all three brothers to go full-time in the business. As Daniel continues, “this was a great time for us as momentum was gaining but of course, this meant having specific job roles. To be honest, it was fairly easy to decide. With Kane being an experienced chartered accountant and experiences of working with VCs, he walked straight into the CFO job title and focused on the numbers and technical operations. My role is the CEO and management of the companies marketing and general strategy. Harry is the COO and therefore handles the daily operations of the company such as legalities, recruitment, development etc, and this is done mostly in conjunction with Kane.” “For us, selecting these roles became relatively easy, Harry comes from an academic background and is research and ‘document’ focused, hence the suitable decision for him to become COO. I am very creative in my thinking, and so it made absolute sense for me to have the vision around the public persona of Dangler and the role for executing this too.” Setting out on a new venture is not always easy and as Daniel explains, there have been a few challenges along the way. “Even in our ‘short’ lived start-up life so far we have had to deal with finding a suitable partner to develop the app with us and then also finding someone who can work on Danglers’ behalf to ensure we are doing things right with the development and processes. This in itself was a challenge that we didn’t foresee, but we now have an amazing interim CTO, and we have often mentioned that we wouldn’t have half of the knowledge and correct processes in place without him, purely because of his experience,” continues Daniel. “I would also say our biggest current challenge and one that we are dealing with daily is recruitment. Being a tech company means we need to begin fleshing out our own internal development team, but the current market is massively in demand and lacking supply, and is something we are spending a lot of time trying to get right too,” he adds. Working closely with siblings is not always easy. As Daniel continues, “We were warned numerous times by people when we started out that family business is often a bad idea, and will turn toxic in the end. But we are stubborn individuals, and we are good at putting our emotions aside, so any decision or ‘formal’ conversation is always business first, and I think that is so key to keep a family business on its feet.” “We work with great synergy, and although we may operate in very different ways, our general thought processes and outcomes are very similar, and so we balance each other out really well and we all want the same outcome at the end of the day. It is a rare opportunity to work closely with your brothers or your family, and so I think we are all very fortunate to be embarking on this journey together,” he continues. Dangler is on a journey and the energy and drive of the brothers who are collectively working towards a shared vision is palpable. Clarity of vision is clearly helping them turn the idea into a reality and they have a clear goal in mind. As Daniel explains, “in 10 years’ time, Dangler will be the number 1 global marketplace for Anglers. Becoming a one-stop app that all Anglers will use to buy and sell any fishing tackle they have, and who knows what other features we may have by then.” “But our mission statement is to revolutionise the way anglers buy and sell their fishing tackle, by creating a direct anglers’ marketplace in your pocket, anywhere in the World. And that is where we expect to be in 10 years.” A bold aim, but one that is clearly within reach and these brothers have identified a niche, have passion for the end result and a collective skill set that is driving change and bringing innovation to the angling world. We look forward to seeing the continuing evolution of Danglers. To find out more please visit www.dangler.co.uk

RS Clare was founded in Liverpool in 1748 at the start of the Industrial Revolution and they are the longest established company manufacturing lubricants in the United Kingdom. Despite their age the company is innovative, dynamic and constantly pursuing new ways to improve the services and products they offer. Paul Andrews met the sixth generation of the current family owners, David Meadows, who is the Head of Customer Services and Marketing. Richard S Clare founded the business that started out as a chemist, druggist and dry-salter in 1748, during the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, an exciting time for the North West of England. It was the first time that wealth creation was generated from commerce rather than land ownership which presented plenty of opportunities and from small beginnings provisioning ships in the growing port of Liverpool, Clare began to distil raw turpentine imported from the Carolinas in North America. Fifty years later, tar distillation began along with rosin manufacture. Apart from trading tallow as a lubricant, the company focused on tar derivatives such as phenols for disinfectant, creosote for wood preservation, naphthalene and road tar. At the start of the twentieth century, Clare’s ‘Tarco’ became renowned as the most effective dust laying compound and was manufactured for local authorities under licence throughout the UK. This continued until 1947 when nationalisation of the gas works made the production of tar uneconomic so that it was superseded by bitumen. By this time, the first ‘Tarcoline’ road paint, followed by ‘Plastaline’ which was the world’s first thermoplastic road marking material became the major product lines of the business. Despite its invention back in 1933, thermoplastic road marking is still the predominant form of road marking toady across the UK and beyond. Lubricants were developed as a result of the first mineral oil being imported into the Mersey River in 1889, the year that the Meadows and Wilson families bought out the company from the remaining members of the Clare family. A whole range of oils and greases were developed with approvals gained from literally hundreds of engine and gear box manufacturers. The brand name ‘Clargine’ disappeared when the company refocused on own-brand grease manufacture from 1925. Since then, long term relationships have been established with a number of major oil companies to manufacture greases for them. RS Clare is an innovative business and continues to consider the future as it has done throughout the long lifespan of the business. 25 years ago it was decided to re-establish the Clare brand and focus on speciality greases that would solve operational problems, thereby delivering significant benefits and cost savings to clients operating in the Rail and Upstream Oil and Gas sectors. Conscious of their responsibilities, RS Clare has always been aware of the environment too. Today, more than ever before, the company take this seriously with water recovery, ground source heating and photovoltaic panels in place to generate renewable energy and biodegradability a feature of the advanced lubricant ranges. As Ian Meadows, the current company Chairman explains, “The ‘pursuit of excellence’ is as important today as when my chemist grandfather used it in our sales literature back in the 1900’s.” David Meadows is the sixth generation of the family to be involved in the business and is fully aware of the history, family involvement and the role of the generations that have gone before too. “I gained work experience in the business from a young age but unsure of what I wanted to do, went off to study. I am a chemical engineer and gained a masters in Chemical Engineering so my skill set and education has been aligned to the business,” he explains. “I have also always been close to Ian and the family business. I had always been interested and intrigued and it may well be that the nature of the business influenced my degree choice.” David continued, “I kept in touch with Ian during my studies and he was insistent that I followed what I wanted to do, gaining experience away from the business.” After graduating, David travelled and ended up in New Zealand where he worked in a number of roles including a food hamper business before returning to the UK to look for chemical engineering roles. “Shortly after I returned to the UK, I received a call from the CEO of the food hamper business I had worked for in NZ and was offered a position in Canada as National Logistics Manager. This presented a crossroads as to what I was going to do next, either stay in UK and look for Chemical Engineering graduate jobs, or take this exciting opportunity in Canada” continues David. “My wife was born in Canada and logistics was not the career I had thought I would pursue, but we took a risk and moved to Vancouver and I lived and worked for three years until the business was sold. I was then offered a position in Sydney and spoke to Ian about the opportunity and he encouraged me to get the right experience to develop personally so we moved to Australia and I took on a more senior and challenging role which included setting up an online retail operation from scratch,” he adds. Prior to returning to the UK in 2016 David and Ian spoke regularly about ‘opportunities’ within the family business and eventually agreed that returning to RS Clare would be good all round. “My wife and I hail from the Wirral and our parents live on the Wirral and with two young children and a good opportunity at RS Clare, we decided to move home after a decade living and working abroad,” he continues. “My role began as Head of Marketing and Customer Service which enabled me to apply skills learned elsewhere within the business, and to get a good understanding of the different aspects of what we do. With the retirement of the sales manager in 2017 I took on responsibility for sales to the Australian rail and oil & gas sectors and my role has continued to grow since then.” As for family involvement, David is the only next generation involved in the business as his older brother has moved and settled happily in New Zealand, an younger brother is a qualified medical surgeon. A non-family MD has been running the business with Ian, Paul Vann, and has played the role of mentor to David too. As David adds, “Paul has been a great mentor to me, helping and guiding me so that in time I am in a good position to take over the reigns and drive the business forward.” RS Clare continues to evolve over time and sets its mission to globalise, innovate and solve critical problems, thereby contributing to the success of their customers. This is a mission that David embraces each and every day with the core values that drive the development of a family firm that has been around for nearly three centuries. As he explains, “Back in 1998 for our 250th anniversary, we asked the staff for words that resonated with them about who we are as a business. ‘People, Partnership, Progress’ was their response. This truly resonates with us as a family firm as we have people at the heart of what we do, treat all our stakeholders as partners, and the whole raison d’etre for us is to continue to make mutual progress,” he adds. Awards have come to the long-standing business with one of their proudest moments being recipients of the Queens Award for International Trade in 2011. As David confirms, “This award really helped to put us on the map. It really means something to us and to our customers and is recognition for all that we have done, do, and will continue to do, in building a global business.” “We have prospered as a business since 1748 by adapting our company, products and services to best satisfy the evolving needs of our customers. We have built an enviable reputation based on our ability to align with the markets we serve, whether supporting major multinational oil companies or local users of speciality lubricants, service treatments or road markings,” concludes David and “it is a privilege to be the sixth generation of our family to be involved in shaping our future for generations to come too.” Growing from small beginnings to the global operator that it is today, RS Clare is one of Liverpool’s oldest manufacturers and although it has not always been plain sailing they have navigated the tricky times and are building for the future. This is a business that was founded during the Industrial Revolution and survived two World Wars, countless recessions, the birth of the internet and is now focusing on the future. Their pursuit of ‘excellence through innovation’ has certainly stood the test of time and they continue to put Liverpool firmly on the map, as we hope they will continue to do for many years to come. To find out more please visit www.rsclare.com