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Sophie Hawthorne, from Armagh, has successfully completed a placement year with Dale Farm at its Pennybridge site. A former pupil of Markethill High School and The Royal School Armagh, Sophie is studying BSc (Hons) Food Innovation and Nutrition at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), Loughry Campus.
As National Ice Cream Day is celebrated on 19 July, she reflects on a year marked by hands-on industry experience and innovation, including helping to develop a new ice-cream product from concept to launch.
Northern Ireland’s food and drink industry generates approximately £7.3billion in economic value, supports almost 109,000 jobs, and accounts for over one-third of all manufacturing sales in Northern Ireland. Despite Northern Ireland having less than 3% of the population of the UK, we produce more than 10% of the UK’s food output. A career in the food industry not only provides security of employment, it also provides opportunities for travel as food manufacturing is a global industry.
Sophie’s passion for the industry began early. “Growing up in a dairy farming family gave me a strong interest in the dairy and food industry from a young age, which inspired me to pursue a career within the sector,” she said. This interest led her to choose a degree that blends food science, nutrition and innovation with practical industry exposure.
Her journey with Dale Farm began in her first year at CAFRE after she was awarded a Dale Farm Bursary of £1,500 through the CAFRE Industry Support Programme. “Being awarded the Bursary led to a summer placement opportunity. I then continued working part-time throughout second year and stayed on for my placement year,” Sophie explained. She described the experience as “a fantastic opportunity to work within such a large and innovative business.”
During her placement, Sophie worked within the New Product Development (NPD) team across multiple sites and product categories, gaining broad exposure to the dairy industry. Her focus areas included cheddar process development and ice-cream innovation. “Every day is different, which is one of the things I enjoy most about the role,” she said. Her responsibilities ranged from testing cheddar samples to conducting pH and chemical analysis and supporting factory trials.
“One of my biggest achievements was developing a new Sea Salted Pistachio scoop product under the Mullins brand. I had the opportunity to lead the project from start to finish through the full NPD process, which was an incredible experience,” she said. “Seeing the product on shelves after working on it from concept through to launch was extremely rewarding.
“There have been so many crossovers between what I’ve learnt at CAFRE and my work placement role,” she noted. Her understanding of HACCP principles and the stage-gate development process proved particularly valuable. “The practical learning at CAFRE, Loughry Campus also prepared me well for conducting taste panels, product testing and analysing results.
“Completing a work placement has given me real perspective and motivation to finish my studies with purpose by applying real-life industry scenarios to my learning,” she said. She added that the experience has provided “valuable insight into a wide variety of products, factories and manufacturing processes.”
Sophie was very fortunate to secure a work placement with such a dynamic company as Dale Farm. Dale Farm employs over 1,200 people across the UK and Ireland, Dale Farm is one of most expansive dairy companies in the UK. Their business spans the food supply chain, from animal feed to collecting milk from farms, from processing products to store delivery.
Sophie will continue working part-time with Dale Farm as she returns to her studies, allowing her to further build on the skills and knowledge gained during her work placement. Reflecting on the experience, she expressed her gratitude to the company. “I wish to extend my thanks to Dale Farm, particularly the NPD team, for their support and guidance throughout my work placement year. The experience has been invaluable and I am very grateful for all the opportunities I have been given.”
Sophie’s journey highlights the importance of completing work placements in companies, in shaping future food professionals and showcases how passion, practical learning and opportunity can combine to deliver tangible success. If you or someone you know thrives in a team environment, seeks a non-desk-bound career, enjoys practical problem-solving, values travel opportunities, and desires a challenging, yet rewarding career with promising job prospects, consider studying at Loughry Campus.
With a growing need for skilled and qualified professionals to drive innovation and promote sustainability CAFRE has recently updated its full-time food degree offerings. These include a BSc (Hons) Degree in Food Innovation Management with pathways in Technology and Nutrition, and a BSc (Hons) Degree in Sustainable Agri-Food Management. Find out more at: www.cafre.ac.uk.
