Behind the Scenes of the First B-Corp Cheesemaker with Sharpham Dairy’s Greg & Nicky Parsons #105 Artwork

It Runs In The Family

Hello! We're Liz & Leila Willingham and welcome to "It Runs In The Family". We're the mother and daughter duo working within the public relations and communications agency, Liz Lean PR. Running a business is hard - really hard. Every business has its challenges and it's own ups and downs - but in a family business, this is often exaggerated by the willingness to speak your mind. But it also has some huge advantages that the corporate cultures just can't compete with. In this podcast, featuring a different family business guest in each episode, we're going to be digging into the stories, values and traditions of other family and multi-generational businesses. We'll explore their history, learnings and how they've developed through the generations and the unique advantages they've had over their competitors. We discover where human relationship migrates into business; the ups, downs, twists, turns and landmark moments that seal the fate of these fascinating organisations. You’ll get to hear some brilliant life stories too; some to make you laugh and others that’ll warm your heart. Many of our clients are family businesses who we've worked very closely with over a number of years - we've heard brilliant stories that reveal true values and fun operating as a family business. We want you to feel inspired by stories of others, find their honesty relatable and reach out to us with your own experiences. If you have any questions for future guests, have a story of your own or have any feedback please do feel free to get in touch on our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itrunsinthefamilypodcast/

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It Runs In The Family

Behind the Scenes of the First B-Corp Cheesemaker with Sharpham Dairy’s Greg & Nicky Parsons #105

February 19, 2025 • Episode 105

Sharpham Dairy is the UK’s first B-Corp cheesemaker, a seemingly daunting challenge, but as a family business, the B-Corp values were already their own…

Cheesemaking at Sharpham began over 40 years ago, and the story written by current owners Greg and Nicky Parsons is one that they hope lasts for generations to come.

Greg & Nicky share the story behind their first 6 years in charge, and their ambitions for the future, as they join us on It Runs In The Family!

This episode covers:

The family business’ transition and succession across the decades
Embracing community and collaboration in Devon
Challenges from the pandemic, and how they adapted as a family to keep the business going
Aligning values and purpose, as reflected in their B-Corp certification
The next generation and looking at the business through a lens of longevity

Sharpham Dairy: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sharpham-dairy/

Greg Parsons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-parsons-a9209b5/

Liz Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/lizzielean/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-willingham-09273a3/
Leila Willingham: https://www.instagram.com/leilawillingham/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-willingham-821530a1/

People on this episode

Leila Willingham

Co-host

Liz Willingham

Co-host