Meet the team
Bringing you the people of Coombe Castle International.
Darren Larvin
Managing Director
Darren Larvin
Managing Director
Having spent most of my career in the plastics sector I joined Coombe Castle in 2005 and found the food industry so dynamic and exciting. I’m fortunate to manage a great team of people, who are highly skilled, and together with our longstanding relationships with our suppliers and customers, have been the reason for our success in growing Coombe Castle, into a leading dairy export business which has been recognised by winning our 5th Kings Award for International Trade in 2023.
Peter Mitchell
Operations Director
Peter Mitchell
Operations Director
Dairy foods professional with 40 years’ experience (started in 1982) in the manufacture & sales of a range of dairy foods, including cheese & fermented products, gained with leading dairy companies in the UK and overseas. I joined Coombe Castle in 2011and now specialise in working with customers to develop business opportunities and realise their commercial goals.
Ben Hutchins
Sales & Marketing Director
Ben Hutchins
Sales & Marketing Director
Ben Hutchins is the Sales and Marketing Director and Coombe Castle International. His first role in dairy was in 2001 and having tried a few other product categories, he kept returning. He started his career at Sainsbury’s and worked on the team that opened, amongst others, the Calne store and launched the UK’s first grocery home delivery service trial with them in Bristol. Ben worked for Lye Cross Farm for nearly 11 years and previously with North Downs Dairy, now part of Ornua, bringing his dairy experience to about 17 years.
James Hamman
Operations Manager
James Hamman
Operations Manager
Technical & Operations Manager with a Food Technology degree and 25 years industry experience. Industry sectors include ready meals, processed meat as well as importing dairy, poultry and vegetables. At Coombe Castle my role covers quality, manufacturing, warehouse and distribution. My main responsibility is to ensure that our customer receive their orders at the quality they expect when they need them.
Caron Staddon
Marketing Manager
Caron Staddon
Marketing Manager
I have worked in the food industry in either marketing or sales roles for over 20 years. I joined Coombe Castle in 2015 and I am responsible for the design and brand development of Coombe Castle cheese and Devon Cream Co, exhibitions, website development, packaging, and the creation of POS materials.
Liv Smith
Marketing Executive
Liv Smith
Marketing Executive
As Marketing Executive at Coombe Castle, I bring together my digital expertise and creative marketing skills to manage and develop our online presence. I oversee the company website, plan and execute our social media strategies, and coordinate the design and implementation of Coombe Castle International labels. I also create a range of marketing collateral to support our global sales efforts, helping to strengthen our brand and engage customers across all channels.
Beth Riley
Brand Manager
Beth Riley
Brand Manager
As Brand Manager at Coombe Castle, I combine my online trading and physical retail marketing experience with my exporting knowledge to be the brand ambassador for our partners. I work with brand owners and our International Sales Managers to develop and implement brand strategy and plans which enable us to meet sales expectations and brand objectives through consistency and growth in all territories and channels.
Cheryl Brett
International Sales Manager
Cheryl Brett
International Sales Manager
I have spent most of my career working in the dairy industry, starting with a job in technical, a more creative role in NPD before moving into a sales and business development position. At Coombe Castle International I am responsible for international sales and business development for the UK, Ireland, China, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore Australia and New Zealand as well as working on developing new markets. We are experts in exporting dairy products across the globe, with no task too big or too small. Contact me directly on : Cheryl@coombecastle.com
Richard Green
International Sales Manager
Richard Green
International Sales Manager
International Sales Manager with over 20 years commercial experience in the food industry. Initially working in categories of biscuits and confectionery, I moved into the dairy industry in 2005 and this is when my exporting experience started and I haven’t looked back, opening and developing markets across the globe. Since Brexit I have been managing our sister company CCI BV to service our EU clients as I am based in the Netherlands, and all sales into the Middle East and North Africa. If you have any interest in the very best cheese, cream, or butter from the UK, please feel free to contact me directly: Richard@coombecastle.com
Helen Dallimore
International Sales Manager
Helen Dallimore
International Sales Manager
International Sales Manager with over 20 years’ experience delivering Coombe Castle customer service within export, project management and NPD for a developing area of year-round feature products. I am responsible for sales and business development for Canada; looking after rapidly changing retailer needs and finding ways to offer new opportunities through established relationships. Keeping ideas new and fresh to offer excitement to the deli counter offering consumers the best possible varietal range.
Matthew Hodgetts
International Sales Manager
Matthew Hodgetts
International Sales Manager
I joined the Coombe Castle team with 9 years export experience across the Speciality and Fine Food sector, where I have worked across a number of International markets and with a wide range of different categories. I’m passionate about quality British produce and I love the opportunity to showcase and build the awareness of our great range of products to a wider international audience.
I’m responsible for the development of the US market for both the Coombe Castle range and our partner brands, working with a network of distributors and retailers in the market to build and develop the brand’s presence and sales. Contact me directly on: mhodgetts@coombecastle.com
Catherine Newble
Specification Supervisor
Catherine Newble
Specification Supervisor
I have over 16 years’ experience in the food industry with a background in technical. I have worked for Coombe Castle since 2015, beginning in their QA team. My focus is now on project management and liaising with our suppliers and clients to ensure that exported products are compliant with the label regulations for their destination. I predominantly handle labelling for the EU and MENA territories, USA, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and other developing countries.
Manjit Attwal
Quality Manager
Manjit Attwal
Quality Manager
Quality Manager with 15 years of experience working in food technical and NPD. I am responsible for the food safety and quality management system at Coombe Castle.
Vinod Lasrado
Export Coordinator
Vinod Lasrado
Export Coordinator
A logistics professional with over 21 years of international experience. At Coombe Castle International I am responsible for exports and documentation whether by AIR ,SEA or LAND. Logistics management is essential to mitigate risks. This entails accuracy, problem-solving, timely order fulfillment and customer satisfaction. We at Coombe Castle have it covered, through years of experience in freight forwarding and working with trusted forwarders, shipping lines, airlines and hauliers.
Gail Pullin
Accountant
Gail Pullin
Accountant
Accountant with 33 years’ experience in finance. Initially I started work in a Chartered Accountants, then moved into industry. Joined Coombe Castle in 2010 and my role includes processing all accounting information, preparing management accounts and the preparation of government documents and reports required by the business. The business has grown significantly since joining so never a dull moment in the department.
Paulina Nowak-Aspinall
Client Services Administrator
Paulina Nowak-Aspinall
Client Services Administrator
Before joining Coombe Castle in 2019 I had a variety of roles including learning support assistant in a special needs school, customer services in the tyre industry and recruitment. Since joining Coombe Castle, I provide excellent customer service, order processing and support for customers in the UK, Ireland, Far East and Australasia.
Lucy Lyons
Client Services Manager
Lucy Lyons
Client Services Manager
Previously I have worked in tyre manufacturing and medical supplies industries before joining Coombe Castle in June 2019. I have worked in purchasing, planning, customer service and admin roles. My main responsibilities are export order processing and documentation, business development and administration for U.S. customers
Julia Betteridge
Client Services Administrator
Julia Betteridge
Client Services Administrator
I have over 20 years’ experience in customer service and since joining Coombe Castle my main responsibilities have been export order processing, documentation, business development and administration for customers in EU and Middle East. Since early 2022 I am also responsible for the administration and documentation for our sister company Coombe Castle BV, Netherlands where we facilitate orders for our EU customers post Brexit.
