Being a competitive Otago Women's Rugby player and certified Sports and Management Coach has been a definite advantage for PURE NZ Ice Cream Maker, Rachel Scott-Wilson. Those who know the ice cream business will have an insight into how physical the job can be. Whether it's handling an 18 Kg pale of ice cream mix or loading pallets into the frozen distribution truck, Rachel brings it like a pro all day every day. She also leads the team like she does on the sports field - with success and a focus on the group front of mind!
Rachel has a Bachelor Degree in Consumer Food Science, with experience in the food and beverage industry as far afield as Melbourne and as locally as Central Otago. Her skills in Research and Analysis and Food Quality and Safety Management make her an incredibly valuable asset for us at PURE.
"I really like hand-filling the ice creams into our transparent 1 litre tubs. I see it as a kind of art-form, showcasing the ingredients for the consumer - like folding in the delicious swirls of blackcurrant or mango into the contrasting creamy white coconut base. I can do 200-300 tubs and never really notice the time pass because I'm so focussed on each tub. I also love the fact that we make everything from scratch, with no fillers or flavours - that's pretty cool!"
Rachel recently married her husband, Henry, and they are expecting their first baby in the spring. We'll miss her whilst she's away on her maternity leave which starts later this month, and we'll be happy to welcome her back in the summer. If we're really lucky, we may see bubba on the odd day too...