Forty years on the milk float – a chat with Jon Ryan
At Creamline, we’ve been serving our community for 80 years. We’re proud of our deep roots in the North West, and the fact that we’re able to carry on this proud tradition of convenient doorstep milk delivery. We recently sat down with one of our longest-standing team members, Jon Ryan, who has been working at Creamline for over 40 years!
In our chat, Jon speaks about how he became a milkman, the community here in Manchester, and why keeping the tradition of milk deliveries alive is so important.
When did you start working in the dairy industry?
I started off working as a “nipper”, going around on the milk float as a child and collecting the empty bottles. I did that for about six or seven years, then when I left school, there weren’t a lot of jobs about. Because I knew the manager of what was then Lancashire Dairies (before we became Creamline), I asked if there were any vacancies, and they put me on a round. The intention initially was to perhaps, you know, do it for a couple of years or whatever and then move on. I just sort of loved it and never moved on.
Why was it you liked the job so much?
As much as the routes and milk are owned by the company, obviously, when you’re out there, it’s your round, it’s you doing the job, isn’t it? It’s what you do that makes the difference. I think working outdoors and being able to basically look after people are the main reasons I enjoyed it so much. It’s one of those jobs that fits in with my lifestyle. I’ve been very lucky in that sense.
What’s your relationship with the customers like?
I knew basically everyone I was delivering to, especially when I was starting out. Everyone you went to, you were having a little chat with them and making sure everything was alright with them. You know, there are people from the past that I still know and still talk to. They’re a lot older now and so am I but there are people I’ve become friends with, really.
Have you ever gone the extra mile to help a customer?
Oh yeah, there was one time about six or seven years ago, where I went to a house and there seemed to be no one about, but they’d left their car door open. I shut it very carefully for them in case anyone tried to break in, and later rang the customer to explain what I saw and check if they knew if it was open. They said, “We were in a big rush because it was raining, we got the kids in the house and forgot to go out again and close it.” After thanking me on the phone, I came back on my round the next day, and they’d left a little present for me to say thank you!
Why do you think that milkmen are still important? And why should someone choose Creamline for their milk delivery?
I think there’s a lot of people that rely on milk delivery because it’s easy, isn’t it? They can rely on us to turn up, and they know it’s going to be on their doorstep. They can literally stick a standing order in, and we’ll be there for them. They can also change their orders easily up until 9pm the night before and choose any extras if they’re running out of stuff. I mean, the range of stuff we sell now is a lot bigger than when I started. We have such a variety that people can use us instead of going to the shops.
I know a lot of the staff that I work with care about what they do, and therefore the service that we give makes that massive difference to the people we serve, because that reliability is there.
What’s one thing you wish people knew about milk roundspeople?
I think my wife expects that, even though I’ve been up since 10 o’clock at night, I can still stay up all day and walk the dogs when I’m back from work! Other than that, I think more people need to be educated that we’re still there, and willing to deliver to their houses. I think people just need to try it again rather than going to the supermarkets.
Want a roundsperson like Jon to drop off some traditional glass bottles, and a whole lot more, to your door? Check out our range.
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