How Ian Hutton made a fortune grating cheese

Adding value to cheese was the secret to Ian Hutton's success. But as the Yorkshireman was to find out, it was no easy task convincing the banks.

If anyone was going to work out how to add value to humble cheese, it was Ian Hutton. His father regularly took him into the dairy where he worked and, as a teenager, he worked there himself part-time. When he left school he knew exactly what his first job would be: "At that time in Yorkshire you had a choice of working in the quarry, becoming a farmer or joining a dairy". Hutton signed up for the Associated Dairies' training scheme.

The job was the start of a decade-long masterclass in the cheese industry. Hutton learned about making, selling and marketing cheese. He even had a stint as a dairy broker. By 1990, Hutton was convinced he had spotted an opportunity.

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James McKeigue

James graduated from Keele University with a BA (Hons) in English literature and history, and has a certificate in journalism from the NCTJ. James has worked as a freelance journalist in various Latin American countries.He also had a spell at ITV, as welll as wring for Television Business International and covering the European equity markets for the Forbes.com London bureau. James has travelled extensively in emerging markets, reporting for international energy magazines such as Oil and Gas Investor, and institutional publications such as the Commonwealth Business Environment Report. He is currently the managing editor of LatAm INVESTOR, the UK's only Latin American finance magazine.