Latest news with #RobertGraham
The Courier
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
How dairy boss Robert Graham grew Stirling business from 7 milk vans to £155m turnover
The title of managing director doesn't sit comfortably with Stirlingshire dairy boss Robert Graham. The 54-year-old heads up his multi-million-pound third-generation family firm but he refuses to see himself as 'corporate'. 'We are a family business that started with my grandfather milking cows by hand. That is what we are all about,' Robert is keen to stress. 'I hate titles like managing director and CEO, I grew up driving tractors in my school holidays.' Graham's the Family Dairy, based in Bridge of Allan, is now Scotland's largest independent dairy, shipping products around the world. Last year, its turnover was more than £155 million – with dozens of products from butter and cottage cheese to kefir and protein ice cream. However, it began as a herd of just 12 Friesian cows in 1939. In 1947 – after producing milk to feed the troops during WW2 – Robert's grandfather, Robert Graham, bought his first delivery van. His father, also Robert Graham, was instrumental in expanding production and by the 1960s, R. Graham & Son was supplying homes and shops in the Stirling area with pasteurised milk. Born in 1970, Robert Jnr enjoyed a 'wonderful childhood' on Airthrey Kerse Farm. 'I have very fond memories of being a kid. I grew up feeling happy and safe,' he said. 'My dad worked very hard and was out of the house before dawn but we always had dinner together at 5pm – me, my older sister Carol, mum and dad. 'In the winter we would help with lambing and in the summer we would help with the hay. 'I loved driving the tractor in my teens, listening to Depeche Mode and Madonna on my Walkman. Life was simpler then.' He continued: 'I was fairly privileged, yes, but also pretty normal. 'My friends and I were always out cycling to the local ice cream shop and played tennis, hockey and football.' Robert went to Beaconhurst independent school in Bridge of Allan for his primary education, before attending Morrison's Academy in Crieff. He excelled in history and mathematics at school but was less fond of English, he recalls. While he had a close group of friends, he admits he 'wasn't as popular as Ewan McGregor' in the year below, who was 'too cool for me'. On finishing school, Robert secured a place at Heriot Watt University to study accountancy and finance. He had initially planned to move to London after graduating to join an investment firm in the City, but found himself longing to come home. He said: 'There had been no plan in place for me to join the family business at that point. 'It was certainly a shock for my parents when I came back the summer after university and asked my dad to get involved. 'I had ideas about things that could be done to move the business forward and wanted to give my energy to our company. 'There were also some Halcyon memories of Bridge of Allan, I think.' Robert recalls 'butting heads' with his father at first – and struggled with the 4am starts. But his ideas started to bear fruit and the dairy began expanding. He continued: 'When I came on board, properly, we had about seven vans and only delivered in Stirling. 'I remember writing a list of things we should do on a piece of paper. 'My dad thought it was ridiculous at the time… but we have now done all of the things on that list from more than 30 years ago. 'We both wanted the business to grow and after butting heads at first we started to work really well together. 'When we first made it to £1m turnover we thought that was amazing and then quite quickly we were at £2.5m.' In the 1990s, Graham's expanded its delivery area beyond Stirling to Falkirk, then Perth and Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Robert Jnr became managing director in 1996 and in 1999 the business won its first supermarket contract. In 2005, now a household name, Graham's the Family Dairy reported a £22m turnover and started to sell more than just milk. 'It was then we really started to upscale,' Robert recalls. 'We expanded into butter and Jersey milk and then, in 2010, we started making yoghurt. 'Looking back, I am very proud of everything the team achieved to build the business.' In recent years, thanks in part to a 'dairy renaissance' – as Robert calls it – sales have rocketed for Graham's. Growing numbers of consumers have turned their back on processed oat and nut milks in favour of high-protein, natural foods. The volume of Graham's cottage cheese sold has increased by an astonishing 80% year-on-year – the equivalent of two million extra kilograms of cottage cheese. The Stirlingshire firm, which has its own prize Jersey herd at Mains of Boquhan near Kippen, now works with 90 milk producers across the country. 'Remarkably, our protein pouches are now bigger than our conventional milk business – and milk is what our whole business was built on. '10 years ago, butter our second biggest line but now, despite still selling well, it's no longer one of our top eight products. 'We are fortunate to be in product categories that are going through explosive growth just now. 'Fats are no longer demonised and people are looking for high-quality, high-protein natural foods. 'The story and provenance of our brand is also very important to our customers.' Despite growing revenue, Graham's the Family Dairy has not been immune to energy price and national insurance hikes. 2023 saw it suffer its first operating loss of £200,000 but last year it was back in £4.5m profit. Robert is confident that 2025 will see a further increase but admits 'it has been very tough'. Fewer than 50% of Graham's sales are now Scottish. The vast majority of the remaining sales come from south of the border but the products are also popular in Ireland. In recent years, Graham's now exports to a number of Arab nations and Caribbean islands. Growing the brand internationally is something Robert hopes to continue, but he is also keen to make the most of the time he isn't at work. The father-of-three says he has always tried to do as much as he can for his children – teenagers Holly and Douglas and seven-year-old Charlie. Being able to attend each of Holly's school hockey matches is something he is immensely proud of, and he provides 'dad's taxi service' whenever he is called upon. A keen hill runner, who regularly climbs nearby Dumyat at speed, he is also determined to keep his fitness up. 'One of the perks of having a family business should be that you are able to make time for your own family,' Robert reflects. 'I live a few minutes from the farm and am across most things but I also work with a great team of people – including my 84-year-old dad and my sister Carol – who I trust to get things done.'
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Scotsman
17-05-2025
- General
- Scotsman
New owner of Scottish island and his plan to help save Scotland's seabirds
Càrn Deas in the Summer Isles has a new owner with a grand plan. Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A businessman who fulfilled a 'lifelong dream' by buying a Scottish island wants to set up a centre on its shores to help save Scotland's seabirds. Robert Graham, of Moffat in the Borders, now owns Càrn Deas in the Summer Isles, which spans just 22 acres. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Graham, who is understood to have headed up an IT company, has applied to Highland Council to create a bird observatory and education centre on the island far from the 'constantly connected world'. It would be home to his new charity, the Summer Isles Organisation for Avian Restoration. However he is facing opposition to the plans from NatureScot, which is concerned about the potential impact on storm petrels. Mr Graham, in an earlier report to planners, spoke of his love of nature forged in childhood and the role Càrn Deas will play in helping children and adults make similar connections with the natural world. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said: 'It is extremely difficult in today's constantly connected world that we live in, to get a sense of separation to build a relationship with our natural environment. 'In many cases the relationship an individual has with the natural environment is borne from childhood experiences, leading to an interest and a need to regain those nostalgic feelings of excitement and wonder with the natural world around us. 'As we have progressed into a more technology connected environment,the opportunity to establish that connection has become more difficult to achieve. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'In many cases the default position of a child or young adult is in front of a device unaware of the environment in their immediate vicinity. 'The purpose of the Càrn Deas Trust will be to offer that opportunity for children and adults alike to establish a connection with nature that will hopefully accompany them throughout their life, as it has myself.' It is proposed that the centre becomes a hub for seabird habitat preservation and restoration which can be accessed by local people, visitors and academics. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Summer Isles is home to a number of fragile species of seabirds, including the Storm Petrel which breeds on neighbouring Priest Isle. A 79 per cent loss in numbers of the species nationwide was reported by RSPB Scotland last year amid a 'devastating decline' in seabird populations overall. Mr Graham said he will use community engagement, scientific research and conservation efforts to 'ensure a thriving future for avian species and the ecosystems that depend on them'. Storm Petrels are one of the seabird species which breed in the Summer Isles. | CC/Crossley ID Guide to British Birds/Richard Crossley Key aims of the SIOAR include habitat restoration to improve and protect critical nesting and feeding sites for marine birds. Invasive species will be controlled and removed, where possible, with native vegetation planted to support bird populations, which will be monitored at the observatory. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Information will be gathered on population trends, migration patterns and environmental threats, with data used to support populations of threatened marine birds and the development of new policy. Mr Graham has been in talks with NatureScot over his plans. This week, the government agency objected to his proposals given the impact the development of the observatory and education centre could have on the population of Storm Petrels on Priest Island, a Special Protected Area (SPA ) for the species. Storm Petrels also breed on Càrn Deas and the populations on both islands are likely to be connected. A letter from NatureScot to planners said: 'The proposed development has connectivity with an SPA of international importance for European Storm Petrel. 'The proposal could affect internationally important natural heritage interests and we therefore object to this proposal.'
Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Daily Record
Trio of thugs caged for hit-and-run murder bid in Paisley
Robert Graham was hit by the car on Springbank Road on April 21, 2022, as he crossed the street, writes Grant McCabe. Three men guilty of a horror hit-and-run murder bid have been jailed for a total of more than 30 years. Robert Graham was mowed down by a silver Toyota Yaris as he crossed the street in Springbank Road, Shortroods, Paisley, on April 21, 2022. The then 37-year-old was targeted following an earlier dispute over drugs. Stuart Lindsay, 31, David Sherry, 36, and Daniel Millan, 27, were convicted of attempted murder in March. The trio returned to the High Court in Glasgow to be sentenced by judge Lord Mulholland. Lindsay and Sherry were each jailed for 12 years while Millan was locked up for 10-and-a-half years. Prosecutors said the trio and two others had all acted together as part of a 'coordinated plan to inflict violence' on Graham that evening. Jurors heard how the Yaris and an Audi driven by Lindsay had gone to Paisley in convoy. Graham was said to have been effectively lured to the scene. He was seen speaking to the driver of the Audi moments before the attack. It was then the Yaris 'came out of nowhere' and ploughed into the man as he crossed the road. In his closing speech, prosecutor Michael Macintosh told jurors: 'Robert Graham was sent up into the air. 'The Audi drove off so quickly that [a witness] thought it was that car which hit him. The Audi had drove off before Robert Graham had even hit the ground but it was the Yaris that struck him.' The Yaris was then wiped and torched at Airlink Industrial Estate in Paisley. Sherry had been clocked getting out the motor before it was set on fire clutching a weapon. The five-strong gang all then fled from the area in the Audi. Lindsay was a friend of another of the mob, John Wallace, who has since died. He claimed Wallace had got him involved on 'false pretences'. Mr Macintosh suggested that if Lindsay had no idea what was to happen that day then he may, at least, have stopped to check on Graham or call for help. The advocate depute: 'Instead, Robert Graham had not even touched the ground and Mr Lindsay had sped off.' Sherry admitted being a passenger in the Yaris but claimed he was only aware of any collision when it actually happened. Mr Macintosh put to the jury that Sherry would have them believe he had been 'in a panic, desperate to get out the situation that he was in'. Graham was left badly hurt following the hit-and-run but survived the ordeal. Lindsay and Sherry were found guilty of the charge after a trial. Millan had earlier pleaded guilty before the case began. Lord Mulholland earlier told the three: 'You have been convicted of a horrific attempted murder – a car driven at someone to try and kill him all because of a drug deal gone wrong.'
Condé Nast Traveler
08-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Condé Nast Traveler
Aman New York Spa — Spa Review
Why go? Open the dictionary, look up the entry for 'urban sanctuary,' and you'll find the Aman New York Spa right next to it. This sumptuous space is a pocket of very necessary respite in the concrete jungle of Manhattan, and a perfect daycation for locals. Set the scene Perched nine floors above the fray at 57th Street and Fifth Avenue, overlooking the tourists looking for St. Patrick's Cathedral and snapping selfies with the Louis Vuitton flagship, the Aman New York Spa is almost literally on another plane of existence. I ducked into the Aman's entrance on 57th Street on a gloomy Saturday morning, gave my name to the front desk, and was whisked away to a piece of paradise quietly hidden in the Crown Building's upper levels. The vibe, in sum: A wealth that whispers without aspirated H's. A few elevator transfers later (some reserved for the Aman residences, others for the hotel and spa-gym-pool) and I arrived at the spa's reception area, which flows into the boutique, boasting bags and cashmere throws that would give Hermès a run for its money. In turn, the shop flows into the lounge area where clients are welcomed with a cold towel and a cup of tea, where I filled out my medical intake form on an iPad. The whole place gave off a feeling of meticulous wellness. At this spa, one is—or aspires to become—the most elegant, streamlined, no-breath-is-wasted version of themself. The backstory The Aman New York Spa is part of, naturally, the Aman New York, the legendary hotelier's second city hotel—after the Tokyo outpost—and the first urban property in the United States. (It's also the launch site for the new, members-only Aman Club, as well as the brand's first batch of urban residences.) Aman's understated, heavily Japanese-influenced minimalism shapes the spa's look: clean design, natural materials like wood and stone, soft lighting everywhere—not a harsh overhead fluorescent to be found. The wellness concept This being an Aman, the spa's wellness offering is a fusion of Eastern and Western modalities: You can opt for a quick lift with an IV treatment, or adhere to more traditional forms of healing, like acupuncture. There are also a number of medical experts on hand, including the Harvard-trained physician Dr. Robert Graham, to assess guests' needs and create short- or long-term programs for them. More recently, the Aman Spa (that is, the spas at various Aman hotels all over the world) has been rolling out wellness programs inspired by its Global Wellness Ambassadors, the tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova. For example, the just-unveiled three-day Detoxification Programme, curated by Djokovic, includes the Signature Aman treatment (a two-hour scrub-massage), a physical activity tailored to the client, and a treatment inspired by the Aman locations, e.g. at Amanbagh in India, an Ayurvedic therapy experience rooted in the heritage of Rajasthan. The standout treatment Rather than a standout treatment, the Aman New York Spa has a standout offering: the two Spa Houses—one centered around a marble-clad hammam; the other, an Eastern European banya (wooden sauna)—where you can spend the day rotating between various therapies in the adjoining double treatment room, followed by dips in hot and cold outdoor plunge pools on your very own private terrace. During my visit, I had the hammam Spa House to myself. I was struck by how well-appointed the space was: On top of the hammam, the treatment room, and outdoor terrace with plunge pools and sitting areas, there was a full bathroom with shower, a dressing area with a closet, and a queen-sized bed. (The TV, in my opinion, is unnecessary. No screens in the spa!) The whole thing was essentially a bonus hotel room of sorts that makes it an incredible option for a staycation—or daycation, as it were—perfect for couples or friend groups. It'd make for the classiest bachelor/ette party ever. The therapists I had a bespoke facial treatment, tailored for me by a thoughtful therapist named Joanna. She examined my face and talked me through her recommendations and the steps of the facial: hydration, extractions, cleansing, and exfoliations. The 60 minutes may have gone in that order or otherwise; I can't remember because I was lulled into utter relaxation, especially by the light neck and shoulder massage that came with the facial. Additionally, two spa attendants named Eddie and Rishma were wonderful. The former took care of me during my very first cryotherapy treatment (three minutes in a sub-zero chamber where—clad only in shorts, mittens, gloves, and socks—I danced to Lady Gaga's 'Abracadabra,' blasting through Bose headphones), and the latter showed me around the Spa House. The service was, as to be expected, Aman-worthy: attentive, well-informed, easeful expertise. Additional offerings The indoor pool is one of the best in Manhattan: 65-feet long and surrounded by fireplaces and poolside chaises. The fitness center is filled with light and latest-generation TechnoGym machines, plus an array of massage guns, infrared body rolls, and a hydrogenated water station for recovery. As far as aesthetic revitalization goes, a John Barrett Salon (a luxury mainstay in New York) is part of the wellness area and offers hairstyling, cut and color treatments, and nail services. On a Saturday morning in New York, no one was around in any of the spaces but me and a few others, presumably guests of the hotel. Membership to the Aman Club earns you access to the facilities, and given the exclusivity, that annual fee may well be worth it. The space The spa's aesthetic vibe is Aman all the way down, giving off a moody peacefulness—Japanese minimalism at its finest with a dash of New York quiet-luxury thrown in. The spa's reception, boutique, and lounge areas are museum-like, carefully curated yet inviting, thanks to the warm textures of the carpets, throws, and upholstered furniture. The locker rooms are large, with always-available attendants and well stocked vanities: Marvis toothpaste and Dyson hair dryers. If you don't book the Spa House, the shared dry sauna and steam rooms are accessible via the changing areas. Given that this is a hotel spa, it's directly accessible from the guest rooms; they share an elevator bank and you can easily make a beeline for your room or your treatment in just a bathrobe. The treatment rooms are plush and not at all clinical, almost residential in feel; it's as if you have a massage therapist over in your own home—where you have a spa wing, naturally. Accessibility Navigating the spa's three levels is a step-free breeze, thanks to the elevators. (Though you are of course welcome to take the stairs for some extra cardio.)
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘Make a plan': Officials say to prep for hurricane season
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management wants people to prepare for the Atlantic hurricane season, which starts June 1. What's at stake when dam floodgates open during massive rainstorms Emergency management prioritizes public communication by sending alerts and responding quickly. However, preparedness starts at home, officials said. 'Make a plan,' said Division Chief Robert Graham, Charlotte Fire Department. 'Get prepared. Start to put supplies aside and think about what you would need for the first 72 hours without power, without the ability to go to the store. And you want to make sure your family knows what the plan is if you lose communications.' Emergency Management and Stormwater Services agree that the best way to prevent damage is to get homes and people out of harm's way. Mecklenburg County had 170 homes damaged during Hurricane Helene last September. In the wake of Helene, the county bought 17 flooded properties on Riverside Drive and is negotiating with several more homeowners for future buyouts or retrofits. VIDEO: Meck Mile returns with 'run for relief' to help Helene survivors
