David & Beverley Atkinson since purchasing Jane Brook in 1972 have been taking the business from strength to strength over the years.  Their plans are to take a small step back and embark on some well-deserved travels, although their ongoing involvement in the business is guaranteed.  Their plan is to offer their wisdom and support to Jane Brook`s General Manager, Elizabeth (Liz) Shakespeare (Atkinson) ....... Liz is a graduate of Curtin University with a Business degree in Management & Marketing and her input into Jane Brook is much appreciated by her parents David & Bev. However, being the bosses` daughter means that she has more responsibility and a greater work load, something she handles with great enthusiasm. She has worked in Japan, and with a computer design company in Australia, where she was responsible for marketing and development of the company website.  Liz has completed a vintage at Jane Brook, doing everthing required of a new cellar hand, and has also completed the advanced certificate of Wine Appreciation from the Wine Education Centre of WA.

 

We have been lucky enough to secure the services of full-time Viticulturist/Vineyard Manager John Standish who will oversee the Margaret River and Swan Valley vineyards and give some advice to our contract growers.  John was born in the Marlborough region of New Zealand and has spent 12 years in the Army in NZ and was a military observer for the UN in Yugoslavia.  He started his Distance Education degree in 2000 at Charles Sturt University and lives with his wife and two young children in the South West.

 

Mark Baird has been appointed Winemaker at Jane Brook.  Mark joined us to help out during vintage 2008 and we were so impressed with his winemaking knowledge that we gave him the job.  He started his career in 1999 having worked with several well known wineries in Western Australia and has had the good fortune to go on wine education tours to Portugal, Spain, Chile and New Zealand. When he`s not making wine, Mark enjoys going to the beach, sports, travel and, of course, good wine and food!  Damian Wainohu is our Assistant Winemaker and comes with plenty of experience gained in his native New Zealand.

 

Janis Johnston has stepped up into the role of PR Manager.  Janis has been working in the Cellar Door for the past 6 years and with her high standard of customer service and excellent communication skills, she will be handling all the PR and marketing of Jane Brook wines.  Janis is looking for a challenging role and with our plans for Jane Brook down the track, we are sure she will be extremely busy.

 

Ryan Mills is now Cellar Door Manager at Jane Brook.  Many of you will have met Ryan during Spring in the Valley and will have vivid memories of his enthusiastic and upbeat personality.  He has been on a trip around Australia for a year and has fined-tuned his hospitaility skills and wine knowledge and we are delighted to have him on our team.  Come on in and meet Ryan and try one of his wine tastings - it will leave a lasting impression.

 
Froy Leano is our Warehouse Controller - he ensures that everything runs smoothly in our warehouse and is also responsible for making sure that your wine orders are packed effectively and efficiently and get to you on time.  A major part of Froy's role at Jane Brook is to operate our fully-imported European machine called a "Roto Jolly" which ensures that the quality of our sparkling wines is maintained.  He also oversees the operation of our brand new labelling machine. 

There are approximately 15-20 part time staff employed at Jane Brook who perform a variety of tasks ..... cellar door wine tasting, wine sales and also n the restaurant.  Also employed on a part time basis are staff specialising in the areas of vineyard maintenance, packaging and labeling. The Jane Brook philosophy is to involve all staff in every facet of production so that they have an intimate knowledge of Jane Brook wines from grape to bottle.