Craig has worked at McGhee’s Bakery on and off for 27 years. The 43-year-old sales manager from Maryhill began his career as a teenager working on the vans and now oversees the busy distribution network that keeps the bakery’s products moving across Scotland.

Craig first joined the business in 1998 after a neighbour who worked at the bakery suggested he apply.

“She spoke to Ross Hamilton, who was sales manager at the time, and he got me in for an interview,” Craig recalls. “I started out as a van boy, out on the vans delivering.”

After spending time working elsewhere, including a management role at Waitrose and running his own removals business, Craig eventually returned to McGhee’s around eight years ago when the company needed extra help.

“They phoned me up and asked if I could help out covering vans,” he says. “I came back as a spare driver doing holiday cover, then I was asked to become a trainee sales manager.”

When long-serving sales manager Ross Hamilton retired, Craig stepped into the role himself.

“I took over from Ross two years ago,” he says. “We’re good friends so I still tell him about it.”

Today, Craig’s job centres around coordinating the logistics that get McGhee’s products from the bakery to customers across the country each morning.

“We’ve got van sales that go out delivering to newsagents, small convenience stores, hospitals and places like that,” he explains. “Then we’ve got pallet distribution that goes into the big supermarket depots.”

Keeping everything running smoothly can be hectic.

“It’s organised chaos,” he says. “But that’s probably what I enjoy most about it. The day goes really, really quick.”

Having been around the business for nearly three decades, Craig has seen the bakery grow dramatically.

“When I first started as a van boy, I remember taking maybe 20 dozen crispy rolls out on the van,” he says. “Now that’s one of the biggest selling products we have. Each day we’re sending out maybe 250 to 300 dozen on the vans.”

For Craig, being part of a bakery approaching its 90th year carries a strong sense of loyalty.

“I think when you’ve been somewhere for that long, it shows loyalty to the business and you want to see it keep growing,” he says. “It’s grown massively since I started.”

Like many long-serving employees, Craig’s career path reflects the opportunities available within the business.

“If someone was thinking about getting a job at McGhee’s, I’d say grab it with both hands,” he says. “If you want to make a career out of it, you can. I’m an example of that, going from van boy all those years ago to sales manager now.”

Outside work, Craig spends most of his time with his wife Clair and their four daughters, Jodie, Cara, Ava and five-year-old Isla.

“The youngest keeps me on my toes,” he laughs. “We’re always doing the usual family stuff – swimming, cinema trips, soft play.”

After nearly three decades with the company, Craig says the pace and people are what keep him coming back.

“You’re well looked after here,” he says. “And no two days are the same.”

People of McGhee’s is a series celebrating the people behind Scotland’s local baker as the business enters its 90th year.