Meet the Team - Luke Leach
Posted on Sunday, 4 August 2024
Meet Luke Leach
Knife Trainer at ANZCO Foods Marlborough
Luke Leach is the knife trainer at ANZCO Foods Marlborough, showing employees how to sharpen their knives by using a setter and giving them guidance on avoiding injury. Across his 14 seasons with ANZCO Foods, he's worked his way up from cleaning floors to become a senior trimmer, which involves tidying up the cuts of meat and making them look good for market.
Luke is ANZCO Foods Marlborough's D&I ambassador which means he helps share ideas and information to keep ANZCO Foods an engaging place to work. He's been pleasantly surprised at how much the culture has developed and grown since he's started, meaning the environment is more positive and people are less stressed when they come to work.
Outside of work Luke is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor, starting MMA in 2010 - the same year he started at ANZCO Foods. He says it's a great way to unwind after a busy day - his wife and child live in Sydney (his wife is a professional fighter so she lives there to train) so he uses his time after work to train himself and help others develop their skills. He's an advocate for having outlets like these to help with mental health and wellbeing.
But Luke's other claim to fame is that he's a musician. His whole family has always been musical, and he grew up with his family playing instruments and singing. His brother, who is also a musician but put his dreams on hold when he had his child, encouraged Luke to buy some equipment and start recording. Luke now has around 40 songs on Spotify, and also plays at local community events - notably Bary Neal's HopeWalk events.
Fun facts
- What's your favourite joke?
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Be-CAWS! (said like a chicken squawking!) - M&Ms or Skittles?
Skittles - Favourite flavour of ice cream?
Chocolate - Marmite or Vegemite?
Marmite - anything NZ made! - If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Rome - Favourite book?
Anything self-help related