Support for Ukraine
Support for Ukraine
Glanbia Ireland pledges €50,000 donation package to people of Ukraine
With a humanitarian crisis unfolding before our eyes in Ukraine, many innocent peoples’ lives are being lost as families are forced to flee from their homes.
Glanbia Ireland is showing its support for the people of Ukraine by joining the international effort to assist the humanitarian work already underway.
We have pledged a donation package of €50,000 to help those displaced. This will include direct monetary aid of over €30,000 and an initiative to provide 250,000 nutritional, milk powder-based meal kits using over 5 tonnes of milk powder from Glanbia farmers to Ukrainian refugees fleeing into Poland.
Our monetary donation will go directly to UNICEF and its team on the ground, who are already at work to help the millions of displaced children and their families as they search for safety.
It’s all part of a number of company and community-driven initiatives which sees Glanbia Ireland, its employees and farm family suppliers creating the donation package which will be distributed with the help of UNICEF to those most in need in the region.
Production of the humanitarian cargo is taking place at the Epicom/Complex Nutrition plant in Navan and is expected to be ready for transport next week.
Such is the demand for the ready to use meal kits that the Ukrainian Embassy is to fly part of the donation directly to Poland as soon as it clears the three-day quality approval testing phase. The remainder will be shipped by other volunteer companies who are covering all of the transport and logistics costs involved.
Complex Nutrition has been a Glanbia Ireland third party manufacturer over several years and they joined together with GI’s Head of Third-Party Sourcing, Martin Tynan (pictured), to make this shipment happen.
Martin said: “Everyone feels so helpless, so we were delighted to get the call from Complex Nutrition looking for support. Everyone involved here can feel that they have done something very useful, very worthwhile. We’ve all been stuck to the news and every single farm family supplier, employee and more has played a part in this and should feel proud.”
You can help too!
In addition to our corporate donation to UNICEF, GI has opened a fundraising page ‘Glanbia Ireland Showing Support for Ukraine’ on IDonate where our employees and our farmer families can make a contribution towards the large-scale humanitarian efforts on the ground as millions of people are forced to leave their homes. If you, your friends or family would like to make a contribution to the effort please click here and feel free to share this link or the QR code below far and wide.
Taking action on sustainability
Pictured on the Glanbia Ireland/Teagasc Signpost Living Proof Future Farm of Steven Fitzgerald, Aglish, Cappoquin, Waterford were (l to r) Glanbia Co-op Chairman John Murphy; Future Farmer Steven Fitzgerald; Thomas Ryan, Glanbia Ireland Senior Farm Sustainability Manager; with Steven’s children Ólan (2), Donagh (4) and Aodhán (5). Photo: Patrick Browne
Taking action on sustainability
Glanbia Ireland has launched an €18m annual Sustainability Action Payment for family farms
Glanbia Ireland has launched an €18 million annual Sustainability Action Payment as part of a three-year programme to assist our 5,000 milk suppliers as they continue to enhance the environmental and economic sustainability of their family farms.
Glanbia Ireland operates a world-class food supply chain with a strong focus on quality and sustainability. The programme is designed to assist dairy suppliers in reducing their carbon footprint, enhancing water quality and biodiversity and improving air quality and soil health in line with Glanbia Ireland’s sustainability strategy, Living Proof.
As part of this initiative, dairy suppliers will receive 0.5 cent per litre (cpl) (including VAT) through delivering specific sustainability actions. This will equate to almost €3,000 in 2022 for the average supplier. Across the lifetime of this three-year programme, over €54 million in total will be made available to family farms as they continue to adopt a range of actions.
The measures are closely aligned with the climate action measures identified in Teagasc’s emissions reduction Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) climate plan.
Glanbia Co-op Chairman John Murphy said: “Irish farmers are renowned for producing high quality dairy products with world leading natural credentials. Our farmers are proud of their family farms and want to protect them for the next generation.
“We all have a role to play in climate action, water and biodiversity protection and air quality enhancement. It is important that our family farms are assisted as they continue to enhance the environmental and economic sustainability of their farms.
“This initiative is designed to reward suppliers for adopting a series of measures identified as key to delivering on our comprehensive sustainability strategy, Living Proof. As part of this initiative, there is a strong framework of measures for farmers to implement with verifiable proof-points.”
As part of Living Proof, Glanbia Ireland, along with our family farms, has pledged to deliver a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with each litre of milk produced by 2030 and has signed up to the internationally-recognised Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). All of Glanbia Ireland’s dairy suppliers are accredited to the Bord Bia Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS).
Key Measures
The Sustainability Action Payment will be made to all suppliers that deliver any seven sustainability actions from a total of 16 options.
The initiative will run from January 2022 for a three-year period. Delivery of the actions will be verified by a combination of Glanbia Ireland records and through the Bord Bia SDAS programme.
For 2022, the first year of the programme, all suppliers will receive the payment in full. To qualify for the 2023 payment suppliers need to begin implementing their on-farm sustainability actions in 2022.
Chewing the cud with… Orlagh Lally
Chewing the cud with… Orlagh Lally
Each month, we put the spotlight on a Glanbia Ireland employee and for our March newsletter, we spoke to Orlagh Lally, GI Branch Assistant
Orlagh works part-time as a Branch Assistant out of our Athboy branch, juggling her role with her studies in DCU as well as training and playing with the Meath Senior Ladies Football Team.
Orlagh joined the Glanbia Ireland team in May 2021, not long after she discovered her interest in all things agriculture. That passion grew from previous part-time work when she began milking cows for a local dairy farmer. Her mother came from a farming background, so it’s likely that the interest in farming was always there, but had been untapped.
In her busy and varied role as a Branch Assistant, Orlagh does the lion’s share of her work behind the counter on sales. She revels in the customer interactions and has gained a lot of knowledge around different products the branch offers. This knowledge has allowed her to really improve in her customer service role and she routinely recommends the best products for customers.
Orlagh balances a busy schedule. Alongside her work at Glanbia, she studies Nursing at DCU. Sport is a very big part of Orlagh’s life and 2020 and 2021 were epic years for her. Her dedication and persistent hard work on the sports field earned her both intermediate and senior All Ireland medals over two consecutive years. Glanbia Ireland has been very supportive to Orlagh as she continuous her sporting career.
When Orlagh first joined Glanbia, we were in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Glanbia branches operated on a click and collect basis only. Since restrictions were eased, Orlagh has gotten to know her team very well, along with many of the Glanbia Ireland board members too.
Orlagh has been impressed by the Glanbia team spirit and described it best as “everyone working for each other”. The renowned and dedicated team player said there is a fantastic team spirit within the Glanbia workplace, which she acknowledged also feeds into the spirit she has carried over into her football career.
Growing together at GI
Growing together at GI
The Glanbia Ireland Growing Together Learning Series for 2022 offers all employees the opportunity to reach their full professional potential
Launched recently, the series has been revised for this year, with special consideration given to GI’s current and future business requirements, the cultural changes we are currently living through and our aspirations to develop an organisation with coaching, psychological safety, diversity, inclusion and sustainability at its core.
To find out more about how GI’s employees, with the help of the Growing Together Series are helping us realise these high-reaching ambitions, Overherd at Glanbia Ireland grabbed some time with the architect of the programme, Head of Talent & Development Karen O’Brien.
Overherd: Firstly Karen, congrats on the new programme. It must have taken a lot of work to get it to launch stage?
Karen: Yes, we wanted to truly understand the needs of the business and the needs of our people when considering this new programme. We spoke to people across the business to understand what capabilities they really needed to develop, both to do their job right now and to progress their careers into the future. We spent significant time co-designing the courses with our external partners to ensure they met the needs of our people and our business. So much work goes on behind the scenes to get it right and Rhona Howley, our Talent Development Manager, spent many days and weeks ensuring it’s at the quality it is today, which we are proud of.
Overherd: The Talent & Development team appears to take a very holistic view of employee development at GI. Can you explain a bit more?
Karen: It’s about the whole person, how you understand yourself, how you become your best self, how you interact with others, how you build the best relationships you can, how you inspire others and deliver your very best. We care about our entire community and want something for everyone. We want to create an environment where people flourish and if we can do this, we set our business up for success.
Overherd: We’ve seen in the programme brochure that you mention special consideration given to GI’s current and future business requirements. What exactly does this mean?
Karen: As citizens of the world, we know that change is part of our lives and we know that every organisation is undergoing significant change now and into the future. GI is fundamentally changing as we become Glanbia Co-Op and so, we need to be future focused when we are building our programme and set ourselves up with capabilities that will allow us navigate changes in the future.
Overherd: The deadline for PDP conversations with managers recently passed. It looks like there’s a lot of great programme content to help people with their development plans?
Karen: Yes there is and development plans need to be alive all year. This programme is available to help colleagues navigate the 10% formal learning of their development journey, alongside our coaching culture, opportunities for mentoring and on the job development opportunities.
Overherd: The Thrive and Lead courses started last month with more to come in March. Are there any particular courses you’re interested in attending yourself
Karen: All of them! Well, I would say that 😊. I am particularly interested in building my own resilience as we learn how to thrive in the hybrid-working world. It will be an interesting year in this respect. I am also fascinated by how we are creating an organisation where psychological safety is at our heart. We only flourish when we feel safe to be ourselves, to challenge, to give our point of view. Too many great ideas are lost when we don’t feel safe to express them. So, that will be a major focus this year. Finally, as leader of our coaching culture transformation, I am so excited about spreading the message across the business about how this can elevate us, enable us to lead better, interact better and grow together.
Thrive focuses on increasing personal effectiveness, developing people and performance and helping all our employees thrive.
THRIVE SERIES COURSES
- Personal impact and influence
- Presentation skills
- Resilience
- Prioritising & time optimisation
- Finance for non-financial roles
- Understand your customer: Building value add capability
- Problem solving
- How to: Individual development planning
- Lean Yellow, White & Green Belt Certification
This leadership development curriculum supplements group programmes, with learnings focused on becoming more effective as a leader of people.
LEAD SERIES COURSES
- Communicating with impact
- Managing stakeholders for change
- Increasing collaboration on your team
- Project management essentials
- Transforming meetings
The Keynote Series focuses on increasing personal effectiveness, developing people and performance and helping all our employees thrive.
KEYNOTE SERIES
- Data driven decision making
- Imposter Syndrome
- Understanding a coaching culture
- Psychological safety
Overherd: Finally, if anyone is interested in realising their full professional potential this year, what should they do?
Karen: Understand yourself, what are your motivations, what are you good at? Where do you need to develop? Attend our IDP training in Thrive. Really reflect on what you want. Talk to your manager, your HRBP, myself or Rhona, we are there to support you in your journey. As an organisation we want you to thrive, all you need to do is reach out and ask and for sure, you will receive all the support you need.
You can find full details on all the courses on offer by downloading our new brochure here.
‘You Are The Difference’
‘You Are The Difference’
GI has launched a major customer service programme to enhance customer experience across Agri & CountryLife branch networks
For the first time in over two years, Glanbia Ireland’s Branch Managers got together in Kilkenny and Portlaoise to take part in live masterclasses aimed at enhancing customer service and selling capabilities throughout GI’s Agri & CountryLife branch network.
There was a great sense of occasion and a celebratory mood as GI’s Head of Retail, Senan Foley welcomed attendees, reflected on and acknowledged the strong performance of the branches throughout the Covid pandemic and thanked all branch colleagues for their efforts during this period.
Senan then introduced customer service guru and creator of the highly effective ‘You Are The Difference’ programme, Alf Dunbar, to address the audience.
Alf’s masterclasses are designed to introduce a cultural shift in the way all branch colleagues interact with customers, using methods and techniques that lead to increased customer satisfaction and increased sales. The techniques have been developed on the shop floor through thousands of live customer interactions and the programme provides colleagues with the skills and confidence to enhance customer experience.
Beryl Lanigan
Finlay Weir
Kevin Hosey
Feedback from those involved was great…
Beryl Lanigan, Branch Manager Killenaule said: “The programme is based on common sense, easily relatable to the branch.” Gaultier Branch Manager Finlay Weir said: “It was a good coaching session, worthwhile and I found it interesting. Alf held my attention throughout.” Kevin Hosey from our Goresbridge Branch said that in all his years’ experience, “the was one of the best courses as it’s common sense that we can actually use.”
What’s next?
The branch managers will now take what they’ve learned back to their stores and will roll out the programme locally in their branches with all employees. The next step of the programme is in-store coaching for branch managers with a ‘You Are The Difference’ coach to bring the techniques to life in a real life situation.
Pictured at the launch of the ‘You Are the Difference’ Masterclass in Hotel Kilkenny are from L-R: Ben Furney, Branch Manager Ashford, Richie Manogue, HRBP Agri, Senan Foley, Head of Retail, Rhona Howley, Talent Development Manager, Alf Dunbar, Creator of ‘You Are the Difference’, Rob Mosse, HR Officer Agri, and James Kinsella, Area Retail Manager.
Truly Irish
Truly Irish
Truly Grass Fed hits U.S. screens this St. Patrick’s Day!
In the lead up to St. Patrick’s Day, Truly Grass Fed will be going live on March 11th with a syndicated broadcast across the United States featuring Chef Catherine Fulvio from her kitchen in Ireland.
Catherine will be showcasing the Truly Grass Fed brand range within a modern Irish recipe for St. Patrick’s Day – Cheddar and Caramelized Onion Risotto – which you can see below.
The huge Irish American population will experience a new, Irish twist on Risotto for St. Patrick’s Day, instead of the traditional corned beef and cabbage normally associated with Irish celebration stateside.
Catherine will discuss what people get wrong when they think about traditional St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, where someone should start if they are looking to create a dish for everyone to enjoy and she’ll also have some additional St. Patrick’s Day menu recommendations.
Recipe
Catherine Fulvio’s Cheddar and Caramelized Onion Risotto
Think barley instead of the traditional Arborio rice with onions caramelized in Truly Grass Fed creamy butter with cider, stock, Dijon mustard and Truly Grass Fed natural aged cheddar cheese. Not only is it an Irish twist on a traditional Risotto, but it’s also a healthy option too!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Truly Grass Fed Salted Butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 300g / 10 ½ oz pearl barley
- 100ml / 3 ½ fl oz cider
- 1 tsp chopped thyme
- 1000ml / 33 ¾ fl oz chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 120ml / 4 fl oz pouring cream
- 90g / 3oz Truly Grass Fed Natural Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the top
- 2 tbsp Truly Grass Fed Butter
- 100g / 3 ½ oz cherry tomatoes on the vine
For the chive butter
- 100g / 3 ½ oz Truly Grass Fed Butter, melted
- 5 tbsp roughly chopped chives
- 4 tbsp Truly Grass Fed Natural Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
Instructions
Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the Truly Grass Fed Butter. When the butter is foaming, add the onion, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes, until the onion is caramelised and fully cooked.
Add the garlic and pearl barley and stir well.
Pour in the cider, add the thyme and simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Pour in all the stock, bring to the boil and turn down the heat to a low simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring from time to time, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the barley is tender.
Stir in the Dijon mustard, cream and grated Truly Grass Fed Natural Sharp Cheddar Cheese and remove from the heat. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
For the topping
Heat the Truly Grass Fed Butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cherry tomatoes, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sauté for about 7 to 8 minutes until they burst slightly. Remove from the heat.
For the chive butter
Place the chopped chives and melted Truly Grass Fed Butter into a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To serve
Ladle the barley risotto into bowls, sprinkle over a little Truly Grass Fed Natural Sharp Cheddar Cheese, spoon the cherry tomatoes on top and drizzle over some chive butter. Serve immediately.
GI attends Gulfood 2022
Pictured are Charif El Mokdad, Karim Yacoubi, Ann Meaney, Michelle Donnelly, Ian Cahill
GI attends Gulfood 2022
GI’s Ingredients and Consumer Teams are back on the road
Glanbia Ireland’s Ingredients and Consumer teams made a welcome return to the recently held Gulfood 2022 exhibition hosted at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Gulfood is the world’s largest annual food and beverage trade exhibition and the team was delighted to join the Bord Bia Pavilion, where they reconnected with customers and made new contacts in person again.
Ian Cahill, Commercial Development Manager, said: “After missing Gulfood in 2020 and 2021, it was great to be back at the show. Footfall on the stand was strong and the quality of leads generated was good. We look forward to getting to more tradeshows in 2022 and meeting existing and new customers.”
Love is in the air
Love is in the air
Who won our special Valentine’s competition last month?
In last month’s edition of Overherd at Glanbia Ireland, we gave you the chance to win a romantic meal for two worth €200 at a Restaurants Association of Ireland establishment.
All you had to do was tell us who your ideal dinner date is and what type of food you would like to treat them to.
Congratulations to Quality Intern Katie Mahon from Wexford who told us her celebrity crush Tom Hardy is her ideal tapas date! We hope both you and Tom enjoy the meal! 