Win a Hanging Egg Chair worth €399
Win a Hanging Egg Chair worth €399
Glanbia CountryLife is delighted to offer this fantastic prize which will be an instant feature in one lucky winner’s garden!
Please read on for tips on how to make the most of your garden this summer and for details on how to enter the competition.
Your garden oasis awaits…
With summer here, now’s the time to start relaxing outdoors and soak up those bright evenings. Let your garden be your dream destination this summer by following CountryLife’s top tips on how you can easily and instantly transform your outdoor space.
Hanging Baskets & Window Boxes
Add instant life back into your garden with some window boxes and hanging baskets. These are the perfect addition to any space that is crying out for colour. There’s an endless amount of plants that are suitable for window boxes, especially in the summer months. Some factors to influence your decision should be whether your window boxes will be sheltered and in the shade, or exposed and in the sun. Plants for your window box should be chosen according to whether or not they will thrive in the environment they will be planted in. A nice idea is to use strongly scented plants near windows that will be often left open to spread a pleasant smell around your home.
The impact a good hanging basket can have in a garden is not to be underestimated. You can put anything you want in a hanging basket! Obviously, there are a few rules you can follow such as having taller plants in the centre of your basket with trailing plants to the side. But really after this, your only limitation is your imagination. Traditionally people love to use petunias and trailing geraniums because they give such a great display of flowers and colours. Fuchsia plants are a popular choice too either mixed in with other plants or by themselves. Both small fuchsia plants and larger specimen plants can add great interest to a hanging basket. Similarly, begonias can look beautiful when you let them spill over the basket in a large cascade of flowers.
See Your Garden in a New Light
Transform your outdoor living space and brighten up the night with CountryLife’s great selection of outdoor solar lights. Choose from string lights, lanterns, stake lights or bollards – there’s something to suit all garden settings! Outdoor entertainment doesn’t have to end at sunset – keep the party going long into the evening with CountryLife’s great outdoor lighting options!
Another great way to illuminate your garden is with the natural flame from a stylish fire feature or the glow from an outdoor heater. Keep yourself warm when the sun goes down with CountryLife’s selection of fire pits, baskets, and heaters to help keep your garden bright and cosy during these long summer nights.
Private Paradise
Create your own garden oasis with some bamboo trees. These are great for screening off areas and will bring a touch of overseas to your garden. These fast-growing, easy to maintain, and versatile trees are an essential in creating a Zen back yard paradise.
Unwind In Style
Transform your outdoor living space with CountryLife’s wide range of stylish furniture sets. From large Cast Aluminium and Rattan sets, to wooden furniture pieces, we have everything you need for relaxing in the garden this summer – all at great prices!
Outdoor dining doesn’t get much better than this! Our stunning cast aluminum furniture sets are perfect for entertaining during the summer months. These sets are strong and sturdy and can be left outdoors all year round without rusting. There is very little maintenance involved, simply store away the parasol and cushions and use a furniture cover to protect the table and chairs during the winter months.
Relax in style with CountryLife’s luxurious Rattan Furniture sets. Designed with both comfort and style in mind, these sets are perfect for unwinding and enjoying the summer sun. Rattan furniture is extremely strong and durable and is a great low-maintenance option. We stock a variety of round, rectangular, and corner sets, suitable for up to 8 people.
Comfort is key when it comes to unwinding in the garden and we have some great seating options to choose from. Sit back and relax in style with any of CountryLife’s chairs, benches, or arbours. Our London Hanging Wicker Egg Chair is really popular this year – and we are offering free delivery on the egg chair while stocks last!
WIN A HANGING EGG CHAIR WORTH €399!!!
To celebrate the start of summer we want to give one Glanbia Ireland employee a chance to win a London Hanging Wicker Egg Chair with nearly €400. The Egg Chair can be a feature for any garden and is perfect for relaxing in with its armchair style plush cushions and adjustable headrest for ultimate comfort.
For your chance of winning this fantastic prize, all you have to do is click ‘Comment’ under this story in the Overherd at Glanbia Ireland email you just received and tell us why the Egg Chair would be perfect for your outdoor spaces at home this summer. Alternatively, you can send your comment to
GIPeopleServices@Glanbia.ie to enter the competition
Meeting the challenge of climate change
Meeting the challenge of climate change
Glanbia Ireland’s Sustainability Action Payment is helping protect farmland pollinators
Small actions taken on farms can have a big impact on Biodiversity. Throughout May, the National Biodiversity Data Centre hosted its Festival of Farmland Biodiversity which encourages positive engagement around the topic of biodiversity and farmland, highlighting some of the ways that farmers can work to support biodiversity.
The festival coincides with a longer-term project coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre where farmers are encouraged to provide small wildlife habitats for pollinators on their land. The Protecting Farmland Pollinators project is a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) initiative which is enabling farms across Ireland to be more pollinator and biodiversity friendly.
Please watch the video below to learn more about the initiative from Michelle Larkin (National Biodiversity Data Centre) and farmer Shane O’Loughlin from Co. Kildare who is part of the Protecting Farmland Pollinators project.
As part of Glanbia Ireland’s ‘Living Proof’ sustainability agenda, an €18 million annual annual Sustainability Action Payment was launched earlier this year to assist our 5,000 milk suppliers to enhance the environmental sustainability of their farms.
Many elements of the programme are designed to assist dairy suppliers improve farm biodiversity through the planting of additional native trees and hedgerows, the incorporating of Multi Species swards (MSS) and the use of riparian margins all benefit pollinators.
The decline in wildflowers is an issue for pollinators and we all have a tendency to ‘tidy up’ the landscape – whether that’s on farms or in our gardens at home. Gardeners and farmers alike can support pollinators and biodiversity-friendly landscapes through the implementation of the following steps:
- Maintain native flowering hedges
- Allow native wildflowers to grow around the farm/garden
- Promote nesting places for wild bees
- Plant native trees and hedgerows
If we can all take small actions to help combat biodiversity loss, the cumulative impact could address the issue. By maintaining diversity in the Irish landscape, the farming community is helping to build resilience against the challenges of climate change.
Chewing the cud with… Ming Lim
Chewing the cud with… Ming Lim
Each month, we put the spotlight on a Glanbia Ireland employee and for our June newsletter, we’re talking to Ming Lim
Malaysian-born Food Science graduate Ming Lim revels in his role as Process Technical Manager in Butter and Dairy in Ballyragget.
The 27 year-old graduated in the US in June 2018 and a month later, he started working with Glanbia in Gooding, Idaho as part of the Graduate Programme. He transferred to Ballyragget in October of last year where he’s become a popular member of the team
“Gooding, Idaho isn’t too different to Ballyragget in terms of the seclusion aspect, it is a small city. Idaho itself is almost like an empty plain, while I am able to enjoy more greenery in Ireland. I live in Kilkenny city because I was told that was the place to be, and I LOVE it. However, rental cost is quite high, so I am sharing a place with a Glanbia student. I’m a bit of a home bird and to relax after work, I like to watch Netflix. I’m also trying to get to know Ireland more by visiting other cities such as Cork, Dublin, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. I’ve also just travelled to Lake Como in Italy, hoping to jumpstart my Europe travel adventures.”
“I love food. It’s great to be in a tourist city like Kilkenny with so many great restaurants. My favourite so far has to be Butcher, particularly for their Lemon Baked Alaska. Following encouragement from my colleagues here in Ballyragget, I started a food Instagram blog, giving my own ratings of the restaurants I’ve dined in. Anyone interested can follow me on @waltontastebuddies.”
“I’ve visited Kilkenny Castle and plan to go to Butler Gallery to see their exhibits. It’s a great city and Ballyragget is close and a fantastic place to work. People have been welcoming and I love the variety in my job. It’s great to link in with different plants on site, working to support the operations team in trouble shooting and problem solving. It offers new and exciting challenges to my role, helping me grow into a better person in and outside from work.”
Ming is also part of a tag rugby team this year, playing alongside 20+ other Glanbia employees. Outside of that, he loves baking and would sometimes bring some baked goods in for his co-workers (excluding nuts, of course). He is also big on birthday/eventful celebrations for his colleagues here in Ballyragget.
While life in Ireland is great, Ming misses home. “It might sound surprising, but I actually love the cold in Ireland. Malaysia has a tropical climate and is very humid with temperatures reaching as high as 35 or 36 degrees. But I miss my parents and my two sisters. My parents and one sister are in Malaysia and my other sister is in Australia. I’ve also left behind friends in the US. We try to stay connected, but it is hard with the time difference.”
Ming came to Ireland with the intention to go back to the US, visa permitting. “The fact that Glanbia Ireland is no longer part of the PLC might complicate matters for me so we will have to see.”
But, he’s enjoying the role and while he isn’t quite sure what his next steps are, he will discuss his future with his line manager.
“Until then, I’m excited to be part of the Irish team during the company’s transition into a fully Co-operative company. I love what I do and where I’m based and Kilkenny is a really great place to be.”
“Sin é,” he quipped.
WFoodBuddies (@waltontastebuddies) • Instagram photos and videos
Positive mood at Co-op AGM
Glanbia Co-op CEO, Jim Bergin, and Chairman, John Murphy review Glanbia Co-op’s Annual Report ahead of the AGM held at the Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny on May 25th
Positive mood at Co-op AGM
Glanbia Co-op’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place last week and was attended by members in-person for the first time in three years
A significant event on the calendar, this year’s AGM looked back at some of the highlights of 2021 in what was a pivotal year in the evolution of our business.
It was the first time members gathered since their votes at the Special General Meeting (SGM) in December last year approved the outright purchase of Glanbia Ireland. The tone of the AGM was very positive and reflective of a strong year and the successful transition to 100% ownership of Glanbia Ireland.
Topics raised for discussion at the well-attended event included twice monthly payments, Diversity and Inclusion and farmer advocacy, while the most significant item raised on the day was Fixed Milk Price Schemes.
Similar to the topics covered at Glanbia Ireland’s recent ELT roadshow, attendees at the AGM were also presented with items including Glanbia Co-op’s financial strength, the new Investment Fund, the progress of our Kilkenny Cheese project and our Co-op governance structure.
Members voted in favour of all proposals at the SGM held alongside the AGM, including increasing board membership by one to 20 members to further strengthen and ensure there is a diversity of skillsets on the board; a change to the rules to permit virtual meetings and a share interest (dividend) payment for members totalling €6.5 million or 17.3 cent per share.
The AGM heard of the board’s clear ambition to build a Co-op for the future of which all our people can be proud; a Co-op that is maximising returns for members, delivering strong career opportunities for all employees and is renowned for the sustainable production of high-quality food.
The Glanbia Co-op Annual Report for 2021 which was distributed to members can be viewed here.
Helping customers’ peace of mind
Members of the Gaultier Branch team, Finlay Weir and Ray Ryan, were joined at the event by Waterford City Chief Superintendent Tony Lonergan, Garda representatives from the Dunmore East and Councillor Pat Fitzgerald
Helping customers’ peace of mind
Gaultier agri-store supports home and farm security
Glanbia Ireland’s Gaultier branch recently held a home and farm security information day in conjunction with Gardaí from Dunmore East and Waterford Garda stations. The event was aimed at creating awareness amongst the local community on how people can secure their homes, farms and farm equipment. With a spate of burglaries in the area recently, the Gardaí were delighted to provide information to branch customers and were very happy with the warm welcome from GI colleagues. Kudos to all those involved in organising this event; it’s ‘Living Proof’ of the good work Glanbia Ireland does in the communities we work in.
Avonmore shines as one of Ireland’s top brands
Avonmore shines as one of Ireland’s top brands
Avonmore has once again been listed among the top five most loved brands in Ireland, according to a recent consumer survey
The nation’s number one milk brand ranked as the #2 top brand in Ireland in the annual Brand Footprint measure published by Kantar Worldpanel.
Other brands that made it into the top five include Brennans, Tayto, Denny & Sons and Cadbury Dairy Milk.
Enjoyed by Irish families nationwide for over 50 years, the Avonmore brand continues to grow in popularity.
Avonmore’s expertise in dairy extends across Milk, Cream, Soup and Butter, with key growth products including Avonmore Super Milk, Avonmore Protein Milk and Avonmore Whipped Cream.
Miriam Walker, Director of Domestic Consumer at Avonmore, said: “Avonmore’s continued success comes from its commitment to high quality products, a deep understanding of the consumer and their needs and continuous innovation.”
Irish consumers are among the highest consumers of fresh milk in the world. Avonmore milk is a rich source of protein and a 200ml glass of Avonmore Fresh Milk provides you with 31% of your RI of calcium and 32% of your RI for vitamin B12.
Growing Together
Understanding our customers to add value
Growing Together Keynote a valuable exercise in how to meet customers’ needs
Last week, colleagues from across Glanbia Ireland came together to explore how through articulating the value our business can provide, we can guide our customers’ choices.
An audience of over 115 participated in the webinar, which was facilitated by Catherine Alexander from Corporate Visions who are leaders in science backed revenue growth.
The high tempo, two-hour long webinar delved into the key moments and opportunities where Glanbia Ireland employees can articulate our value, both as individuals and as a business to customers. Many of these influencing skills are based on proving to a customer the value of doing something differently and how our products and services can meet their needs, some of which might not yet be realised. Attendees also learned about the fine art of making ourselves memorable in conversations.
Here’s what some GI colleagues thought about the session…
“This was a very energising and engaging webinar, shifting the focus to thinking about what the customer wants to learn/achieve when preparing for meetings and interactions and giving them the reasons to consider change!” – Joanne Hurley, Irish Country Manager, GAIN Equine Nutrition
“Building memorability with your customer was the parting message from this webinar and the high tempo nature of this keynote certainly did that. From insightful strategies to break the customer’s ‘status quo bias’ to challenging us all to spend time crafting our 10% takeaway message for customer interactions, there was value in the session for participants from all disciplines throughout the business” – Grace O’Dwyer, Retail Marketing Manager
For further information and to access the recording of the session please contact Rhona Howley, Talent Development