Get your entries in for the second annual Excellence Showcase event

Taking place in Abbey Quarter on November 30th, the second annual Excellence Showcase recognises and rewards projects that highlight the stellar work carried out by teams in Tirlán sites across the country. The 2022 event – the first year for the Excellence Showcase – received 140 entries. This year, the Excellence team expect a boost to the number of entries received. “We’re very hopeful that there will be even more submissions this year. Since last year’s event, people are definitely more aware of the Excellence Showcase and there’s a great sense of competition between sites as well – if you didn’t win last year, you really want to take home one of the top prize this time around,” said Therese Purcell, Business Excellence Specialist at Tirlán.

For this year’s Showcase, a new category has been added. The Strategic Impact award recognises big projects that contribute to Tirlán’s overall goals and objectives. “Examples of larger projects that would fall into this category would be the move from Glanbia plc to Tirlán co-op or the opening of Abbey Quarter. Projects like these are so big and so all-encompassing that they’re almost overlooked, so that’s why we decided to include the Strategic Impact award this year.”

A new ‘People’s Choice’ Award has also been introduced for 2023, where all those in attendance at the Showcase in November will have the opportunity to vote on their favourite project. The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be allocated €2000 from Tirlán, to be donated to a club or charity of their choice.

There are eight categories for submissions, with three projects set to be shortlisted from each of these categories for inclusion in the Excellence Showcase.

• COVI
• Problem Solving
• Continuous Improvement
• Sustainability
• Customer Impact
• MES/Data Driven Decision
• Quick Win
• Strategic Impact (NEW FOR 2023)

Each of the three winning teams will receive a €1000 voucher for a team building activity of their choice. Therese is encouraging all individuals, sites and functions to submit their project before the September 30^th closing date. “There is so much fantastic work going on at sites across the country. Apply today and make sure your project gets the recognition it deserves.”

Each month, we put the spotlight on a Tirlán Ireland employee and for our September newsletter, we spoke to Kathrin Pasold

German-born Regional Sales Manager for EU, Kathrin Pasold, never tasted cheddar cheese before she began working with Tirlán in April 2018. She was head-hunted from a private label sports nutrition company to fill the expanding role, which sees her work from her base in Northern Germany and cover a territory spanning Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

“I am across all Tirlán products – cheese, butter, everything. Protein enriched foods in particular are a huge growth area and since I joined, it’s fantastic to watch this market growing and to contribute with our high-quality raw materials. This trend is expected to last as consumers pay more attention to their diets and I hope we’ll extend our range of Whey Protein Concentrate and Isolates in the near future to grow our market share and return value for our farmer owners.

“This is a very busy role, but I absolutely love it. I work in a very motivated team. We look after a wide range of customers, just to name a few: producers of the McDonalds cheese slices, cheese formatters that slice or grate our premium-coloured cheddar for the food service and retail markets all over Europe, blending specialists that service yoghurt and Ready-to-Drink producers for high protein products you’ll find in nearly all supermarkets, producers of protein bars or ready to mix CPG (consumer packaged goods), ice-cream and also the chocolate industry. No two days are the same and it’s not a 9 to 5 job. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The change to Tirlán didn’t impact me as much from a customer viewpoint. They knew they would be getting the same high-quality product and service and that was really their focus.

“I’m very happy in my role. The best part is working with so many different types of people from different regions of the globe. It is great to be out and about again, meeting people and having face to face conversations. I really missed that part of the work. The most challenging part sometimes is our pace and inflexibility when it comes to customer requests. But I am convinced we’ll improve continuously.”

Kathrin lives in a farmhouse which is over a century old and renovating it has been a major project. She is immersed in nature and to unwind, she loves tending to her chickens and cats, photographing nature and packing the car and heading to the North Sea which is only an hour away.

“This job is great and offers so much variety. I am a cheese lover, but never tasted cheddar before I began here. As a consumer, it’s great to understand a bit more how it’s made and the important job our farmers do every day to deliver good quality milk. I like that we sell our ingredients to so many industries. When you go to a supermarket, it’s amazing to spot the final products on the shelves and from time to time, remember the bumpy road of getting there.

“The German and Irish people are different in some ways but very alike in others. When I come over on my own or with customers, we are always made feel welcome and included. Tirlán is truly a global company and our understanding of different cultures, different markets and different ways of doing things is what makes us special, makes us stand out and will future-proof what we do for a long time to come.”

Bring Your All and win a sports voucher from Lifestyle Sports

Kicking off this September, Avonmore Protein Milk’s ‘Bring Your All’ campaign features five athletes across a variety of sports such as GAA, soccer, rugby, CrossFit and weightlifting.

The campaign follows each individual around for a day, showing a typical ‘day in the life’ from their morning routine, work and family commitments, to training, exercise and how they bring their all to everything in their day.

The series of videos gives an insight into a typical athlete’s day and how Avonmore Protein Milk fits into their training routine.

The videos will appear across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, as well as Tirlán’s internal digital screens.

WIN

To celebrate the launch of ‘Bring Your All’, we have two €50 Lifestyle Sports vouchers to keep you looking sporty this season. To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question:

How many athletes will feature as part of the ‘Bring Your All’ campaign?

Please submit your answers in the comment section of the Overherd at Tirlán email you just received or send them to employeecomms@tirlan.ie

Win tickets to Gamerfest this October with Mooju!

Looking for things to do in October? Well, Mooju’s got you covered. Avonmore’s fresh milk and chocolate drink Mooju is delighted to partner with Ireland’s biggest gaming convention once again at the RDS Dublin, October 21st-22nd.

At the event you can watch some of Ireland’s best gamers battle it out, participate in a multitude of computer games for all ages, trial VR gaming and see some of your favourite cosplay characters, along with a variety of gaming vendors.

Mooju will host some of Ireland’s top gamers, content creators and influencers at the ‘Mooju Live Stage’, while also handing out delicious Mooju during the day.

The Mooju team has kindly given Overherd one group pass (five tickets) to give away for Gamerfest this October. To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, simply answer the following question: Gamerfest is held at the RDS Dublin, but what does RDS stand for?

Success for GAIN and customers at this year’s RDS Dublin Horse Show

The RDS Dublin Horse Show is one of Ireland’s most prestigious equine events, which attracts top-class national and international combinations looking to compete at this five-star show.

It was a very successful week for GAIN customers with over 50 horses and ponies achieving placings throughout the week. Over the course of the week, the GAIN brand had engagement with the general equestrian exhibitors through its activity on the Horse Sport Ireland stand.

The opening day of the show saw some remarkable results for GAIN customers and also gave Tirlán the opportunity to congratulate the GAIN Equine Nutrition youth teams who recently secured medals at their European Championships at a reception which was held in the prestigious Intercontinental Hotel.

The GAIN Equine Nutrition youth teams were recognised at a reception which held in the Intercontinental Hotel.

Olympian and #TeamGAIN rider Cian O’Connor offered a prize of an exclusive tour and lunch at the state-of-the-art Karlswood Stables where he keeps his horses and trains international athletes. The competition captured the enthusiasm of the people who visited the stand and saw a large number of entries.

Team GAIN rider Cian O’Connor in action at the Dublin Horse Show

On the busiest day of the show, GAIN arranged a ‘meet & greet’ with one of Ireland’s well known show jumpers, Denis Lynch. Denis was on stand to sign autographs and talk to young riders on what it takes to become a professional show jumper.

The GAIN team welcomed and hosted customers through hospitality over the course of the week, which proved a highly successful initiative for 2023.

Inclusively, it was a fantastic week for the GAIN Equine Nutrition brand, with high levels of engagement with both potential and existing customers along with some incredible #TeamGAIN results.
#GAINTheAdvantage