September was a busy month, marking two significant milestones in our graduate programme – a beginning and an ending

On Monday, 9th September, we were delighted to welcome 16 new graduates for their first day in Tirlán and the first day of their Unearth Your Future Graduate Programme. This cohort will work in areas including Finance, IT, Supply Chain, Planning, Marketing, Operations, Quality, R&D, OH&S and Agri. Among the group, we are lucky to welcome back some who have worked as interns with Tirlán previously.

The day began with a warm welcome from Karen O’Brien, who remarked on how delighted she was that such a talented and diverse group of individuals are ready to embark on their careers with Tirlán. She reminded them that they have two years of learning and experiences ahead so to stay patient, curious and open to development opportunities. Next, Lisa Koep presented the group with an overview of Tirlán’s rich and unique history as well as speaking to the diverse portfolio of products and activities.

Her message to the graduates was to share their ideas as they look at Tirlán with fresh eyes. After lunch there was a change of direction and oat lattes all round when Una Flanagan, Mahsa Naghshineh and Sarah Whelan from the R&D team delivered an excellent product demonstration session.

The day ended with a visit from Mick O’Leary, who having started his career on the graduate programme, is ideally placed to give advice on how best to grow your career in Tirlán. Over the next couple of weeks, the graduates will come back together to build their connections as a group and to learn more about Tirlán. Best of luck to all our 2024 Unearth Your Future graduates!

Then, on Friday, 13th September, we celebrated the achievements of our graduates who have completed their journey which started back in 2022. Aoife Murphy opened the event by recognising the remarkable resilience this group has shown over the last two years. She said they have seen more change than most so early in their career and have navigating changes including graduating college and starting their professional lives in Covid times, along with the launch of Tirlán in the middle of their two year programme.

Two of the graduates, Patrick Kehoe and Thomas Shevlin, shared their personal graduate journeys, sharing both their highlights and their challenges. Afterwards five of the graduates showcased their greenbelt continuous improvement projects. All the projects were outstanding and after a competitive voting process, Patrick Hayes’ project was announced as the inaugural Tirlán Challenge winning project. Special thanks to Eoghan Brophy and Michael Phelan for supporting the graduates with their greenbelt projects. We wish Aaron Tynan, Alexander Nulty, Eoin Regan, Kyeesha Glenn-Davi, Louise Lynch, Niall Behan, Patrick Hayes, Patrick Kehoe, Steven Atkinson, John O’Dwyer and Thomas Shevlin all the best as they embark on the next stage of their careers at Tirlán.

With the support of their managers and peers, we look forward to seeing all our graduates thrive in the coming years.

Each month, we put the spotlight on a Tirlán employee and for our October newsletter, we’re talking to Senior Nutrition Manager Lorraine Moran

In this edition of Chewing the Cud, we are delighted to feature Lorraine Moran, Senior Nutrition Manager and a dedicated and passionate member of our team. Lorraine is passionate about all things food-related and even outside of work, the Westmeath native, who now lives in Dublin, loves to cook for her husband Fred, 7-year-old daughter Josie and 1-year-old son James.

Like many others, Lorraine’s journey with us began during Covid. Since then, her passion, commitment and cross-functional work with R&D have made a significant impact on our organisation.

“I absolutely love food and always knew I wanted to work in food and dietetics. At the time, there were very few opportunities to qualify as a Dietitian in Ireland, so I went to the UK and trained over there. I worked in the NHS in England and Scotland in a range of different clinical specialties within hospitals. I was there for 11 years in the end. It was great to get experience and then work in the private sector.

“I worked for a few years with Abbott Nutrition and joined Tirlán in 2020. I love promoting food as a solution to ill-health and good health. Milk and oats are such an important part of a healthy, balanced diet and it’s great to have an opportunity to help commercialise natural, healthy products with trusted brands like ours.

“Our food industry is changing all the time, so it’s critically important that the Nutrition team keeps updated on health and nutrition policy in our markets and scientific updates. Science never stays still.

“All our work is rooted in strong science and we’re proud of the integrity of the information we share with our colleagues and customers. The Tirlán products and ingredients are highly trusted and respected. I feel we have a duty to support the innovation of healthy products and ingredients. Rebecca Barron, Nutrition Manager, and I work hand in hand with R&D, commercial and marketing teams at Tirlán to deliver this innovation.”

Even when on holiday, Lorraine continues her good food journey and loves trying new places, new tastes and new local cuisine. She is very appreciative of food heritage and food history fascinates her.

“I’m really into food history. I’m a bit of a geek and love learning about where food comes from, such as recipes that date back to the Victorian period. I sometimes try out these recipes in my own kitchen, which my family either loves or hates. But they’re willing guinea pigs nonetheless, which is nice!

“It’s great to be involved in such a positive and fast-moving field. Dietetics is such an evolving sector and I’m a new member of the European Dieticians Association. I was recently appointed to the Professional Practice Committee. It’s a huge honour and privilege. We will be looking at establishing professional competencies across the European region to try to harmonise them and elevate them if possible. There aren’t many industry dietitians appointed, so it’s exciting to take on the challenge and I’m absolutely up for it.”

Tirlán gears up to Mental Health Week from the 7-11^th of October

As we gear up for Mental Health Week at Tirlán, we are excited to highlight our partnership with Aware, a charity dedicated to supporting mental health in Ireland. This collaboration is particularly fitting as we focus on raising awareness and providing support for mental health issues among our colleagues and the wider community.

Stephen Butterly, Head of Fundraising and Business Development at Aware highlights how much the Aware team have “very much enjoyed getting to know the employees of Tirlán as our partnership has developed throughout 2024. This is a hugely valuable partnership for Aware; not only does it contribute significantly to the costs of supporting over 40,000 people each year, it also provides reach into the Tirlán team and the wider farming community connected to Tirlán.

“This reach provides a fantastic opportunity to reduce the stigma that remains around depression, whilst also highlighting the practical steps that we can all take to support positive mental health.”

This year, Tirlán is making significant efforts to raise vital funds for Aware through various initiatives. Our Tour de Tirlán and the upcoming Tirlán Mountain Challenge are just a few examples of how we are coming together to support this important cause. Stephen emphasises that “Aware would like to thank all Tirlán staff that took part in the Tour de Tirlán event as well as those pulling on their hiking boots for the Mountain Challenge event next week. These events bring the partnership to life in a very tangible way for staff, and I am looking forward to meeting more of the team in Galway next week.” These events not only help raise funds, but also foster a sense of community and shared purpose among our employees.

In addition to our fundraising efforts, Tirlán has joined forces with Irish Country Living and Aware to promote mental health awareness in rural Ireland with a four week campaign. This initiative aims to break the cycle of mental health stigma and provide valuable resources and support to those in need. A bikeathon was held in the Irish Farmers Journal stand at the National Ploughing Association/Championships to highlight this campaign. For more information on this click here

Stephen says: “Our recent ‘Break the Cycle’ campaign with Tirlán and the Irish Farmers Journal was a great example of the partnership bringing much needed mental health insight to the farming community.”

Throughout Mental Health Week, we will be hosting various webinars, events and activities designed to provide information, resources and support for mental health. There is something for everyone, so please join in and learn how we can all do more to  protect our own health or that of our friends and families. Keep an eye out for more information over the coming days.

Let’s come together to support Aware and promote mental health awareness during this important week. Together, we can make a difference and create a supportive environment where mental health is prioritised and valued.