Celebrating Lunar New Year
Celebrating Lunar New Year
Take a glimpse into our team’s festivities in China
As we celebrate the Lunar New Year, we asked some of the members of our team in China to share how they celebrated this special occasion with their families, their traditions and the campaigns they participated in. Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, stands as the most cherished tradition in Chinese culture. It symbolises renewal, hope and the collective dreams for prosperity in the coming year. Falling on the first day of the lunar calendar, this vibrant celebration unites Chinese communities worldwide through a tapestry of rituals, feasts and joy.
Taiyuan: A Blend of History and Modernity
Nathan Dong, Assistant Marketing Manager
Taiyuan, my hometown, is located in the northern part of China and has a history of civilisation for over 5,000 years. It has also been the birthplace of several generations of emperors. Today, Taiyuan retains numerous historical sites, which become even more dazzling during the Chinese New Year. Every household in Taiyuan is decorated in a unique blend of cyberpunk and modernisation, colliding with ancient history to create a distinctive Chinese city and New Year celebration.
The Essence of Chinese New Year
Raymond Li, ASPAC Business Development Director
Out with the Old, In with the New
In the days leading up to the festival, families embark on a thorough cleansing of their homes, a ritual called “sweeping the dust” (扫尘). This represents bidding farewell to the past year’s misfortunes and embracing a fresh start. Once sparkling clean, homes transform into festive havens adorned with crimson decorations: poetic couplets praising harmony, upside-down “Fu” (福) characters symbolising “good fortune arriving” and glowing lanterns casting a warm, auspicious glow.
Family Reunion and Togetherness
The Lunar New Year’s Eve reunion dinner, or “Nian Ye Fan” (年夜饭), is the heart of the celebration. Millions embark on journeys home, braving crowded trains and flights – a migration dubbed “Chunyun” (春运) – to gather around the table with loved ones. The feast features symbolic dishes: dumplings resembling ancient gold ingots for wealth, fish for abundance, and sticky rice cakes for progress. As laughter fills the air, families tune into the Spring Festival Gala, a star-studded TV extravaganza blending comedy, music and dance.
Visiting Relatives and Exchanging Blessings
The first days of the New Year are marked by visits to relatives and friends. Dressed in new clothes – often red for luck – people exchange greetings like “Xin Nian Kuai Le!” (新年快乐, Happy New Year) and “Gong Xi Fa Cai!” (恭喜发财, Wishing you prosperity). Children eagerly receive “hongbao” (红包), red envelopes filled with money, symbolising protection from hardship. These gestures strengthen bonds and weave a web of goodwill for the year ahead.
My Spring Festival Experience
Brooke Yu, Assistant Finance Manager
The Spring Festival, China’s most important holiday, is always a magical time for my family. This year, preparations began weeks in advance. My parents cleaned every corner of our home to “sweep away bad luck,” while I helped Grandma stick red Spring Festival couplets on our doorframe, symbolising hopes for prosperity.
On New Year’s Eve, the whole family gathered to make dumplings. My little cousin accidentally shaped one like a cartoon character, making us all laugh. At midnight, fireworks painted the sky in dazzling colours as we shouted “Guònián hǎo!” (Happy New Year!). The deafening crackles of firecrackers scared our cat under the sofa!
The highlight was receiving red envelopes from elders. Though Mom always jokingly says, “I’ll keep this safe for you,” her warm hug felt more precious than the money. We stayed up late watching the Spring Festival Gala, munching on crispy rice cakes and candied hawthorns.
For the next week, we visited relatives wearing new red outfits. Each home smelled of sizzling fish (a must for abundance) and sweet rice balls. Even my tech-savvy grandparents surprised us by sending digital red envelopes through WeChat!
The festival ended with the Lantern Festival, when we floated glowing paper lotus lights at the park pond. As I watched my little sister’s excited face reflecting the golden lights, I felt grateful for these traditions that stitch our family closer.
Avonmore China Marketing Team’s Festive Spirit
Claire Hou, Brand Manager
This January, the Avonmore China marketing team embraced the festive spirit of Chinese New Year with exciting new online activities, blending tradition with innovation. To celebrate the holiday, we developed and shared a series of delightful Chinese New Year recipes on social media, bringing traditional flavours to life for our Food Services Professional followers. Incorporating the symbolism of ‘sweet happiness and family gathering’ from Tanghulu into desserts and beverages, we aimed to inspire festive ideas.
In keeping with the cherished tradition of giving red packets to family and friends, symbolising blessings and good fortune, we introduced a modern twist by designing a digital red packet. This innovative feature, available on WeChat, allows users to send their blessings conveniently and stylishly via their phone.
Let’s come together to embrace and celebrate the rich traditions of Chinese culture. May this Spring Festival bring joy, harmony and prosperity to all.
Submit your nominations today!
Submit your nominations today!
We’re excited to launch the Tirlán Dairy & Sustainability Awards 2025!
The Inaugural Tirlán Dairy and Sustainability Awards 2025 will take place on April 29th.
These awards will celebrate the achievements of dairy farmers who demonstrate best practices in milk quality, animal welfare, farm management and adopting sustainability practices.
Nominations are now open through this link: HERE. Farmers will also be selected to go forward for entry based on their milk quality and sustainability data. The closing date for nominations is Friday February 14. All applications shortlisted will be assessed by a judging panel.
We encourage you all to nominate suppliers who you believe deserve to be recognised.
Click HERE for more information
A new venture for Gain Equine Nutrition
A new venture for Gain Equine Nutrition
GAIN Equine Nutrition is giving you an exclusive insight into the upcoming launch of our brand-new product – Ultra Fibre Mash
To keep up with the demands of our equine consumers, we took the decision to create our very own GAIN Equine Nutrition mash product. Mash products act as a complement to a standard feed and offer a multitude of health benefits to horses. Commenting on the move, Phillip Gilligan, GAIN Equine Nutrition Sales Manager Ireland, said: “This product marks a significant milestone for GAIN, as it’s our first venture into the mash feed market, positioning us to compete more effectively and offer our customers a wider range of high-quality equine nutrition options.”
What sets Ultra Fibre Mash apart? It’s all about superior performance and value. Our mash boasts:
- Quick soak mash – 15 minutes
- Includes Alltech Mineral package
- Extremely palatable to help even the fussiest of feeders
- Affordable addition to GAIN Equine Nutrition’s product range.
“It’s a really exciting time for GAIN Equine Nutrition as this is our first product launch in a long time. While normally our equine campaigns are split across the different areas in the industry, such as sport horse, racing etc, this product is suited to all sectors of the equine industry and so it’s a great opportunity to develop a well-rounded creative campaign that will cater to everyone. We have some great new ideas planned for both markets and I can’t wait to see them all come to fruition,” said Sarah McGrath, Assistant Marketing Manager for GAIN Equine Nutrition.
This omnichannel campaign will leverage digital audio, print and digital advertising across leading equine media channels, targeted social media and email campaigns. We will also be working with our sponsored riders to help promote the product.
Critically, we’re optimising our Tirlán FarmLife and Tirlán CountryLife branches and working closely with our external stockists to ensure maximum visibility and availability of Ultra Fibre Mash.
The success we’re expecting to achieve with this upcoming launch is the result of the hard work and dedication of many Tirlán colleagues. A special thanks goes to Joanne Hurley, Phillip Gilligan and Anne Priestman, as well as the entire GAIN Equine Nutrition team, alongside Lisa Dunphy, Sarah McGrath, Katriona Kinsella and Caroline Brindley. The collaboration across Commercial, Marketing and Development has been a crucial factor in getting us to this exciting point.
Chewing the Cud with… Lisa Robinson Sweeney
Chewing the Cud with… Lisa Robinson Sweeney
Each month, we put the spotlight on a Tirlán employee. For our February edition, we’re talking to Lisa Robinson Sweeney, Product Manager for Cheese
I’m from the beautiful coastal area of South Dublin and I try to get out for a walk every day to make the most of it. I like to consider myself active (and so would my dodgy knee) and love doing group classes in the gym or hiking with my friends when the weather allows for it. Staying active is a huge motivator for me and allows me to perform at my best. I love trying new things and would quite literally turn up to the opening of an envelope.
I joined Tirlán in 2021 after taking a year out travelling in Australia and completing my Master’s degree in Food Business Strategy at UCD Smurfit. I originally joined on the graduate programme as a commercial associate and quickly moved into a permanent role as Product Manager for Cheese within the Ingredients Commercial team at the start of 2023.
What I love most about my role as Product Manager is the cross functional nature of it, where I get to interact with stakeholders across the business and work as a cross functional hub to deliver the best results for the business and our customers.
As well as getting to meet various stakeholders within the business, I love attending customer visits and tradeshows to meet our customers face to face and drive deeper relationships and symbiotic opportunities for both businesses. It’s great when we get the opportunity to host some of these customer visits in our new Customer Experience Room in Abbey Quarter and can really display our technical capabilities (along with a nice cheese board).
A big part of customer engagement is understanding our customers challenges and future needs. That is why it is so important for the Commercial team to stay on top of market trends, as well as emerging retail and foodservice trends within the cheese category so we can better help our customers to grow their business. A big trend in cheese is a move towards natural clean labels in which Tirlán were ahead of the curve in providing a clean label offering for colour cheddar and we are now the leading manufacturing of colour cheddar in Europe. Our marketing team are always on the lookout for emerging trends in cheese and attending tradeshows can play a huge part of seeing what’s out there and how we can deliver for our customers now and into the future.
Look, Smell, Taste
Look, Smell, Taste
Wexford Cheddar joins the “Look, Smell, Taste” campaign to combat food waste
Wexford Cheddar is proud to be a part of the “Look, Smell, Taste” campaign, a global initiative aimed at reducing food waste by empowering consumers to make informed decisions about food safety and usability. This campaign is a perfect fit for Wexford Cheddar, thanks to its robust quality assurance measures, sensory stability and extended shelf life beyond the best-before date.
The “Look, Smell, Taste” initiative not only showcases the inherent qualities of Wexford Cheddar, but also educates consumers on sensory evaluation methods. By teaching people how to assess food using their senses, the campaign fosters a culture of sustainability and responsibility. This approach can significantly reduce unnecessary food disposal, positively impacting both the environment and consumer behaviour.
To ensure the continued success of this initiative, ongoing monitoring, consumer feedback collection and education efforts are recommended. These steps will help strengthen consumer trust, enhance the product’s reputation and support broader food waste reduction goals.
As part of the global “Too Good to Go” initiative, the “Look, Smell, Taste” campaign is currently running in 14 countries, with over 6,000 SKUs added from 500 brands. Supported by the EPA in Ireland, the campaign has a coalition of partners including Guinness, Onken, The Laughing Cow and Ballymaloe.
The goal of the campaign is to encourage consumers to evaluate the condition of their food using sensory cues before deciding to dispose of it. This initiative aligns with legal standards and promotes a more sustainable approach to food consumption.
The proposed SKUs for Wexford Cheddar in this campaign include:
- Wexford Cheddar Mild & Creamy White Block 200g
- Wexford Strong & Vintage White Irish Cheddar 200g
- Wexford Rich & Mature Red Irish Cheddar 200g
- Wexford Rich & Mature White Irish Cheddar 200g
- Wexford Ferrycarrig Red Cheddar 200g
- Wexford Ferrycarrig White Cheddar 200g
By participating in the “Look, Smell, Taste” campaign, Wexford Cheddar is taking a significant step towards reducing food waste and promoting a more sustainable future.
Save the Date
Save the Date
Get ready for the 2025 Tour de Tirlán Charity Cycle
We are thrilled to announce that the 2025 Tour de Tirlán charity cycle will take place on Friday the 5th of September. This year, our goal is to raise an impressive €85,000 for three incredible charities – our charity partner Aware, the Fr. McGrath Centre Kilkenny and the Amber Women’s Refuge.
The Tour de Tirlán is not just a cycling event; it’s a powerful way for us to come together as a community and make a meaningful impact. Whether you’re an avid cyclist or just looking for a way to support a great cause, we encourage everyone to get involved.
More details about the event, including registration information and route details, will be shared over the coming months. In the meantime, you can take a look back at last year’s fantastic event and the success we achieved together CLICK HERE.
Mark your calendars and start preparing for an unforgettable day of cycling, camaraderie and charity. Let’s make the 2025 Tour de Tirlán our best one yet!
Consumer News Update
Consumer News Update
Avonmore launches exciting new campaigns for Protein Milk and Soup
Avonmore Protein Milk
Quarter one is a crucial recruitment period for Avonmore Protein Milk as a ‘new year-new you’ health and fitness mindset sets in and people are more open to fitness and protein products. As with previous years, this is onea of the heaviest activation periods for Avonmore Protein Milk to build awareness and recruitment into the brand.
During January, February and March, Avonmore Protein Milk will launch a more product focused campaign. The objective of the campaign is to hero the product, making the brand big and bold, to catch the attention of passers-by. The campaign aims to keep our product top of mind with consumers during this period while also dialing up the benefits of high in protein, fresh milk cues, taste and occasion, giving them lots of reasons to consider Avonmore Protein Milk.
Communications will appear on outdoor, retail advertising, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, along with a heavy sampling campaign across colleges, clubs and societies.
Avonmore Soup
Over the past couple of months, Avonmore Soup has undergone a pack refresh! Designed to appeal to a younger audience while highlighting the quality ingredients and benefits of the soup range, the new packaging gives our much loved soups a modern and vibrant feel.
While the outside may look different, customers can rest assured that their favourite recipes remain unchanged. To support this refresh, a multi-channel campaign including OOH (Out of Home), in-store and social media will drive awareness and reinforce our commitment to great taste and quality. Keep an eye out for the new look on shelves now! A big thank you to the team at Kilkenny Food Company for supporting such a smooth transition.
Watch back 2025 Outlook Webinar
Watch back 2025 Outlook Webinar
Updates on Tirlán’s plans for 2025
On Wednesday 22 January, Tirlán hosted a 2025 Outlook Webinar for all its shareholders and suppliers where senior Tirlán management and Board members provided updates on the business and plans for the coming year.
Watch back the recording of the Webinar here:
Ingredients 2024 lookback
Ingredients 2024 lookback
Check out the Tirlán Ingredients Highlights video showcasing the past year
Last year, the Ingredients team participated in numerous trade shows, trade missions and conferences. Hear directly from each Head of Category and learn more about their ingredient areas and the key activities that took place throughout 2024.