Tirlán is celebrating 31 years of partnership with Kilkenny GAA

This week, Tirlán proudly marks 31 years of partnership with Kilkenny GAA as the Senior Hurling Team embarks on their 2025 Allianz Hurling League campaign. Our relationship with Kilkenny GAA stands as one of the longest-running team sponsorships in Gaelic games. Over the years, our involvement has grown to support Kilkenny hurling at Senior, U20 and Minor levels.

Our partnership with Kilkenny GAA underscores Tirlán and Avonmore’s enduring commitment to nutrition, health, well-being and community support. This enduring partnership is a nationally recognised sponsorship with one of Ireland’s elite sporting teams. Jim O’Neill, Chief Operating & Consumer Officer, and Linda Sheehan, Head of Consumer Marketing, represented the Avonmore brand, which has been on the Kilkenny jersey since 1994, with our Chairperson John Murphy representing Tirlán Co-op, which was added to the jersey last year. A successful hurling team is a perfect fit for Ireland’s number 1 dairy brand, Avonmore!

Speaking at the launch in our Collaboration Hub at Abbey Quarter this week, PJ Kenny, Kilkenny GAA Chairman, said that he was delighted to see the long-standing relationship with Tirlán continue as Derek Lyng and his players pursue silverware at Championship level.

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with Tirlán, an organisation that makes a huge contribution to the South-East of the country,” he said.

John Murphy, Tirlán Chairperson, said: “We’re proud to continue our partnership with the Kilkenny GAA teams. It’s a great association for Tirlàn as a 100% farmer-owned Co-op and Avonmore as Ireland’s leading dairy brand. The association between the Avonmore brand and Kilkenny GAA is deep and enduring. Deep roots in the community and a commitment to excellence are shared by both organisations.”

We extend our best wishes to Derek and the team for the year ahead and eagerly anticipate cheering on the teams throughout 2025 – C’mon the Cats! A special thanks to the Corporate Affairs team for making a seamless event happen.

Newly launched Avonmore Protein Coffee is an exciting new product launch for the Avonmore range in 2025

Avonmore Protein Coffee is a delicious fresh coffee drink made with milk and 100% arabica coffee beans, boasting 27g of high quality protein and 60mg of caffeine. This product is positioned at those who predominantly exercise during the morning and are seeking additional protein in their diet as well as the added benefit of caffeine, before going on to tackle their day in the office or at work.

Not only does this product pack protein and caffeine, but it is a truly delicious flavour and will have strong appeal for all those that enjoy exercise and coffee. The product performed very well in consumer taste panels with positive mentions of it being a creamy latte flavour.

The innovation project was inspired by the ever-growing consumption trends in the protein category and growth in coffee usage, not only in takeaway coffees but also ready-to-drink bottled coffees. After several focus groups and qualitative research to explore potential extensions to the successful Avonmore Protein Milk range, launching a blend of coffee and protein milk was uncovered as an obvious line extension.

Avonmore Protein Coffee is a key launch for 2025 and will be supported across instore and out-of-home advertising, social media advertising, event sampling, influencer support, Youtube and Spotify, across the months of April and May.

This project demonstrates our core value of ‘collaborating for success’ made possible by a dedicated cross functional team (made up of R&D, Commercial, Operations, Regulatory, Nutrition, Master Data, Finance and Quality colleagues led by project lead Barry Cassidy). Kudos to the team for the dedication shown to make this project a reality and add a new differentiated line extension to the Avonmore Protein brand.

Tirlán recently met with Agriculture Minister, Martin Heydon, TD, to highlight the importance of retaining Ireland’s Nitrates Derogation

The purpose of the meeting was to stress to Government the importance of securing the retention of Ireland’s Nitrates Derogation, as a new report shows improvements in water quality.

At the meeting with Minister Heydon in Agriculture House, Dublin, Tirlán Chairperson John Murphy highlighted a range of issues and, most importantly, the retention of the Derogation.

“This year is of vital importance for both farming and the rural economy, with the European Commission due to make a decision on the retention of the current Derogation in the coming months,” John Murphy stated.

He welcomed the clear commitment to retaining the Derogation in the Programme for Government and the practical support provided by the €60 million Farming for Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP). With the support of Tirlán Agri-Sustainability advisors, over 220 Tirlán farmers have so far applied for funding to support targeted water protection investments.

“Retaining the Derogation is crucially important for Ireland’s grass-based family farming model.

“Our farmers are committed to doing the right thing, for water quality, for their land, their farms and wider communities. However, we require both certainty and clarity on the future of the Derogation as soon as possible. It is central to decision-making on-farm and is the number one priority for Tirlán’s farm family suppliers,” he stated.

“Our farmers have responded to the call-to-action to protect and enhance water quality. We are now beginning to see the results, which show it is possible to farm at current levels and protect water quality. Even as we acknowledge the improvements, we know that much more needs to be done. We are continuing to support our farmers as they take steps every day to protect water quality and maintain the momentum.”

A report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that nitrogen levels in rivers have reduced in 2024. The Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator 2024 report flags the need for ongoing and sustained actions, with nitrate levels remaining too high in the southeastern half of the country.

In the meeting, Tirlán CEO Seán Molloy highlighted the beneficial impact of the practical actions being undertaken by co-operatives and farm families across the country, amid the improvements shown in the latest water quality report.

“2025 is a vital year for Irish farming and our rural economy. The improvements in water quality are welcome, as farmers and the wider sector are making sustained practical efforts to protect our watercourses from nutrient losses. Through our ‘Farming for Water: River Slaney project’, we are collaborating with key partners and investing in supports to deliver impactful action. We are working together with key stakeholders to deliver results that will have a long-term beneficial impact for all our communities,” he said, with Ireland due to commence Derogation renewal discussions with the European Commission.

He added: “There is a concerted effort underway at national level by policymakers and stakeholders to enhance our water quality and deliver robust science-based results to protect both our watercourses and our Derogation.

“We know there is a lot at stake for our farm families and the rural economy. The time is now drawing close for a decision and we need to continue to maintain our focus on protecting the Derogation. We are pleased that the Minister stated that the renewal of the Derogation is a key priority for the Government. The level of activity underway on farms, combined with the latest water quality results provides science-based data for making a strong case in Brussels.”

Bord Bia Bloom is just around the corner and we want to give our team the chance to experience Ireland’s biggest garden festival!

We’re giving away two sets of tickets to Bloom, plus a CountryLife goodie bag for each winner! This is your chance to see the Postcard Gardens up close, explore the latest in gardening trends and get inspired by stunning displays.

We encourage you to listen, share, and engage

We’re thrilled to launch the Tirlán Ingredients Podcast – ‘Tirlán Talks’! This new podcast series will bring expert insights, market trends and thought-provoking discussions with industry leaders within Tirlán, providing information to our customers and helping them stay informed.

Voice of the customer surveys revealed that customers would love to hear more information around trends and markets, so with a collaborative approach we have launched the first Tirlán podcast to help keep our customers informed. In each episode, we’ll dive into key topics like market updates, sustainability, innovation and global supply chains – keeping customers connected to the latest industry developments.

Episode 1 is now live! In this episode, Dan O’Kane breaks down the Whey Protein market, reflecting on 2024’s performance and what we can expect in 2025.

We encourage you to listen, share and engage with this exciting new initiative. Stay tuned for more great discussions coming soon.

A trip to China provided an opportunity for customer engagement and emerging opportunities in the region

The Tirlán Ingredients Commercial team and R&D team recently visited China and Southeast Asia. Darren Barcoe, Dan O’Kane, Verona O’Shea, Colm O’Brien and Rory Hannon travelled to Shanghai to visit Tirlán’s key accounts, Fresenius and Danone. In between customer visits, the team attended the Food Ingredients China (FIC) tradeshow, the largest tradeshow in the ingredients industry in China. This event serves as a key platform for both domestic and international companies to showcase innovations and connect with the Chinese market.

The customer visits and tradeshow participation are of significant importance to the business, providing an opportunity to engage with customers in-market and gain firsthand insights into their operations, local challenges and emerging opportunities in China and Southeast Asia.

Both Fresenius and Danone have made investments in China with a view to supply the growing medical nutrition market in China, South East Asia and Europe. Building relationships with customers remains a priority and understanding their needs allows Tirlán to continuously enhance its service and expand business partnerships with these customers in growing markets and on a global scale.

The trip also provided an opportunity to highlight Tirlán’s extensive R&D capabilities and the substantial investments made in facilities and talent. While virtual technology has improved significantly in recent years, in-person interactions continue to be the gold standard for relationship building.

The day at FIC was particularly insightful, offering a valuable perspective on market opportunities and trends in China. Given the scale of the market, the ability to engage with key industry players, including customers and competitors, provided a comprehensive view of developments in the region. Globally, trends around healthy ageing and GLP-1 supplementation are continuing to grow and these trends were evident in China as well.

The Avonmore Super Milk campaign has been shortlisted for a prestigious award!

We are thrilled to share that our Avonmore Super Milk Campaign has been shortlisted for the Marketing Institute Awards AIM Awards 2025 in the Brand Campaign Category.

Based on FSAI findings that 90% of us don’t get enough Vitamin D from the food we eat, Avonmore Super Milk has developed a campaign to educate consumers regarding the need for Vitamin D at all life-stages. Vitamin D is important in our diet as it helps us absorb more calcium from food and drink, which is important for maintaining bone and muscle health and also helps support our immune systems too.

As Ireland’s No 1 dairy brand, we are so proud to see our brands making a difference in our consumers lives and seeing our marketing campaigns shortlisted in such a prestigious competition.

A huge congratulations to our marketing team Eithne O’Hara, Linda Sheehan and Grainne Murray for this impressive campaign. MII AIM Awards Gala Celebration will take place at the Clayton Burlington on May 22nd.

We wish you all the best of luck!

With a variety of roles on offer, Tirlán’s apprenticeship programme has opened for applications

We are thrilled to announce that the 2025 Apprenticeship Programme is now open for applications. If you know anyone who might be interested in kickstarting their career with us, please encourage them to apply.

Available Roles:

• Electrical Instrumentation – Ballyragget
• Electrical Instrumentation – Virginia
• Mechanical Automation & Maintenance Fitting (MAMF) – Ballyragget
• Mechanical Automation & Maintenance Fitting (MAMF) – Belview
• Mechanical Automation & Maintenance Fitting (MAMF) – Virginia