Chewing the cud with… Ailish Byrne
Chewing the cud with… Ailish Byrne
Each month, we put the spotlight on a Tirlán employee and for our June newsletter, we’re talking to Ailish Byrne
Newly appointed Director of Agribusiness, Ailish Byrne, has only been in the role since March 1 but says she can’t believe how quickly time has passed and how seamless her transition was from Head of Agriculture with Ulster Bank, where she worked for 20 years.
“In my earlier years, I would have had lots of direct interaction with farmers and in the latter stages in my former post, I had more engagement with the IFA, the Minister and other stakeholders in the sector. It all means that I am very comfortable with the high-level approach in my new role, the language, our customers and the sector as a whole.
“From day one, Tirlán took me on as me. They wanted my views. Listened to my ideas. I’ve only been here three months, but it seems longer. It’s an environment in which people’s ideas and opinions are valued and respected.
“We had over 40 people at our team strategy day. It was really positive, with lots of enthusiasm from everyone – there was fantastic interaction from the entire team. Tirlán is an environment which really values individuals for what they can bring to the table.”
In her role, Ailish leads the Agribusiness team. This includes ruminant, equine, pet, the 52 branches, CountryLife, all the marketing and loyalty programme teams as well as the grain and procurement teams.
“It is a very diverse team and our job is to ensure that our farmers, our shareholders and our customers have access to all the inputs they need to run their dairy, beef or tillage farm. There has also been a huge growth in step-out programmes such as FarmGen, E-Commerce and the Twenty20 Beef Club.
“What amazes me most is the level of continuous interaction with the representative structures. I knew joining that it is a cooperative, but I didn’t realise the level of engagement and the continuous interaction between those representative structures – the board, the council, the business itself. It keeps everyone up to speed, keeps vital information flowing. Keeps it all very real.
“I do a bit of tillage myself at our home in Crossneen, on the edge of Carlow town. We usually grow malting barley but I’m growing sugar beet and some peas this year. Being involved in farming, from my background and from my new role, I know the pressures there are this year. We are coming off a very strong 2022 for dairy and for grain. The pressures for 2023 are very real and we can all feel it.
“That said, we are a cooperative that is definitely true to our values. We are in business to make money but it’s also about getting the balance right, about competitively pricing our inputs so we can deliver the best possible milk and grain price for our farmer suppliers.”
And how does Ailish relax and unwind from it all? “My husband and I have two daughters, so lots of evenings and weekends are spent on the sidelines at football or soccer matches or at show jumping events. So not quite relaxing at times – a different sort of pressure from work.”
Kilkenny Cheese factory taking shape
Kilkenny Cheese factory taking shape
Progress at the Kilkenny Cheese factory in Belview continues apace, with the facility set to receive its first delivery of Irish milk in January of next year
Project Director Rick Nally explains to Overherd that as can be seen from the photo above, “the building envelope is now complete on the main process areas, while the internal finishes are nearing completion in preparation for the installation of the processing equipment over the summer. We now have a very busy site, with over 350 people on site on any given day.”
The Kilkenny Cheese Operational Readiness team have been busy working through a long list of items to ensure that the facility is up and running in time for the 2024 peak milk season. Strategic Programmes Manager Philip McCabe explains “we have a wide-ranging programme encompassing Production, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Quality, R&D, EHS, Finance, IT, HR and more. Each of the areas needs to be ready to hit the ground running in early 2024. We are now entering a very busy phase of the Operational Readiness Plan.”
To ensure the first Gouda and Edam roll out of the facility on time, it’s crucial that the right people with the right skills join the team in Belview. Philip told Overherd that, “along with construction ramping up, our recruitment drive is also in full swing. All roles at Kilkenny Cheese Limited are advertised at www.kilkennycheese.ie and any Tirlán employee who refers a successful candidate could earn up to €2,500 in a referral bonus.”
If you have any questions about KCL / Project Orange, feel free to contact Philip directly
Global Ingredients
Global Ingredients
Tirlán Ingredients are making strides in various markets across the globe
Tirlán Ingredients supply Cheese & Butterfats, Protein & Nutritional Powders, Dairy Powders, Grains & Plant-Based and Affordable Nutrition to the world’s largest food and nutrition companies.
Members of the Ingredients Commercial team have been busy visiting customers and building important relationships across the world recently.
China Trade Mission
The Tirlán Ingredients team were in China as part of a ministerial-led Bord Bia trade mission. The objective of the trade mission was to enhance trade links between Irish dairy companies and new or existing customers with a focus on R&D, technology, innovation, new product applications, market trends and opportunities for the next two to three years.
The trade mission also aimed to reinforce Ireland as a sustainable and secure supplier of premium dairy solutions.
The Ingredients team had a packed agenda with customer meetings in Beijing and Shanghai where they met with companies including Danone, Savencia and Fresenius. The team also attended the 2023 Ireland Dairy Development seminar in Beijing and represented Tirlán at the Flavours of Ireland reception in Shanghai, where a selection of dairy, meat and beverages from Ireland were sampled.
Daren Barcoe, Head of Global Sales and Regional Development for Ingredients, commented:
“The Chinese market is just opening up post-Covid but meetings conducted during the recent trip gave us some great insights. From meeting senior level contacts within our global key accounts in the region to the new customers we are onboarding across our key target sectors, we have seen that the cheese and protein opportunities look robust. We were particularly impressed by the velocity of new cheese innovations and the potential in this category. There is huge growth opportunity within this market as per capita consumption continues to expand with new innovations and occasions emerging to consume cheese applications.”
Vitafoods Europe – The World’s Nutraceutical Event
For the first time, members of the Tirlán ingredients attended Vitafoods Europe which is an exhibition and scientific conference dedicated to health benefits derived from food sources.
The Tirlán team was at the event to launch our new Promiko Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) brand and also showcase other key brands for sports, health and wellness – Solmiko, Solago and Oatstanding.
There was great footfall on the stand and it was a busy few days for the team, with lots of meetings conducted with existing customers and lots of new interest in our dairy and plant-based solutions.
Check out some of the highlights from the video below.
Rewarding farmers
Rewarding farmers
Award-winning Twenty20 Beef Club enhances pricing structure
Tirlán’s innovative Twenty20 Beef Club calf-to-beef programme has unveiled a new and enhanced pricing structure, with increased club premium and breed bonus payments for new and existing members.
The pioneering and award-winning supplier programme, a collaboration between Tirlán and Kepak Group, has been growing year on year and rewards farmers for adhering to specific production protocols.
Twenty 20 Beef Club Programme Manager Ross Brady explained to Overherd that “integrated supply chains like the T20 club are in the interests of all stakeholders to work together, from diary to meat processors, farmers and customers – that’s what makes the club unique.”
Twenty 20 guarantees beef farmers a price premium above the market value two years ahead of when that produce will be ready and provides economic certainty in what has traditionally been a volatile marketplace.
Ross says “the club promotes best practice genetics, calf management, soil and animal nutrition and animal health in one. T20 has a dedicated on-farm support team of three Tirlán employees with Michelle Ward, Kieran Bowe and I ensuring members are recruited, retained and that they deliver the key rearing and processing requirements of the club.
“Our new pricing structure introduces a new weight range of 260-400kg, market-leading breed bonuses for Hereford and Aberdeen Angus, as well as a new Continental breed bonus. The enhancements are expected to earn Club Members an average of €100 to €200 above the market price.
“It also reduces the carbon footprint associated with rearing beef calves. The club delivers more than 20% less carbon than traditional systems due to lower slaughter ages and the eco-friendly production system.
“We’re on a recruitment drive at the moment, looking for new members and our offering will give more farmers the opportunity to take part in the sustainable programme.”
For More Information:
If any Tirlán colleagues know of farmers who might be suitable candidates for the award winning Twenty 20 Beef Club, you can share the expression of interest form HERE.
Competition time!
Competition time!
This month’s Overherd is giving our readers another chance to win an exciting prize, plus find out who won last month’s Fibre Milk + competition
The GAIN Railway Stakes marks the third and final race of this year’s GAIN ‘Champion Collection Series’. Taking place at the Curragh racecourse on Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Day on Sunday July 2nd, the GAIN Equine Nutrition team has three pairs of tickets to give away to Overherd readers.
To Win
To win, simply answer the following question before June 28th – Who won last year’s GAIN Railway Stakes race? You can submit your answers in the comment section of the Overherd at Tirlán email you just received, or send them to employeecomms@tirlan.ie
#GAINTheAdvantage #ChampionCollection
Congratulations to our Avonmore Fibre Milk Plus competition winner!
To celebrate the launch of Avonmore Fibre Plus Milk, last month Overherd at Tirlán gave you the chance of winning a €100 One4all voucher to spend on something healthy! All you had to do to win was tell us what the daily recommended amount of fibre an adult should consume daily. The answer is 24-36 grams.
Congratulations to Finance Business Partner Shauna Dean who was randomly selected. The voucher is in the post!
Project Engage
Project Engage
Supporting the move from traditional to digital channels to fuel Ingredients’ growth ambitions
Project Engage is Tirlán Ingredients’ digital transformation project. It involved the implementation of the SAP C4C (Sales and Service Cloud) and Marketing Cloud platforms to support business design requirements.
Over the last 12 months, these platforms have combined to provide the growth engine to deliver key sales, service and marketing activities by delivering the following capabilities:
• Opportunity pipeline: visibility of value-add commercial opportunities in the pipeline
• Samples: streamlining the sample process, providing end-to-end visibility, from sample request to customer delivery
• Customer service: single view of the customer, showing all interactions and transactions in one place, resulting in a more efficient service delivery
• Marketing: end-to-end lead qualification and attribution, a dedicated app to capture leads at tradeshows and the capability to activate Account Based Marketing (ABM) activities
• Dashboards and reports that provide visibility of business KPIs.
Aoife Murphy, Director Ingredients, said: “Project Engage is a key strategic plan enabler, helping us to deliver our ambition of growing value-add across our dairy and plant-based portfolio, while optimising our core ingredient offering. These platforms have transformed how we engage with customers and changed how we market and sell our core and value-add ingredients, from traditional channels to digital channels.”
You can watch the video below to learn more about how Project Engage is transforming the Ingredients Team’s sales, marketing and customer service channels.
Employee Engagement Survey
Engaging with employees
Tirlán’s recent employee engagement survey reflects a workforce that’s excited about our evolving culture
Mick O’Leary, Chief People, D&I & Org Development Officer, Tirlán
First Tirlán branch redevelopment completed
First Tirlán branch redevelopment completed
Tirlán’s Bunclody branch is the first in our network of stores to be completed as part of an €11m phase 1 investment programme which was announced earlier this year
Pictured at the recent Board tour of the Bunclody Branch are: Sean Molloy, Patrick Murphy, Brendan Hayes, Jim Bergin, Mark Morrissey, John Murphy, Grace O’Dwyer, Robert Kehoe and Senan Foley
As the business’s new concept store, Bunclody acts as a design template for Tirlán CountryLife stores going forward, which will bring consistency and standards to how customers experience our stores. Preparations for store revamps in Tirlán CountryLife Castlelyons and Athboy are already underway and due for completion towards the end of the summer/early autumn. Plans are in motion for a further five stores, one of which will include a Tirlán FarmLife concept store.
Tirlán CountryLife Bunclody, following the completion of its revamp
Tirlan’s Board recently visited the newly revamped Bunclody store where the retail development, branch management and retail marketing teams showcased the impressive redesign of the branch.
Senan Foley, Tirlán’s Head of Retail who led the Board visit, explained to Overherd what Board Member’s experienced during the tour of the branch.
“This new design concept has taken inspiration from the genesis of the Tirlán brand; using natural materials throughout the store including moss, wood and stone. In addition, a simple colour pallet is in use with a touch of green throughout to add emphasis and create contrast in a distinctively Tirlán way.
New farmer counter in Bunclody, a design featuring natural stone and wood material that will be rolled out in future store developments
“Connecting back to our roots, which is such a strong part of the Tirlán brand, was also really important to us. Our network of branch stores are often situated on the very land where our many founding fathers first traded. To highlight this strong relationship to local communities, a dedicated history wall instore charts our journey over the last 100 years and our community notice board prioritises our support of today’s local community.
Dedicated history wall towards the farmer entrance of the store, charting both Tirlán’s and the Bunclody branch’s history
“Everything was carefully considered in the completion of the concept store in Bunclody, from lighting fixtures and floors to counter tills and shelving. Infrastructural changes and other functional upgrades were also completed including IT systems, new electric doors, new heating system, rewiring of the premises and an upgrade to staff facilities.
To allow the retail store and garden centre run smoothly, flexibility was built into the store signage set-up. Simple elements such as the use of magnetic aisle end signage, bench strip sliders, hooks for category aisle headers, floor display signage solutions and pallet displays amongst others have been added; all accommodate for the ease of stock and display movement required for seasonal or stock changes
“A key objective of our phase one retail investment is to meet the evolving needs of our customers through a network of modern stores. We want a visit to Tirlán CountryLife and Tirlán FarmLife to be a pleasant experience where customers feel at home, can easily find their way around and be guided to the products they want by our knowledgeable staff. As part of this, the creation of a consistent store identity is important to us so that the second customers walk through our doors, they know they are in a Tirlán store.
The rejuvenated Bunclody garden centre, featuring new signage solutions and the Tirlán CountryLife’s new consumer message ‘Gardens, Our Second Nature’
“In addition to the design development work carried out in Bunclody, the retail store development team is also working to evolve the product and service offering. Our first coffee dock is being trialled in Bunclody, where gardening customers in particular can enjoy a cup of coffee while browsing in-store. On the FarmLife side we’re exploring new centres of excellences in the area of farm hardware, so lots of more exciting projects in the store development pipeline.”
Coffee dock solution in place in store, delivered in conjunction with Bewleys
Special mention must go to Mark Morrisey and the whole Bunclody Branch Team who have displayed huge enthusiasm for the concept store project. Despite all the upheaval to the store over the last number of months, they continued to trade throughout the works and customer satisfaction remained high. Learnings from this concept trial store, which will include customer feedback, will now be built into future store developments.
Pictured L-R Ben Furney, Michael Dunbar Mark Hayden, Mark Morrissey, Fergal Joy and Nicholas Murphy
Showcasing Innovation at Tirlán
Showcasing innovation at Tirlán
It’s been a busy few weeks for Ingredients Team colleagues who have hosted a number of customers recently
Mars Wrigley impressed to see Tirlán’s approach to sustainability
The Mars Wrigley Procurement & Sustainability team visited Tirlán recently as part of a mission to understand how their suppliers are approaching sustainability around the globe.
The team from the Mars Wrigley US, UK and EU offices started the day at Shane Fitzgerald’s Future Farm in Portlaw and moved to Abbey Quarter afterwards for sustainability and commercial discussions. They then closed the day with an innovation session at the AQ Customer Experience Centre.
Tirlán Senior Key Accounts Manager (Ingredients) Orla Slye told Overherd that, “This was the first time Mars Wrigley’s Global Dairy Sourcing Director has visited Tirlán in Ireland. Mars have a strong sustainability agenda and are keen to understand what their suppliers are undertaking in this space around the globe. They were really impressed to see Tirlán’s approach to sustainability and confirmed to us that we are already way ahead of many other suppliers and regions they are working with.
“Mars are aware of the high production standards Tirlán work to but it was great to get Mars out on farm so they could see our farmers strive for the same on-farm production and sustainability standards. We were also able to take them through the great work our Plant-Based team have achieved with our Gluten Free Oat sales to Kind US which is part of the Mars family.
The Mars Wrigley Team visits Shane Fitzgerald’s ‘Future Farm’ in Portlaw, Couny Waterford
“We got the opportunity to take Mars through our Plant and Protein Powder applications for the first time in our Innovation Session which was held in the Customer Experience Centre. They were particularly complementary as to how we presented both our Dairy and Plant offerings side by side and said it was a first for them. Our plant-based chocolate received very high praise indeed and they even took left over samples with them when they left!
An innovation session was hosted by our Dairy Protein and Plant Based teams where the Mars Wrigley Team got to experience / sample our Dairy and Plant based beverages, ice-cream and chocolate
“The visit overall was very successful and Mars have committed to opening doors to explore other areas of their business as a result. This success is the result of exceptional cross-collaboration with various teams, from Agri, Sustainability and Marketing to Product, Commercial and R&D! There was a big group involved in making this a success and a special thanks to all of those who contributed – #collaborateforsuccess at its finest!”
Condetta GmbH & Co. KG team members visit Ireland for the first time
As part of the Storck group, one of the largest sweets producers globally with brands like Werther’s Original, Merci, Nimm2, Riesen and Dickmanns, Condetta GmbH & Co. KG team members took a whirlwind two-day tour of Tirlán’s sites at Abbey Quarter, the Innovation Centre in Ballyragget, Virginia and Gerard Cooke’s Farm in Co. Meath.
Four of the five guests had never been to Ireland before and all were impressed by the Tirlán spirit, commenting that “they could feel that we like what we do.”
Pictured are Virginia Team Members who hosted guests from Condetta GmbH & Co. KG
Condetta is among the top three buyers of our MPC’s (Milk Protein Concentrate) out of Virginia. They blend our MPC in compounds which dairies in Europe use for producing high protein consumer packaged goods such as pudding, yoghurt, mousses and ready-to-drink shakes.
Regional Sales Manager (Ingredients) Kathrin Pasold told Overherd that “We had great engagement and really intensified the customer relationship during their visit to Ireland. As we’re in a changing market environment with large price corrections it’s the trust the counts a lot to keep sales running best possible.
“Looking towards future opportunities with this customer, they were highly impressed with oat solutions developed by the R&D team and there was also mutual agreement to work on solutions and new market concepts in the years to come.”
The Condetta GmbH & Co. KG Team visits Tirlán’s Innovation Centre in Ballyragget
Overall, there was fantastic cross-collaboration with all the colleagues involved, in front and behind the scenes to make this a memorable trip for the Condetta team.
Ewalco from Sweden focus on health and sustainability
Ewalco, part of the Humble group of companies, sent a team of four people which included their CEO to visit Tirlán late last month.
Starting in Portlaoise, Production & Process Manager Andrew Wilkinson took the team on a tour through the Oat Mill. Then it was off to the Innovation Centre in Ballyragget to provide technical training and tasting sessions on Tirlán’s oats portfolio as well as MPC (Milk Protein Concentrate) and WPI (Whey Protein Isolate). The next day, the team met in Abbey Quarter and were presented with market insights and had some further commercial discussions.
It was a great chance to present our full portfolio, Katherine Pasold explained to Overherd. “Ewalco is a private label manufacturer for sports and healthy nutrition and they currently purchase our MPC from Ballyragget. As they are part of a bigger group, hopefully this visit this will lead to further sales and we are also looking to expand sales of our oats portfolio with the company.”
Technical training and tasting sessions on Tirlán’s oats and proteins portfolio were hosted at the Innovation Centre
Chewing the cud with… Elaine Brady
Chewing the cud with… Elaine Brady
Each month, we put the spotlight on a Tirlán employee and for our May newsletter, we’re talking to Elaine Brady
Ruminant Nutritionist Elaine Brady came straight to Tirlán after she completed her PhD in Early Lactation Dairy Cow Nutrition and is revelling in the role which sees her continue her research work, but also enjoy time in the field with the co-op’s business managers and farmers.
“I’m here a year and a half now. It has absolutely flown by. There was a time when spring would be a busy time but it’s busy year-round now. Last year, we had the fodder crisis and the fall-out from the drought and fertiliser prices. This year, it’s all about helping find sustainable solutions to help farmers after the long winter and struggles with grass growth.
“It’s great to be in a solutions-driven role and to be able to help our teams and our farmers get the results they need, particularly in a more sustainable manner. I’ve noticed an even stronger focus on delivering for our farmers and working closer than ever with them since we went back to our cooperative roots. There is so much regulation coming down the line that it’s crucial that we work closely together.
“When this role came up, I jumped at it. It is the perfect fit for me. I get to focus on the academic and research parts of my job and be outside, working with discussion groups, with our farmer facing teams and on Tirlán events. I grew up on a dairy farm in Westmeath so I also love being out of doors, getting stuck in.
“I enjoy my work on the technical development team and I provide technical updates to our farmer facing teams and farmers. My work also involves reviews and research into any new feed additives such as VistaMilk projects in Moorepark, with a focus on finding solutions to reduce methane emissions. I also work on projects that involve grass-fed substantiation and verification, responsible sourcing of soya and bringing the GAIN Momentum programme to life.
“My work is predominantly desk-based, but at different times of year I get to do dual calls with our business managers and regular training events with them. Lately, I’ve also started doing Discussion Groups with Teagasc which are great.
“Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do today. It is key. We are working hand in hand with our farmer members to drive sustainability in animal nutrition, to increase efficiency and profitability on farms.
“Our farmers are very progressive, very open to help and support. They are enthusiastic and interested in taking on board the advice we give. It makes all the difference when you can get out and see what is happening on the ground and see the research and advice being put into action on farm.”
Elaine has now moved to Kilkenny and makes the two-hour journey back to Westmeath when she can to help out at home. “It made sense to move to Kilkenny and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve taken up running and run twice a week with my work colleague. I like to be outdoors, to run, walk or hike. It recharges the batteries, particularly after a week when you spend lots of time in front of a screen. There’s nothing like it.”