Raising almost €40,000 for charity, this year’s Glanbia 300 has been a resounding success

The 2022 edition of Glanbia 300 finished less than a month ago and since then, the organising team has been busy collecting the final donations and capturing all the kilometres completed.

Thanks to the efforts of our cyclists, our colleagues across Ireland and the generous contributions of family and friends, in excess of 20,000km of activity were completed and nearly €40,000 was raised for charity.

All money donated will be divided evenly between Focus Ireland, Carlow Kilkenny Homecare and The Ford Counselling Centre.

Please click on the image gallery below to see images from the cycle and from across Ireland as colleagues participated in the week-long Glanbia 300.

The next edition of “Glanbia 300” will take place in September of 2023, but as our company will no longer carry the Glanbia name at that time, the name and the event will be updated for a new era – watch this space!

Below is a seven-minute video featuring colleagues who explain why they decided to take part in Glanbia 300 this year and why fundraising like this is so important for charities.

Following last month’s competition, find out who won our popular CountryLife Egg Chair

In last month’s edition of Overherd at Glanbia Ireland, we gave you the chance to win a hanging Egg Chair worth nearly €400, thanks to our colleagues at CountryLife.

All you had to do to win this fantastic prize was tell us why the Egg Chair would be perfect for your outdoor spaces at home this summer.

The Egg Chair has proven a very popular prize with a huge number of competition entries, but there can only be one winner! Congratulations to David Frampton who is a Production Specialist at our Belview site. He told us: “My wife and I have spent the past five years getting our garden to a near finished state. It’s been hard but rewarding work and we are nearly there now, if you are ever really there! This chair would be a beautiful finishing touch to our garden and provide a focal point that we could fight over during the long hot days of the summer months 😊.”

Each month, we put the spotlight on a Glanbia Ireland employee and for our June newsletter, we’re talking to Ming Lim

Malaysian-born Food Science graduate Ming Lim revels in his role as Process Technical Manager in Butter and Dairy in Ballyragget.

The 27 year-old graduated in the US in June 2018 and a month later, he started working with Glanbia in Gooding, Idaho as part of the Graduate Programme. He transferred to Ballyragget in October of last year where he’s become a popular member of the team

“Gooding, Idaho isn’t too different to Ballyragget in terms of the seclusion aspect, it is a small city. Idaho itself is almost like an empty plain, while I am able to enjoy more greenery in Ireland. I live in Kilkenny city because I was told that was the place to be, and I LOVE it. However, rental cost is quite high, so I am sharing a place with a Glanbia student. I’m a bit of a home bird and to relax after work, I like to watch Netflix. I’m also trying to get to know Ireland more by visiting other cities such as Cork, Dublin, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. I’ve also just travelled to Lake Como in Italy, hoping to jumpstart my Europe travel adventures.”

“I love food. It’s great to be in a tourist city like Kilkenny with so many great restaurants. My favourite so far has to be Butcher, particularly for their Lemon Baked Alaska. Following encouragement from my colleagues here in Ballyragget, I started a food Instagram blog, giving my own ratings of the restaurants I’ve dined in. Anyone interested can follow me on @waltontastebuddies.”

“I’ve visited Kilkenny Castle and plan to go to Butler Gallery to see their exhibits. It’s a great city and Ballyragget is close and a fantastic place to work. People have been welcoming and I love the variety in my job. It’s great to link in with different plants on site, working to support the operations team in trouble shooting and problem solving. It offers new and exciting challenges to my role, helping me grow into a better person in and outside from work.”

Ming is also part of a tag rugby team this year, playing alongside 20+ other Glanbia employees. Outside of that, he loves baking and would sometimes bring some baked goods in for his co-workers (excluding nuts, of course). He is also big on birthday/eventful celebrations for his colleagues here in Ballyragget.

While life in Ireland is great, Ming misses home. “It might sound surprising, but I actually love the cold in Ireland. Malaysia has a tropical climate and is very humid with temperatures reaching as high as 35 or 36 degrees. But I miss my parents and my two sisters. My parents and one sister are in Malaysia and my other sister is in Australia. I’ve also left behind friends in the US. We try to stay connected, but it is hard with the time difference.”

Ming came to Ireland with the intention to go back to the US, visa permitting. “The fact that Glanbia Ireland is no longer part of the PLC might complicate matters for me so we will have to see.”

But, he’s enjoying the role and while he isn’t quite sure what his next steps are, he will discuss his future with his line manager.

“Until then, I’m excited to be part of the Irish team during the company’s transition into a fully Co-operative company. I love what I do and where I’m based and Kilkenny is a really great place to be.”

“Sin é,” he quipped.

WFoodBuddies (@waltontastebuddies) • Instagram photos and videos

GI’s Head of Retail appointed to the Board of the Hardware Association Ireland

Senan Foley has recently taken up a directorship role on the Board of the Hardware Association Ireland. Hardware Association Ireland is the national representative body for hardware/DIY retailers and builders merchants, as well as manufacturers/distributors to the trade. They uniquely represent all levels of the supply chain and include within their membership ranks national and international companies, multi-branch chains and smaller independent hardware businesses.

HAI provides an authoritative, co-ordinated and collective voice for the trade. In an uncertain and ever-changing world, this is becoming a critical role for the Association. In addition, the HAI offers a range of networking events throughout the year, designed to bring together hardware professionals in dynamic environments and collaborating in the development of the sector.

Commenting on Senan’s appointment, Glanbia Ireland’s Chief Ingredients & Agri Officer, Sean Molloy said: “It’s great when someone from Glanbia is appointed to an organisation like this as it clearly signals the quality of the people we have working in our business.”

Find out who won our Easter hamper from month’s Overherd

In April’s edition of Overherd at Glanbia Ireland we gave you a chance of winning an indulgent hamper.

All you had to do was tell us what you’ll be serving on the table for lunch on Easter Sunday.

Congratulations to Lab Technician Emma Busher from Wexford who told us her Easter lunch was “a roast leg of lamb with all the trimmings, followed by a Baileys cheesecake desert – festively made in the shell of an easter egg, topped with some Avonmore fresh cream.”

Sounds delicious and we hope you enjoyed it! The hamper is on the way!

Overherd talks to GI Lab Coordinator Bogdan Chaus about the conflict in his home country of Ukraine and his hopes for peace

Ukrainian Bogdan Chaus is a Glanbia Ireland colleague who has worked at our Belview plant since 2016 as a Production Specialist and for the past two years as a Lab Coordinator. Bogdan, his mother and his brother moved to Waterford 15 years ago to be reunited with his father who had been living in the city for two years previously.

Originally from Melitopol in the southeast of Ukraine, the city was one of the first to be occupied by Russian forces at the start of the conflict. Bogdan told Overherd that “Russian troops were quiet enough at the beginning, allowing peaceful protests by Ukrainians against the invasion, but as time went on, they started to use ‘flash-bang’ smoke grenades and began shooting at the feet of protesters. After that, Russian patrols ramped up across the city, all Ukrainian symbols began to be taken down and shops with Ukrainian ads were broken into – the Russian forces are trying to eliminate everything Ukrainian.”

Bogdan’s home city is located between the already annexed Crimea region of Ukraine and the heavily disputed Donbas region, which Russia is laying claim to. Communications with his many friends and family members living in the area have been sparse, with no internet or phone connection for days, leading to anxious periods for Bogdan’s family as they wait to hear news from home. Bogdan told us that both his grandmothers are still in Melitopol along with aunts, uncles and many cousins. “My aunt and her daughter are currently trying to evacuate the city but we have no connection with them, so we don’t know if they’ve escaped or are they still waiting on the humanitarian convoy. Some of my relatives are staying put for different reasons, for example my aunts on either side of the family are staying to take care of my grandmothers who are quite ill, while I have an uncle who is head of the evangelical church in the city – he won’t leave his congregation.”

Thankfully, some of Bogdan’s family have managed to escape the conflict. “My dad’s cousins from Donetsk managed to escape and they are currently in Waterford, staying with my parents. Also, my mother’s best friend’s daughter is staying with them having left Kyiv two weeks ago – it took her seven days to reach Waterford by bus and train.” Speaking of the fantastic community spirit amongst Ukrainians and the people of Waterford, Bogdan told us how emotional it was for everyone involved in the recent St. Patrick’s Day parade. “As we were walking in the parade, everyone had tears in their eyes. We were overwhelmed with the support of the Irish people.”

Although he holds hope for a quick resolution to the conflict, defending the sovereignty of his country is paramount for Bogdan. “Thousands of people have died already and cities have been destroyed, so I understand peace is needed. However, I do not want this peace to only last for a couple of years and for this to happen again. We need strong allies with Ukraine to ensure the peace is kept.”

Bogdan closed the interview with Overherd by saying, “a massive thank you to colleagues in GI and the Irish people for their support of the Ukrainian community in Ireland, the people fleeing and the people still in Ukraine. Immediately the people of Ireland were fast to act in their support, not just financially and with donations of food and clothes, but with their moral support, thoughts, words and prayers.”

Over €14,000 raised by GI in support of Ukraine

Since Glanbia Ireland’s Ukrainian fundraiser was launched last month, over €14,000 has been generously donated by GI employees, our friends and family and our farming community.  The fundraiser is still open and all money raised will go towards supporting UNICEF’s humanitarian efforts on the ground in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, which are dealing with the flood of refugees across their borders.

Simply scan the QR code below or click here to make a donation.

WEBINAR: ‘Helping kids manage their anxiety and discover your own coping strategies during unsettling times’

As part of Glanbia Ireland’s programme of wellbeing events, last week Terri Kruschke from MONERE Development Services presented on the topic of “Helping kids manage their anxiety and discover your own coping strategies during unsettling times.”

Whether it’s the war in Ukraine, the effects of climate change or the impact of Covid, children can be particularly affected by these events and many parents can find it difficult to answer their questions and help ease anxieties.
If you’ve noticed that your own feelings have been triggered by recent events and/or your kids are expressing or showing signs of anxiety, some coping strategies might help you through this period.

If you’d like to get a better understanding of how parents can manage their own anxiety, as well as how to talk through difficult issues with children, please watch the webinar recording below.

Commercial Applications Day takes place at Glanbia Ireland Innovation Centre

Glanbia Ireland Ingredients team recently staged a Commercial Applications Day for staff which took place at the Innovation Centre in Ballyragget. The objective was to showcase the value of using application demonstrations as a way to appeal to potential customers and encourage existing customers to work closely with our specialist teams.

Application demonstrations involve strong collaboration from our technical experts and crucially allow potential customers see a product or ingredient in action and assess how it could function in their own manufacturing process. It is a core engagement tool in bringing tailored solutions and applications to the marketplace.

During this Applications Day, the Ingredients team brought our categories and a selection of applications to life to a wide audience from across the Glanbia Ireland business including Supply Chain, Operations, Quality, R&D and Commercial. This was the first time in over two years the whole business was able to come together. During the day we showcased the customer pain points and showed, first-hand, how an applications demonstration would highlight product functionalities and the value they bring to potential customers.

Feedback from the business was excellent, with many attendees claiming to have learned a lot through the experience. The next applications day for the rest of the internal teams is being developed and we look forward to welcoming our customers to the GIIC.

Please check out the video below for a flavour of what attendees experienced…

Glanbia Ireland pledges €50,000 donation package to people of Ukraine

With a humanitarian crisis unfolding before our eyes in Ukraine, many innocent peoples’ lives are being lost as families are forced to flee from their homes.

Glanbia Ireland is showing its support for the people of Ukraine by joining the international effort to assist the humanitarian work already underway.

We have pledged a donation package of €50,000 to help those displaced. This will include direct monetary aid of over €30,000 and an initiative to provide 250,000 nutritional, milk powder-based meal kits using over 5 tonnes of milk powder from Glanbia farmers to Ukrainian refugees fleeing into Poland.

Our monetary donation will go directly to UNICEF and its team on the ground, who are already at work to help the millions of displaced children and their families as they search for safety.

It’s all part of a number of company and community-driven initiatives which sees Glanbia Ireland, its employees and farm family suppliers creating the donation package which will be distributed with the help of UNICEF to those most in need in the region.

Production of the humanitarian cargo is taking place at the Epicom/Complex Nutrition plant in Navan and is expected to be ready for transport next week.

Such is the demand for the ready to use meal kits that the Ukrainian Embassy is to fly part of the donation directly to Poland as soon as it clears the three-day quality approval testing phase. The remainder will be shipped by other volunteer companies who are covering all of the transport and logistics costs involved.

Complex Nutrition has been a Glanbia Ireland third party manufacturer over several years and they joined together with GI’s Head of Third-Party Sourcing, Martin Tynan (pictured), to make this shipment happen.

Martin said: “Everyone feels so helpless, so we were delighted to get the call from Complex Nutrition looking for support. Everyone involved here can feel that they have done something very useful, very worthwhile. We’ve all been stuck to the news and every single farm family supplier, employee and more has played a part in this and should feel proud.”

Each month, we put the spotlight on a Glanbia Ireland employee and for our March newsletter, we spoke to Orlagh Lally, GI Branch Assistant

Orlagh works part-time as a Branch Assistant out of our Athboy branch, juggling her role with her studies in DCU as well as training and playing with the Meath Senior Ladies Football Team.

Orlagh joined the Glanbia Ireland team in May 2021, not long after she discovered her interest in all things agriculture. That passion grew from previous part-time work when she began milking cows for a local dairy farmer. Her mother came from a farming background, so it’s likely that the interest in farming was always there, but had been untapped.

In her busy and varied role as a Branch Assistant, Orlagh does the lion’s share of her work behind the counter on sales. She revels in the customer interactions and has gained a lot of knowledge around different products the branch offers. This knowledge has allowed her to really improve in her customer service role and she routinely recommends the best products for customers.

Orlagh balances a busy schedule. Alongside her work at Glanbia, she studies Nursing at DCU. Sport is a very big part of Orlagh’s life and 2020 and 2021 were epic years for her. Her dedication and persistent hard work on the sports field earned her both intermediate and senior All Ireland medals over two consecutive years. Glanbia Ireland has been very supportive to Orlagh as she continuous her sporting career.

When Orlagh first joined Glanbia, we were in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Glanbia branches operated on a click and collect basis only. Since restrictions were eased, Orlagh has gotten to know her team very well, along with many of the Glanbia Ireland board members too.

Orlagh has been impressed by the Glanbia team spirit and described it best as “everyone working for each other”. The renowned and dedicated team player said there is a fantastic team spirit within the Glanbia workplace, which she acknowledged also feeds into the spirit she has carried over into her football career.