Arrabawn Conor Ryan

Arrabawn’s primary focus is on ensuring that our milk processing business has the capacity to process all our suppliers’ milk after the abolition of quotas in 13 months. Our investment plans centre around the twin aims of adding value and improving efficiency. The primary focus is on energy efficiency, further development of our casein processing capacity and maximising the added value return from our whey stream.

Our primary processing side has been totally revamped in the last few years. This year, we intend to connect to natural gas on the site and have in place 30% extra capacity for milk immediately. A number of key projects are running which will further increase capacity.

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As a result of the purchase of Dawn Dairies’ liquid milk business and its integration into our Kilconnel site where we have gone from 16m litres annually to 50m litres, we are in a position to avail of future opportunities in this market with a well-invested centrally located facility.

Our agri-trading division has consolidated two feed mills into one and continues to grow market share of a more competitive cost base.

The co-op enters this period from a low debt level and is confident of funding all the projects required to deliver on the plans outlined above.

Lakeland Dairies Michael Hanley

Lakeland has an intensive focus on new business development with high-quality contracts and a growing customer base.

Our dairy plants have world-class technology, maximising the value of every litre of milk sent to us for processing. We have made major investments in facilities and we have the finance to invest further where needed.

With 170 different dairy foodservice and food ingredient products, we export our output to blue-chip customers in 70 countries across the globe. These include top restaurant chains, five-star hotels, global airlines and multinational food manufacturers. All our customers want more of our dairy products and we have the capacity to meet that growing demand with our expertise in long-life UHT technology, ice-creams, butterfats, powders, caseins, lactose and whey.

We have successfully built, commissioned and paid for a new milk dryer at Bailieboro. This has streamlined our butter and powder production onto one major site. Our global foodservice distribution facilities are also being upgraded.

We have the required international distributor partnerships.

Our priority is to achieve all future growth on a long-term and sustainable basis. We will continue to pay a leading milk price while ploughing all of our growing profits back into the Lakeland, farmer-owned and controlled co-operative.

Kerry Group Frank Hayes

Milk processing is an integral part of the Kerry Group business model. Kerry Group has continued to invest in expanding and upgrading its dairy processing facilities in recent years to meet future growth in milk supplies from the group’s 3,700 milk suppliers and to meet stringent customer requirements.

Kerry’s processing facilities are based in Listowel, Co Kerry; Charleville, Co Cork; and in Newmarket, Co Cork. (Newmarket Creameries, a leading manufacturer of cheese, was acquired by Kerry Group in October 2010).

Investment at the Listowel, Charleville and Newmarket sites (including acquisition of Newmarket Creameries) during the past five years has exceeded €100m. Kerry expects to have capacity to process projected Kerry Group milk supply from its supplier base post expiry of milk quotas.

The Group’s supply catchment area includes Counties Kerry, Clare and Limerick, and adjoining areas of Co Galway and Co Cork.

Kerry Group has continued to invest in its commercial operations throughout the world and to build close partnerships with major global customers in all regions, including developing markets. This framework and ongoing investment in its Irish dairy processing facilities will ensure continued growth in export opportunities for sustainably produced dairy output from Kerry’s dairy supply base – enabling the group to fulfil its milk price commitment to suppliers.

Aurivo Aaron Forde

Aurivo’s strong balance sheet has been underpinned by a strong performance in 2013. It is continuing its investment in operations and world-class manufacturing to ensure the business is cost-efficient, competitive and sustainable. The introduction of a biomass energy system will result in a sustainable energy solution —utilising woodchip from Aurivo subsidiary company ECC Teo, with further plant upgrades and efficiencies planned, including combined heat and power.

Aurivo recognises the importance of developing supplier support programmes. A new on-farm profitability and sustainability programme is being introduced in 2014 to support our supplier base through research on farm, adopting latest technology and on-farm advice.

Aurivo is actively responding to changing customer needs, focusing on developing consumer-focused product solutions within Ireland and internationally. The continual strengthening of our business partnerships in our target markets, a comprehensive understanding of these markets and continued development work are key components of our customer focus programme.

Our growing customer base, innovation and world-class operations will reinforce Aurivo’s strong milk price performance in 2013, in both manufacturing and liquid, with our supplier base being partners in our profitability and sustainability programme.

Tipperary Co-op Ted O’Connor

Tipperary Co-op has set out its vision to be customer-led and a provider of niche solutions for its customers.

We have a strong technical team with emphasis on innovation and product development/enhancement. We have positioned our core products in strong and growing markets.

We supply all our butter production to the Irish Dairy Board and our butter is sold under the Kerrygold brand in Germany. With regard to powders, we are suppliers to infant formula producers, which is a high-end and growing market.

Our Emmental cheese is marketed by the Irish Dairy Board under the Kerrygold label and by our own subsidiary in France. We have developed a range of innovative products to meet our French and Spanish customer base.

Over many years we have invested in our processing facilities and they operate to a very high standard. We are well positioned to process the expected growth in milk volumes, post 2014.

We are confident that the added value premium products and lean management programme will enable us to pay a good milk price and maintain Tipperary Co-op in a strong financial position.

Glanbia Jim Bergin

Following the reorganisation of the Group in 2012, GIIL is in a strong financial position to invest in performance, clinical and infant nutrition. Over €180m has been committed to our greenfield production facility at Belview following investment in Ballyragget of over €100m in the preceding years.

Strong resourcing of our innovation capability, both internally in GIIL and through investments in Food Health Ireland, Moorepark Technology and the Dairy Processing Technology Centre, will ensure an aggressive pipeline of developments for ever more discerning customers.

The strengthening of our milk advisory team will enable GIIL to nurture our supplier base through an exciting and challenging growth phase. Financial training of suppliers, productivity and sustainability programmes will help to develop capability on-farm while managing milk price volatility through our pricing mechanisms will be fundamental to stable supplier income.

Ongoing investment in our global sales footprint in Africa, Middle East and Asia will underpin our ability to optimise product volumes into the higher-income market sectors in these regions.

Carbery Group Dan McSweeney

Carbery Group’s business strategy is focused on delivering a competitive milk price and strong business growth into the future, building around the pillars of dairy, nutrition and taste.

Its dairy platform is very closely associated with the Irish Dairy Board and its route to value through market-leading cheese and butterfat brands. Carbery believes in the future potential of the Kerrygold brand. Carbery is currently investing €6m in new, cutting-edge cheese-making technology. The Ballineen facility is well-placed to process the expected volumes of new milk post quota.

Carbery will continue to build on its nutritional expertise to deliver more value-added products and ingredients to customers, underpinned by the strong R&D focus on health-enhancing and nutritional fractions. Carbery and its Brazilian partner, BRF, have invested €40m to process whey in Brazil and will commission this facility in 2014. This will use Carbery technology to process and market specialised whey ingredients for the South American nutritional market.

The group will continue to expand Synergy, its taste and natural extracts business, commissioning a new centre of excellence for flavour development and manufacture in Chicago.

Its new flavour production facility in Thailand, commissioned in 2013, will be a key support to its growth ambitions in the Asian market.

Dairygold Jim Woulfe

Dairygold today is a well-invested business following the completion of phase one of its strategy, delivering a strong financial performance and paying a leading milk price. Following considerable investment, we are an efficient processor with a flexible product portfolio and significant strategic customer relationships.

Our strategic Post Quota Plan (phase two) has been overwhelmingly endorsed by members with its objective to maximise members’ returns, minimise risk and ensure sustainable business growth.

Members who complete a milk supply agreement will all have their extra post quota milk accepted and milk forecasting will ensure the right capacity is in place to maintain processing efficiency.

The fundamental elements of the plan are well advanced including forecasting, investment in capability and developing strategic customer relationships and other routes to market for our cheese and IMF centric product portfolio.

Dairygold will meet market demand and add value through the development of a new state-of-the-art milk drying facility capable of producing the full range of milk powders to enhance our nutritional business.