Kerry Dairy Ireland (KDI) chartered an aeroplane a fortnight ago to expressly ship its spreadable butter to the US after retail giant Costco’s stocks of the product ran low.

Speaking at a Kerry IFA meeting last week, KDI CEO Pat Murphy said in recent months the co-op began a trial period supplying spreadable butter made in Listowel to Costco, which is “going so well” the emergency cargo had to be sent by air.

“We had to charter a plane to take 220 pallets of spreadable butter to America because it was selling so well the shops were running out of the product and we had no choice but to get a plane and send the stuff out. At least they won’t be out of stock too long.

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“It is a six-month trial in the States. We’re hoping that over the next three or four months we would establish a good rate of sale,” he added.

New Cheestrings factory

Business is also booming for another of KDI’s consumer foods products, Cheestrings.

Murphy told the assembled farmers the new Cheestrings factory in Listowel that opened last year is running 24/7 with plans to build another new factory in the near future. “The market seems to want more of those natural products, so it looks like we’re going to have to invest again down there in the next 12 to 18 months and put another factory in there to produce more Cheestrings,” the KDI CEO said at the meeting in Tralee.