Kerrygold reaches €1bn annual retail sales globally
The Kerrygold brand was created by Sir Anthony O’Reilly in 1962, CEO of, what was then called, An Bord Bainne (Irish Dairy Board). His vision was to establish Kerrygold as a premium brand.
Kerrygold Butter, 7.5m packets of which are sold every week, is the number two butter brand in the US, the top butter brand in Germany, as well as being the fastest selling branded product on supermarket shelves in Germany and the number three block butter brand in the UK.
History of Kerrygold
1961 - An Bord Bainne (Irish for The Irish Dairy Board) is established to “promote, facilitate, encourage, assist, co-ordinate and develop the exportation of milk and milk products”
1962 - The Kerrygold brand name is chosen from a total of 60 suggestions (including Buttercup, Tub-o-Gold, Leprechaun, Golden Farm) and the Kerrygold brand is launched, not in Ireland, but in the UK
1964 - Kerrygold starts exporting to markets overseas, such as Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Middle East, Gulf States, Canary Islands, the Caribbean and Asia
1973 - Kerrygold is exported to EEC member states including Germany
1973 - 11 years after launching in the UK and around the globe, Kerrygold goes on sale in Ireland
1980 - A new Kerrygold logo is unveiled
1991 – Kerrygold milk powder launches in the Congo
1991 - Kerrygold expands the range of Kerrygold cheese and butter products to the US
1999 - Kerrygold Butter launches in the US
2005 - Kerrygold gets its very own German street, Kerrygoldstrasse
2010 - Kerrygold launches what is its current logo
2014 - Kerrygold receives planning approval for Kerrygold Park, a butter manufacturing and packing plant in County Cork
2016 - Kerrygold Park opens - the new global home for the manufacturing and packaging of Kerrygold butter products
2019 – Kerrygold reaches €1bn annual retail sales globally
About Ornua
Ornua markets and sells dairy products on behalf of its members; Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers. It is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, exporting to 110 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Dublin, it has annualized sales of more than €2bn ($2,24bn) and has a global team of 2,200 employees. Ornua operates from 10 business units worldwide, including 14 production facilities, and has sales and marketing teams working in-market around the world.
The Group is structured across two divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients.
Ornua Foods is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands, including Kerrygold, Kerrygold Dubliner, Pilgrims Choice, Forto and BEO milk powders. Markets are served by production facilities and in-market sales and marketing teams in Africa, Asia, Germany, Ireland, the UK, the rest of Europe, the Middle East and the US.
Ornua Ingredients is responsible for the procurement of Irish and non-Irish products, and for the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers across the world. It is also responsible for managing volatility through de-risking and trading strategies.
