Cream of the crop
A farmer-owned dairy co-operative in Cork has launched a graduate programme designed to support the future growth and development of the business.
The co-operative, North Cork Creameries in Kanturk, has already welcomed 4 talented graduates under its new programme. The graduate development programme is aimed primarily at graduates from disciplines including agricultural science, food science, food marketing, information technology, logistics, engineering and business.
Staff from the co-operative have recently been visiting third level institutions, advising students and careers departments of the programme.
The 4 new entrants to the 2022 programme are UCC graduates Emma Murphy (environmental science), Alvin Johnson (science), and Kevin Geary (food marketing and entrepreneurship), and MTU Kerry graduate Caroline Hedigan (agricultural science).
North Cork Creameries Chief Executive, Pat Sheahan, said: “North Cork Creameries has an excellent workforce with strong business capability, technical expertise, skills and experience. We want to ensure our continuing progress by offering excellent career development opportunities to talented young graduates from key agrifood related disciplines.
“This will enhance our organisational capacity as we pursue further growth and long-term sustainability for our co-operative in the interests of our farm families and the customers who we supply throughout the world.”
The new development programme provides entrants with the opportunity to enhance and develop their skills including placements in various functions and departments in the business, relevant to their discipline. Each participant is also provided with mentoring support and advice to ensure their progress and career development. North Cork Creameries recently achieved further national success as the co-operative’s Ór-Real Irish Butter was added to shelves across the entire SuperValu network and is now also being rolled out to Centra stores across the country.
Proving highly popular with consumers, Ór-Real Irish Butter is made using the highest quality milk produced by local farm families and is prepared in Kanturk using traditional butter churning methods.
North Cork Creameries has won a number of awards over the past few years including gold in the dairy butter category at last year’s Blas na hÉireann awards. It has also won the Irish Quality Food and Drink Q Awards for a number of successive years as well as medals at the Great Taste Awards in 2019 and 2020. Last year, the co-operative produced over 43,000 tonnes of milk powders, butter and liquid milk products for the international and domestic markets, made using locally produced milk.