Article appeared in issue 1, 2020

Irish Yogurts Clonakilty, the family-run business, based in west Cork, is a member of Origin Green Ireland’s food and drink sustainability programme led by Bord Bia (the Irish Food Board).

“Independently-verified, Origin Green enables food producers like us to set and achieve measurable sustainability targets reducing environmental impact and respecting the environment and local communities,” said Ivor Sweetnam, marketing manager, Irish Yogurts Clonakilty. “Our aim is to do everything in our power to reduce our carbon footprint. From identifying environmentally friendly suppliers of our raw materials, to using milk from Bord Bia-accredited farms, Irish Yogurts Clonakilty is fully committed to making a difference.”

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Churning technology

Irish Yogurts Clonakilty has a unique churn-style technology, where the yogurt is given characteristics, such as smooth, creamy body and texture, and better quality and taste from the way it is churned. This enhances its appeal locally, but also to export countries. “We don’t use any artificial colours or flavours in the churning process, with the main ingredients being family-farm fresh milk, together with real fruit and live-yogurt cultures. Our continuous new product development and innovation play a pivotal role in the popularity of our yogurts, appealing to retailers and food-service suppliers in Europe and the Middle East,” Ivor continued.

 

Export success

“Irish Yogurts Clonakilty currently exports to the UK market supplying Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s and Aldi UK and we also export and deliver yogurt into the German market.

“The Gulfood 2020 event will be a key platform for Irish Yogurts Clonakilty to grow this business. We have great experience of the Middle East market, supplying Alosra Supermarkets and exporting into the Kingdom of Bahrain, so our main aim at Gulfood is to vastly grow this business and become a key player in the market.”