Ornua operative : welcomes Ireland’s successful export performance driven by appetite for Irish dairy with its unique grass fed taste

January 10, 2018

Ornua, the largest exporter of primary Irish dairy products with annualised sales of c. €2 billion across 110 countries, welcomes today's Bord Bia Export Performance and Prospects 2017-2018 report which details that Ireland's agri-food exports exceeded €1 billion per month for the first-time last year. Dairy emerged as the top performing sector accounting for one third of Ireland's food and drink exports in 2017 with a 19% surge in exports bringing total dairy exports to over €4 billion last year.

Commenting on today's positive news, Jeanne Kelly, Head of Communications and Sustainability said 'We are very pleased to see the Irish dairy sector performing so strongly. Specifically, it is encouraging to see the success of Irish butter in markets around the world. As the number one exporter of Irish butter and owner of the much loved Kerrygold brand, we are delighted that Kerrygold's annual global sales have reached record heights.

Ornua's ambition is to build on this success and diversify Kerrygold from being a world-class butter brand to an instantly recognisable €1 billion dairy brand in the coming years. Made with milk from grass-fed cows, Kerrygold has a unique grass-fed taste that has driven major international success. Continued export success from the dairy sector will no doubt further strengthen Ireland's stellar international reputation as an exporter of quality food and drink products.'