By Business & Finance 
Pictured: John Jordan, Chief Executive, Ornua
Ornua has become the first Irish food brand to exceed €1 billion in annual sales, having recently found success in the US market as a result of targeting the premium food brand section in high-end retailers
Ornua, the Irish agri-food cooperative, is the Business & Finance Company of the Month for August 2020. The group has become the first Irish food brand to exceed €1 billion in annual sales, having recently found success in the US market as a result of targeting the premium food brand section in high-end retailers.
The group is also set to invest $10 million (€8.7 million) in one of its US cheese-making facilities to increase production capacity by almost a third. Its Hilbert, Wisconsin cheese ingredients facility will see a warehouse increase of 22,000sq ft, adding up to a 30 per cent increase in production capacity.
Bernard Condon, managing director of Ornua Ingredients, said of this: “This latest round of investment is consistent with the investments made since Ornua acquired Thiel Cheese and it is a business that will see further investment over the coming year.”
Last year, the business supplied cheese for about 50 million pizzas.
Ornua has 2400 people working in 13 different sites in 8 countries around the world. Like a lot of companies, the group was forced to take a ‘work from home’ approach under COVID-19 restrictions.
John Jordan, Chief Executive of Ornua, said in an Ireland INC Leadership Series webinar in April that it is vital to keep communication clear and consistent at this time: “The most important thing is staying connected. Having strong communication,” he said.
As an example, he told viewers how Ornua keeps communication channels open with weekly online briefings, and highlighted the growing social community taking off in the company through quizzes and regular yoga sessions.
Business & Finance, Company of the Month
Business & Finance, in association with KPMG, recognises excellence in business through the ‘Company of the Month’ award. The Company of the Month award recognises the company which best demonstrates outstanding business leadership, sustainable growth, innovative strategy, strong financial returns and employee development.
