HILBERT, Wis. – Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Simon Coveney, today officially opened a new $12 million facility at Thiel Cheese & Ingredients (Thiel). The new facility is part of an $80 million expansion investment made by the Irish Dairy Board (IDB) in their U.S. Food Ingredients business. The investment expands the production capability of the business by more than 40 percent and continues to support the 135 jobs which exist in the business.
“We are excited to open this state-of-the-art facility at Thiel Cheese & Ingredients in Wisconsin,” said Neil Cox, President of IDB’s U.S. Food Ingredients. “Wisconsin, like Ireland, has a proud tradition of producing some of the best dairy products in the world and has developed into a hub of innovation for cheese production. This new facility enhances our ability to create innovative food solutions that meet the evolving needs of our U.S. customer base and their brands.”
IDB acquired the Thiel business in 2011 and, since then, the business has grown strongly with sales rising to $80 million in 2013, up 13 percent. Thiel supplies cheese and cheese-based ingredients to some of America’s largest food companies.
“I’m delighted to be here today to mark this significant new investment by IDB. This new facility will further strengthen the positioning of Ireland and Irish Agri-business expertise in the United States as well as support the economic prospects of Irish dairy farmers,” said Minister Coveney at the opening. “We are entering an exciting time for the Irish dairy sector as EU milk quotas will be abolished next April and today’s opening represents the kind of investment which will help the sector realize its true potential.”
The new Thiel development is a state-of-the art facility which includes a Customer Innovation Center created to develop new products and functional dairy solutions for Thiel’s U.S. food ingredients and food service customers, keeping the company at the forefront of the food ingredients business in the U.S. The facility also boasts some of the most advanced cheese processing equipment in the U.S. dairy industry.
IDB is Ireland’s largest exporter of dairy products. Founded more than 50 years ago, IDB is best known for its Kerrygold and Dubliner brands. Ireland, like Wisconsin, is known around the world as a producer of top quality dairy produce.
About the Irish Dairy Board
The Irish Dairy Board (IDB) is an agri-food commercial co-operative which markets and sells dairy products on behalf of its members, Ireland’s dairy processors and the Irish dairy farmer.
The IDB has annualised sales in the region of €2 billion. Headquartered in Dublin, the business employs some 3,100 people globally. It is responsible for exporting circa 60% of Ireland’s dairy products to over 100 countries.
The IDB’s core purpose is to bring quality Irish dairy products to markets around the world. It does this by sharing the story of Irish farming and explaining how Irish dairy products are produced from the milk of grass-fed cows, the most sustainable dairy farming system in the world. By building markets for dairy products, it aims to increase the value of Irish milk and to deliver strong returns for Irish farmers.
The IDB are the proud owners of the Kerrygold brand which is found in shops and homes all around the world. Its brand portfolio also includes Pilgrims Choice, Dubliner cheese, and BEO, a popular milk powder sold in Africa.
With pre-packing and blending facilities located in Germany, the UK, the USA and the Middle East and extensive R&D experience, the Group is constantly exploring new formulation possibilities to enhance its ingredients range. It develops bespoke food ingredient solutions for many of the world’s major food manufacturers.
The business structure is based on three core platforms; Consumer Foods, Dairy Trading and Ingredients and DPI, a specialty food distribution company in the US. Group subsidiaries in the UK, Germany and the USA pack, distribute and market a wide selection of branded products, dairy ingredients, specialty grocery, delicatessen and gourmet food items of both Irish and non-Irish origin.
IDB U.S. Food Ingredients
The IDB entered the US Food Ingredients market in 2008, with the formation of Meadow Ingredients. In 2011 it acquired Thiel Cheese & Ingredients, a leading provider of cheese and cheese based ingredients to the US Food Ingredient and Food Service sectors.
Sustainability was forefront in the design criteria for the new facility. The new development includes innovative technologies designed to reduce the environmental impact of production through steam generation, capture and recycle systems as well as ambient air cooling systems.
Source: Irish Dairy Board (IDB)
