Kerrygold enjoys record year in US with 17% rise in year-on-year sales

PRELIMINARY sales data indicates that 2011 is likely to have been a record year for the Kerrygold brand in the US with year-on-year sales up 17% on a constant currency basis.

Kerrygold is the principal brand of the Irish Dairy Board (IDB), the dairy sector promotional body which in 2010 reported €850m as the figure for total international exports out of its Irish operation. The IDB’s annual report is expected to reveal international sales up 19%.

Commenting on the progress achieved in the US market in 2011, IDB chief executive Kevin Lane said: “As Irish dairy output is forecasted to grow by 50% by 2020 under the government-backed Food Harvest 2020 report, it is vital that the Kerrygold brand — as one of Ireland’s most iconic international food brands — continues to provide a premium route to market for Irish dairy products. Innovation and continued geographic expansion are core elements of the IDB’s ambitious international growth strategy and further investment in these areas is a priority for 2012.”

Kerrygold has enjoyed double digit sales growth in the US market over the past 10 years. The 17% growth prediction coincides with the visit of Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, to the Food Emporium epicurean supermarket in New York.

The Kerrygold brand was one of the key players at the New York event. The US is a key growth market for Kerrygold.

“Kerrygold is one of Ireland’s most iconic international success stories and I am delighted to mark a record year for the brand in the important US market,” Mr Deenihan said. “Exports have a significant role to play in Ireland’s economic recovery and with the ambitious expansion targets set out for the dairy sector in the government’s Food Harvest 2020 report, it is encouraging to see the Irish Dairy Board making such strong strides in driving dairy exports in important markets such as the US.”

The Kerrygold brand in the US includes a range of premium Irish butters and cheeses. The US product range expanded in 2011 with the commencement of an exclusive co-opetition agreement between the IDB and the Grubb Family to market and sell Kerrygold Cashel Blue throughout the US.

The 17% growth in the US is a welcome development for the IDB, following on the record growth in the German market highlighted in the 2010 accounts, and delivered principally by sales of Kerrygold and Kerrygold Extra products.

The IDB’s other brands familiar to Irish consumers include Cashel Blue and Dubliner.