Cork dairy secures €1.4m ice cream contract with Tesco

Family business employs 90 people in Fermoy

Joe Manning, Commercial Director at Tesco Ireland and Thea Murphy, Managing Director at Silver Pail Dairy celebrating the €1.4m contract to supply Tesco Ireland’s own-label ice cream. Picture: Naoise Culhane

Tesco has entered into a new €1.4m contract with Cork company Silver Pail Dairy to supply its Tesco own-label ice cream. 

Silver Pail Dairy in Fermoy will supply a range of tub, block and pint-sized ice-cream products to Tesco stores nationwide and online. 

A family business, employing 90 people in Fermoy, Silver Pail was founded in 1978 by Michael Murphy, and has grown to become the largest independent ice cream manufacturer in Ireland.

The company is now run by Michael’s daughter, Managing Director, Thea Murphy who said: “As a family-run business in operation for over 40 years, we are delighted to work with Tesco to develop this new range which showcases the best local dairy produce in delicious ice-creams which will be sold throughout Ireland,"

"The contract to supply ice cream to Tesco is a significant addition to our business and further secures the jobs of our local workforce and many local and Irish suppliers.” 

Silver Pail Dairy joins the 490 suppliers which Tesco works with in Ireland, of which almost three-quarters are small and medium enterprises employing fewer than 250 people. This in turn supports almost 14,000 farming families nationwide.

Joe Manning, Commercial Director, Tesco Ireland, said: “This new partnership with Silver Pail reflects our focus on supporting Irish suppliers, Irish agrifood and the Irish economy. We are committed to our 490 Irish suppliers, of which many are local, family-run businesses like Silver Pail, and which in turn benefits almost 14,000 farming families nationwide."