Kerrygold becomes first Irish food brand to reach €1bn milestone

The Kerrygold brand has exceeded €1bn in annual retail value, the first Irish food brand to reach this milestone.

Farmer shareholders in the Ornua brand attended a celebration to mark the achievement at the Kerrygold Kitchen in Ornua.

The event was attended by Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, and Ornua Foods managing director Róisín Hennerty.

Róisín Hennerty said:

While Kerrygold holds a unique place in the hearts of the Irish people, we are especially proud that the brand has captured the hearts and imagination of consumers all over the world. The future is bright for Kerrygold.

The Kerrygold brand was created in 1962 by Tony O’Reilly, CEO of what was then called Bord Bainne. Today, more than 7.5 million packets of the gold foil are sold globally each week.

Kerrygold is the No2 butter brand in the USA and the No1 butter brand in Germany, as well as being the fastest selling branded product on supermarket shelves in Germany.

Mr Creed said: “The Kerrygold brand is an amazing asset for Irish dairy farmers and its promotion of Ireland’s unique grass- fed credentials has been instrumental in enhancing Ireland’s reputation around the world as a sustainable food producer.”

While today’s sales are assisted by online campaigns, Kerrygold previously captured global attention with TV advertising catchlines including “who’s taking the horse to France?” and “put a bit of butter on the spuds, André”.