Our Heritage

At Avonmore we believe that by bringing people together, great things can often happen.

This was certainly the case in Ballyragget, Co. Kilkenny in 1966 when a group of dairy farmers came together one day to create what has since become Ireland’s #1 milk brand.

The Avonmore Creameries Federation was founded in 1966 when 36 smaller co-ops joined forces to form what we now know as Avonmore. The aim was to deliver the finest quality, freshest products without compromise, and to this end the newly formed company established their own brand new milk processing facility in Ballyragget, close to the Avon River from which Avonmore took its name.

Today Avonmore is the #1 milk brand in Ireland. We believe that it is by sticking to our founding principles of innovation, freshness and quality without compromise that we have achieved our position in the homes of Irish families.

1964

1964

The 1960’s saw the joining of many small, locally focused co-operatives across Ireland. Waterford Co-op Society was formed.

1966

Avonmore Creameries Federation formed with over 36 small rural co-operative Creamery societies from the Villages of County Kilkenny, Ireland.

1967

The increased processing capacity required following the formation of Avonmore led to Avonmore entering a venture with Unigate the largest milk processor in the UK. This led to the construction of a new multi-purpose dairy plant in Ballyragget, Co.Kilkenny. The plant was at that time the biggest processing facility in Europe.

1968

The first gallon of milk was processed on 1 May 1968 and by the end of December the Ballyragget plant had processed 6.5 million gallons.

1973

The first Avonmore bulk milk collection on 5 March 1973.

1979

Avonmore was the first dairy producer in Ireland to process over 100 million gallons of milk in a year.

1981

Avonmore Fresh Milk (the first Irish milk brand) was launched on the Dublin market on 1 June 1981, and went on to become the leading milk brand nationally.

1984

In its 3rd year on the Irish market, Avonmore Fresh Milk reached nine million gallons.

1988

Avonmore Foods plc and Waterford Foods plc were floated on the Irish Stock Exchange.

1997

Avonmore Foods plc and Waterford Foods plc merged to form Avonmore Waterford Group (AWG) plc. The combined entity was the fourth biggest dairy processor in Europe and the fourth biggest cheese producer in the world.

1999

The change of title from Avonmore Waterford Group to Glanbia became official on 4 March 1999.

2017

Avonmore today is the most purchased grocery brand in Ireland and is enjoyed by over 80% of households on a daily basis. Our focus on innovative products across milk, cheese, cream and soups bring the benefits of great ingredients and quality dairy to generations of Irish people every day.