Milk & Milk Alternative suppliers are continuously diversifying their product offerings, adding fortified or value-added products to their ranges, to satisfy the growing trends in consumers’ healthier lifestyles.
Bearing this in mind, within the Milk & Milk Alternative market, there has been an increase in the level of new-product development, with the main trends and innovations including low-/zero-fat and protein-added variants.
Milk & Milk Alternatives is the fourth-ranked category in grocery in Ireland, according to the Top 100 Categories in the 2022 Checkout Top 100 Brands, in association with NIQ.
There was no change to the top five brands, with Avonmore, Alpro, Premier, Connacht Gold and Lee Strand retaining their positions from 2021.
Published every August, the Checkout Top 100 Brands is based on branded value sales across the Irish grocery sector, making it the most accurate barometer of the biggest-selling brands in the marketplace.
In compiling the report, NielsenIQ measures the sales performance of over 5,000 brands from over 200 product classes.
Ireland’s Top Five Milk & Milk Alternative Brands
1 Avonmore
The Avonmore Creameries Federation was founded in 1966, when 36 smaller co-ops joined forces to form what we now know as Avonmore. According to the company, the aim was to deliver the finest-quality, freshest products without compromise, and, to this end, the newly formed company established its own, brand-new milk-processing facility in Ballyragget, close to the Avon River, from which Avonmore took its name.
2 Alpro
Proud to be the pioneer of plant-based eating, Alpro has been creating plant-based alternatives to milk, yoghurt, cream, custard and desserts – made from non-GM soya beans, coconuts, almonds, hazelnuts, rice and oats – for over 40 years. It can be used just like milk – add a dash to your cuppa, bake it, splash it on cereal, or simply sip it from a glass.
3 Premier
Premier Dairies it has been serving Dublin with the finest-quality milk since 1966. Today, the company notes that it is also ‘proudly’ exporting Premier milk to markets across the world. Premier Dairies is owned by Glanbia Ireland DAC, one of Ireland’s leading dairy and agri-business companies. Glanbia Co-op and Glanbia Ireland announced in August 2022 that they had relaunched as Tirlán.
4 Connacht Gold
Churning milk since 1897, Connacht Gold claims that its roots go back to the nineteenth century, when co-ops formed, to ensure the sustainability of local farming communities. According to the dairy firm today, its brand remains true to those roots: an authentic and trusted brand that plays a role in everyday life and is placed at the heart of every home – on the kitchen table.
5 Lee Strand
Lee Strand is a cooperative society, owned by its farmer shareholders, and employs over 100 people across its various business units. Over 100 years in business, Lee Strand was established in 1920 and began its creamery and production operations in Church Street, in the heart of Tralee, County Kerry. In 1992, Lee Strand relocated to its new, custom-designed production plant, on a ten-acre site in Ballymullen, in Tralee.
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© 2023 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more A-brand news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
