Tirlán’s heritage stretches back to the early 1900s, with the creation of the Irish Co-operative movement. This farmer-owned structure remains in place, as does the commitment to providing quality ingredients to customers.

A key difference today is the scale. The company exports products and tailored ingredients to more than 80 countries, and employs over 2,100 people. Tirlán manages a network of 11 processing plants, with dozens of retail branches and online trading platforms.

“Tirlán is today a global food and nutrition business, with a very diverse portfolio of quality ingredients, and leading consumer brands, both on the dairy and the plant-based side,” says O’Kane. “A key focus is on innovation in dairy and nutrition ingredients, such as specialised whey, milk proteins, as well as grains and plant-based solutions. A big focus today is on the sports and lifestyle space. We’re also well known in the cheese and butter market, as well as in fortified nutrition powders.”

In April 2022, the Glanbia Co-op, as it was then known, became the full owners of the Glanbia Ireland business along with its network of processing facilities. This means that farmers are the true owners of the business. The co-operative also took on the name Tirlán, which comprises the Irish for ‘land’ and ‘abundance’.

Responding to consumer needs

O’Kane currently leads a team focused on speciality nutrition, and dedicated to responding to the needs of consumers. “We develop solutions for infants, sports nutrition, healthy ageing – effectively all stages of life,” he says. “Our team is global, and we’re used to working with large nutrition companies, as well as our own internal R&D experts. We really consider ourselves an extension of our customers’ business, which is kind of the approach that really drives our partnership model.”

Part of this work involves tracking consumer trends. “We see the food and beverage sector constantly evolving, with customers demanding new functionalities,” says O’Kane. “We‘ve seen, for example, the growth of protein consumption over a number of years, and consumers looking for ‘better-for-you’ products.”

While convenience continues to play a big role, it is clear that consumers are unwilling to compromise on nutrition. “This has led to an explosion around protein bars, and protein-fortified hydration,” continues O’Kane. “Consumers want new products and formats that fit into their busy lifestyles. As ingredient solution partners, we want to respond to those changing demands with off-the-shelf functional ingredients, as well as bespoke solutions that meet consumer needs.”

Consumers are also looking for natural and sustainable products, and the Irish dairy industry is working to lower CO2 emissions. “We are working closely with our farming partners to achieve our sustainability goals,” says O’Kane. “Ireland also offers great grass growing conditions, resulting in naturally high nutrient-containing milk products.”

Global partner for ingredient solutions

At Vitafoods Europe 2024 (14-16 May, Geneva), O’Kane and his team will be available to discuss new opportunities. The healthy ageing trend, for example, is only set to grow; whey and milk protein enriched products are increasingly popular, while supplementation is going mainstream.

“We are also a major global supplier of plant-based solutions, such as grains and oats,” says O’Kane. “If you walk through a supermarket, you’ll see that there are plant-based options in numerous categories, including milk, cheese, confectionery, and even infant formula. This is certainly set to grow.”

At Vitafoods Europe, Tirlán will be displaying its OatStanding range of oat flakes and flours, and demonstrating possible applications for its whey protein mixes. “The popularity of whey-based sports products is also going mainstream,” says O’Kane. The company will be demonstrating its Promiko range of whey protein isolates in products ranging from bars to gummies.

O’Kane sees Tirlán’s future as being at the cutting edge of innovation in these fields. The business opened a customer-focused innovation centre in 2021, which integrates multidisciplinary R&D teams and includes a plant-based lab, sensory suites, and a development lab. “This enables us to work really closely with our customers, to find concepts and solutions that meet consumer needs,” says O’Kane. “This is something you’ll be seeing more of from us in 2024.”

Tirlán is a Platinum Conference Sponsor under the ‘Sports and Active Nutrition’ theme.