Glenilen Farm first to market with Irish-made yoghurt pouches

West Cork food producer Glenilen Farm has become the first Irish-owned company to bring yoghurt pouches to the market, with the family-owned company launching a range of on-the-go pouches.

Its 160g kefir protein pouches, aimed at adults and older teenagers, combine kefir — a cultured, fermented yoghurt said to be gut-friendly — with 15g of protein. They are available in strawberry and mango flavours, while a 350g pot containing 33g of protein also forms part of the range. Yoghurt pouches aimed at children, meanwhile, are available in vanilla and strawberry flavours.

Glenilen Farm began in the kitchen of Valerie Kingston and Alan Kingston’s home in Drimoleague in 1997, with the husband-and-wife team creating cheesecakes and yoghurts for the local country market. The company now employs more than 50 people, producing a wide variety of yoghurts using milk from neighbouring farms.

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“Our team is constantly looking at ways to innovate using simple, natural ingredients and our new range is backed up by research into what consumers want,” said Valerie Kingston.

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Glenilen Farm continues to absorb a large number of the rising costs facing its business, meaning its own price inflation has remained below 1 per cent over the past three years, she added.

“Food inflation is now at 14 per cent which is a huge worry for families. The rising cost of groceries is having such an impact on people that we made a conscious decision not to raise our prices,” said Ms Kingston.