There are nine Cleary brothers, and all work in the family business which is Tullamore Dairies, established by their late father back in 1979 as a direct method of dealing with the milk from a dairy herd of almost 350 cows. Before he died in 1994, Mr Cleary senior had discussed with his son, Vincent, the possibility of sourcing and supplying organic milk and yoghurt as another element of the dairy's operation. Approaches were made to local organic farmers with a view to buying their milk, but at the time the logistics proved too awkward. After his father's death Vincent Cleary, who had been working in Germany in the tourism business, looked again at the logistics, and decided he wasn't troubled by travelling a few thousand miles every month, from the family base near Killeigh (a few miles out of Tullamore), in an old Ford transit van, with a clatter of milk churns, to collect the milk from three organic dairy farmers. As things progressed, he was able to improvise by putting a tanker into the back of the van. Now, he had a sort-of milk tanker, and Glenisk organic foods was all set. Certification for the Glenisk plant was sought from IOFGA, approval was given, and in spring 1997, using the milk of less than a handful of organic farmers, Glenisk Organic Yoghurt was launched.
"We were lucky because Tullamore dairies had opened the doors of the multiples for us," says Vincent's brother, Brendan Cleary, wrapped up in his white laboratory coat in the chill of the dairy which is devoted to Glenisk foods, next door to the Tullamore Dairies plant.
"Our entry into the organic sector stems from personal beliefs which we share and is our own little way of stating to consumer and farmer alike that there is an alternative way," Vincent says. "We are proud that we are rewarding these custodians of the countryside with the highest milk price in the country." He is also greatly encouraged by the fact that the dairies supply of milk is increasing all the time, and by next spring they will be sourcing milk from eight organic farmers.
This extra supply should allow the steady increase not only of Glenisk Organic yoghurts, but also of Glenisk Organic milk, which made its debut last year, in one-litre cartons, for a few months while there was surplus milk. Organic milk has been available in UK supermarkets for some years now, but until Glenisk there has not been an Irish supplier. The prospect of regular organic milk, produced in Tullamore and sold through the multiples, is a hugely important step forward for organics in Ireland, where we are even denied the sale of raw (unpasteurised) milk.
The Cleary brothers, all nine of them, are game for the challenge. "It's not money that attracts us," Vincent says. "It's more a way of life."
There are plans, then, for an organic baby yoghurt dessert, for spring 1999, and an organic cheese, made by Pat Hyland of Abbey Blue Brie, has also begun to appear. "I lived in Germany for many years with my German-born wife, and whenever another German queried my origin and I informed them that I was from Ireland, they would reply fondly, `Irland der gruene insel'," Vincent says. "All I can say is, let's keep it that way."
Tullamore Dairies/Glenisk Foods, Killeigh, Tullamore, Co Offally. Tel: (0506) 44259