Premium Oats grower lands Glanbia Ireland 2021 Grain Supplier of the Year Award

Glanbia Ireland recently announced the annual Grain Growers Award winners. The annual awards programme recognises the excellence delivered by our grain growers each year in producing top-class Irish crops which are used in a variety of end products in the food and beverage sectors. 

Kildare grain growers Matt and Luke Dempsey have claimed the Glanbia Ireland Grain Supplier of the Year Award for 2021, amid strong competition from across the country following a bumper harvest. 

The growers from Celbridge in Co Kildare were amongst 12 suppliers honoured for their dedication and attention to detail in grain production. 

Matt and Luke Dempsey operate a tillage and beef enterprise, with around 250 acres allocated to cereal crops. 

“We are truly delighted to have been selected for the Grain Supplier of the Year Award. We take great pride in delivering top-class crops and constantly strive to innovate and operate sustainable practices on our farm,” said Matt Dempsey whose Griffenrath Farm Partnership won the Food Grade Oats award with a gluten-free oats crop delivering an average specific weight of 59.3 kph at 15.5% moisture across 240 tonnes. 

Glanbia Co-op Chairman John Murphy said the calibre of the entrants to the awards is a reflection of the hard work, dedication and professionalism displayed throughout the grain sector. “We are extremely proud of our top-class portfolio of grains and the high quality is a direct result of the pride that our growers take in their work each and every day… 

“We feel it is important to recognise the efforts that growers make to produce top quality grain on a consistent basis and to adopt sustainable practices. It is noticeable that some growers are winning an award for a second or third time in different categories.”

Glanbia Ireland Director of Ingredients, Aoife Murphy, said the state-of-the-art new Innovation Centre has delivered enhanced opportunities for our strong portfolio of quality grains. 

“We are expanding our portfolio of solutions to include organic oatmeal which is in response to growing consumer demand in this area. Our closed loop supply chain is a real unique selling point for our customers. 

“We are also continuing to innovate with our oats ingredients in line with evolving trends in the plant-based category. As a direct response to these market trends, we recently launched a range of oat-based cheese alternatives targeted at foodservice and at food industry manufacturers,” she said.