Offaly family take back full control of Glenisk yogurt company

THE Killeigh-based organic yogurt company Glenisk is once again 100% owned by the Cleary family, a statement from the firm said this week.

This follows the redemption by mutual agreement on June 30 by Danone of its minority shareholding in Glenisk.

In 2006, organic yogurt company Stonyfield Europe acquired a minority stake in Glenisk.

At the same time, French owned food giant Groupe Danone acquired a controlling stake in Stonyfield Europe.

Glenisk said Danone remained a minority shareholder in Glenisk during the intervening period but the company continued to be majority-owned and fully-managed by the Cleary family.

The Glenisk statement said the partnership with Danone was a positive arrangement for Glenisk, enabling the company to invest in its manufacturing facility in Killeigh and in product innovation and branding.

“The board of directors have now determined that a return to full ownership by the Cleary family is in the business’s best interest,” the statement said.

Glenisk managing director Vincent Cleary (pictured below) thanked Danone for their support and involvement over the years.

In September 2021 the Glenisk factory near Killeigh was almost completely destroyed by a fire and millions of euros of damage was done.

Fifty staff working at the facility at the time were evacuated when the fire alarm went off and fire brigade units from Tullamore, Edenderry, Clara and Portarlington rushed to tackle the inferno which engulfed manufacturing plant, storage facilities and offices at the Glenisk complex.

The company retained its 90-strong workforce while it got the business back up and running. Milk production was resumed first and by early 2022 Glenisk yogurts were back in the shops.

The company said in February last year that it plans to build a new carbon neutral manufacturing facility.

The dairy company was founded by the late Jack Cleary in 1987.