Dancing powder and delicious secrets

Lakeland Dairies opens its doors for the community

Lakeland Dairies offered a unique behind-the-scenes look into the factory on the outskirts of Bailieborough. At the open day event, Europe’s largest milk powder drying facility gave guests the chance to not only see but also taste what Irish milk has produced. And it is far more than baby formula.

The open day was aimed at farmers, stakeholders, and the community.

“All the neighbours,” says Kathryn O’Flynn. Her role today is cheerful tour guide. She is Environmental and Services Manager on all other days. Kathryn rattles out impressive facts: “443 million litres of milk are delivered on peak days. That would come from about 180,000 cows in 160 lorry tanks per day between 5am and 11pm.”

The milk intake area is built similar to a petrol station. Fourteen raw milk intake pumps are positioned so two trucks can park behind each other after going through the weighing bridge. It takes about 15 minutes to empty a milk truck. The milk of course has to pass a quality test before it is pumped into one of the eight storage silos. People driving from Bailieborough to Shercock will recognise the bright blue silos towering over the premises on their left as Lakeland’s landmark feature.

With the addition of a new entrance for lorries, a one-way traffic system was implemented, making the whole intake process more efficient. From the silos, the raw milk will find its way into butter, cream, powder, and milk. Cooled, churned, drying, swirling, and even dancing in the process.

The soothing smell of baby milk fills the warm staircase leading into the observation room of the butter production unit. Behind thick glass three conveyor belts are carrying boxes with labels from different retailers.

“A woman came in here saying she preferred the one brand over the other,” a tongue-in-cheek remark by Production Supervisor Trevor Thompson, when the reality is, the only difference is the price.

As Ireland’s second largest butter manufacturer 220 packets of butter leave the belts every minute – that amounts to 12 tonnes per hour on 355 days a year. The machines rest on Christmas Day. Arguably one of the days when chefs like Freddy Denis would be in their element: preparing vol-au-vents, simmering creamy sauces, baking buttery cookies and rolling fluffy Yule logs.

“You can’t beat the 38% fat cream from grassfed Irish cows,” he marvels. “The quality is second to none,” assures Lakeland Dairies’ ‘Technical Product Manager’. His clinical title is in stark contrast to his sensuous tasks: testing the new products and their suitability for chefs and kitchens all over the world. Creaminess, stability, how it separates and oiliness are some of the qualities he checks. With more than 30 years of experience in French patisserie and 13 years marketing the Cavan originated products, he has a broad understanding of the demand.

Salted butter for the Irish market, unsalted for the continent, unsalted lactic butter often used in French cuisine. The Asian market would have different requirements to the consistency of a cream than the rich cream used for German homestyle cooking.

As an advocate for quality food and usable recipes Freddy Denis has three words: “crunch, cream, juice”. Any dish featuring those three elements will be a success, he guarantees. “Think of spring rolls, apple strudel or this biscuit with cream and raspberries,” he says pushing a petite treat towards the journalist. Very delicious indeed.

“We export our products to 50 countries from this factory alone,” says Seamus Banim. Lakeland Dairies’ Head of Communications notes the number of people the company employs. “Currently 315 people on this site, 670 in Cavan, but that doesn’t include the indirect employment in the locality - the local suppliers and local contractors.”

And: “We’re the largest milk powder producer in Europe.”

Sending milk substitutes to places where “they don’t have black and white cows on green grass,” the technical expert explains speaking over the ear deafening hum and rattle of the dryer. The cylindrical steel tower rises tall within the sportshall-like room. It is a system of rotating, steam-heated drums, connected to various piping, pumps, and control systems. The technical process: converting liquid milk into powder by exposing them to hot air in a large chamber. Through a narrow window in the tower, the white powder is seen to be “dancing”. The powder then is used for baby formula or less healthy, but similarly sweet foods like chocolate.

Though long retired from dairy farming, Vincent McCormack from Bailieborough was eager to go on the tour. He is most impressed by “the way it has expanded from manual to automated processes”. Same goes for 14-year-old Luke who was brought along by his parents Joan and Richard Greene. The teenager was fascinated by the automatisation.

“We wanted the kids to see what happens to our milk and all the different products,” says Joan. They have 180 dairy cows on their farm in Multyfarnham. “It was incredible to see how streamlined everything is - and clean,” she added. “It is spotless.”

As an inside view, Group CEO Colin Kelly was delighted to provide: “This event gives our farmers a valuable insight into what happens to their milk after collection, and the vital role they play in delivering world-class dairy products to global markets.”