Abbott marks 80 years in Ireland, and 50 in Cootehill

Abbott is marking its 80th anniversary in Ireland — a milestone that reflects eight decades of innovation, investment, and deep roots in communities across the country.

Since 1946, Abbott has grown from its earliest days in Ireland into one of the country’s top ten employers, with more than 6,200 people working across 10 sites in all four provinces. The company’s Irish operations span nutrition, diabetes care, cardiovascular health, and diagnostics — producing life-changing technologies that are exported across the world and contribute to Abbott’s ambition to improve the lives of three billion people globally by 2030.

The Cootehill site supports Abbott’s global nutrition business. Established in 1975 on the Cavan-Monaghan border, this award-winning facility has been dedicated to infant nutrition for more than 50 years — delivering products of the highest quality to export markets worldwide.

The site manufactures infant nutritional products under the globally recognised Similac brand, as well as follow-on formulae under the Gain brand. Similac has been trusted by parents and healthcare professionals around the world for generations — providing infants with the essential nutrients they need to grow and thrive in their earliest months of life.

Abbott’s Cootehill facility is unique within its global nutrition manufacturing network due to its use of fresh liquid skim milk sourced from approximately 1,000 dairy farms across Ireland and Northern Ireland. The site processes around 500,000 litres of milk daily to produce nutritional products that are distributed to markets across Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the United States and Canada.

PRIDE

Speaking about the milestone, Anne McCarville, Site Director at Abbott in Cootehill, said: “As Abbott celebrates 80 years in Ireland, we are proud of the role our 6,200 employees across 10 sites have played in advancing healthcare and nutrition for people around the world. Here in Cootehill, we are proud of the long-standing contribution by the Cootehill team to global infant nutrition; the deep partnership with Irish dairy farming; and the excitement about our future.”

Abbott’s presence in Cootehill extends beyond healthcare innovation. Across Ireland, Abbott’s employee-driven community programme — Croí an Óir (Heart of Gold) — has raised more than €3 million and supported hundreds of charities nationwide since 2007.

SOSAD focuses on mental health and suicide prevention, so far employees have raised over €5,000 through various fundraising events and hosted an impactful memorial walk for employees to come together and welcomed SOSAD to engage directly with staff and raise awareness of the charity. Locally, Abbott employees have supported charities including Cootehill Community Care, the North East Down Syndrome Centre, Cuan Cancer Care, Cavan Autism Parents Support, and its current Charity of Choice, SOSAD. In addition, employees have actively contributed their time through volunteer work, including support for initiatives such as Meals on Wheels, and the St Vincent de Paul Giving Tree. As Abbott marks 80 years in Ireland, Cootehill stands as a site with a proud 50-year heritage and a strong future. To support its ongoing work, Abbott is actively growing its team in Cavan.

JOB VACANCIES

Those who want to do work that matters — backed by 80 years of heritage in Ireland and more than 135 years of global history — are encouraged to explore open opportunities here.