The challenges
Twenty-five years ago Irish consumers had little choice when it came to buying cheese. Apart from cheddar, Edam and processed cheeses there was little else on offer although artisan cheesemakers were emerging with interesting new products with distinctive flavours and textures.
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Eugene Carr and his business partner at the time, Cairin O’Connor, saw an opening to help these small producers market and distribute their products. The result was the Traditional Cheese Company.
When the Enterprise Network visited in June last year, Carr identified the challenges facing his firm as meeting the needs of commodity and speciality buyers, managing more than 600 products with short shelf lives and choosing, training and retaining good staff.
What the experts said
Mark Fielding, of Isme, said the company should review the number of products it was carrying and consider rationalisation following a cost-benefit analysis on each item. Joe Heron, of Crocas Total Product Solutions, advised the company to look to Northern Ireland for new business.
Louis O’Neill, of BDO Simpson Xavier, suggested the firm work with ingredients providers to develop high added value cheese-based convenience meals and snacks while Ed McDonald, of the Marketing Institute, suggested the company should consider developing strategic relationships with leading British supermarket chains.
Action taken
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Over the past year, the company has reviewed its product range and cut it back by roughly 200 items and further rationalisation is likely. It also examined the logistics of its operation in detail and took the decision to cut back on the number of deliveries it was making to small customers.
Those now buying below a certain threshold have to pay a delivery charge. This has relieved the pressure on van deliveries and has resulted in higher value orders from many customers. During the year, the firm began its first exports to Northern Ireland and it also divided its operation into two divisions, covering speciality cheeses and food services.
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Conclusion
“Over the past year, we have strengthened the senior management team and are now moving to do the same at middle management level,” said Carr. “We are continuing to deal with the challenge of bringing people forward to cope with our very fast growth which has seen a doubling of our turnover in less than three years.
“We have had to make a few tough decisions on the personnel front. Going forward the challenges are coping with the growth at a logistics, service and stock control level.”months ago to run the former Jackson-Stops office in Bray under his own banner when it became apparent that the directors were looking to sell to Colliers CRE.
“We’ve since opened another office and business is booming,” said Lennox. “There’s definitely room for growth at both ends of the spectrum.”
Kaye agrees: “I’ve no fear of the bad times. I was an apprentice during one in the 1980s, when interest rates were 19%. I’ve worked through two recessions in the market.
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“You just tighten up your belt, work the contacts you have developed and get out there and sell.”