MORE THAN JUST MILK: Celebrating a century of success at Lisavaird Co-operative

March 13th, 1925 saw the first meeting of Lisavaird Co-operative committee, marking the start of 100 years of dairying success.

This article was featured in our West Fork 2025 magazine – you can read the full supplement here!

Throughout 2025, Lisavaird Co-op has been celebrating this achievement, beginning with an official opening of their new offices, feed mill and shop, and continuing all summer long popping up at agricultural shows and events around the region.

But all eyes are on August 30th when Lisavaird throws open its doors for an open day and culmination of the centenary celebrations.

Lisavaird Co-op was established on the foundation of Cork’s famous butter trade.

Butter churned on the farm from cream of the milk of small herds was traded for income, but its quality had declined, and farmers were no longer securing a good price for it.

Incomes were reducing so radical action was needed.

In establishing a co-operative of local farmers, the vision was to build a creamery and employ dairy specialists to improve quality by overseeing the processing of milk into butter.

In turn, profits for farmers increased, and declining butter fortunes reversed.

The Co-op’s ‘founding fathers’ invested £1,000 of their own money and secured an additional £2,000 from the Bank of Ireland in Clonakilty.

Money was in scarce supply at the time, so this was no small decision.

The capital was used to purchase land for a creamery building at Lisavaird.

Denis McSweeney is the group project accountant at Lisavaird Co-op, and an employee of 25 years.

In preparation for the centenary celebrations, Denis has embarked on a labour of love in creating an archive of memorabilia, photographs, newspaper clippings, and personal stories of the many farming families for whom the co-op has been an ever-present support.

Denis McSweeney with items from the Lisavaird Co-Op Archive. (Photo: Kate Ryan)

‘The whole spirit of the co-op in West Cork is working together for the greater cause. We provide a service to our suppliers and our customers. It’s a hub, and in the early days of the creamery it was an important social outlet for the community. Right up to today, there's great trust, a great bond, and that spirit was never lost from day one. The co-op has always been a fulcrum for the local community. Our employees are very passionate about the co-op, and our suppliers are proud of it. The same ethos that was behind its establishment in 1925 is still here in 2025. I'm very certain of that.’

Lisavaird is in more than just the business of milk, with four food businesses under its banner: Glen Áine Foods specialises in packed ham and beef, JDS Foods produces spreads, Coolmore Fresh Foods make cakes, and Glenmar Shellfish adds bia mara to bia ón talamh.

Lisavaird is also a one-fifth owner of Carbery, has a significant holding in Clóna Dairies, owns the model farm Shinagh Estates in Bandon, and a windfarm in Owenreagh, Co Tyrone.

Times gone by – milk collection at the Ballycummer branch.

‘We felt the time had come to diversify, but we wanted to keep the link to our core food business,’ says Denis. ‘Each are a good fit, and together we are going from strength to strength.’

This year, Lisavaird revealed their redeveloped creamery complex which included a €5.5m investment in the feed mill, doubling output to 12 tonnes p/hr, and a near €6m investment in new offices, Costco shop and garage, alongside a slick rebrand – all completed in time for its centenary celebration open day.

‘Everything is gearing towards the 30th of August!’ says Denis. ‘We’ll be running guided tours of our new facilities every hour, there will be a memorabilia photo display honouring 100 years of Lisavaird Co-op, history talks, vintage machinery displays, demonstrations, giveaways and prizes to be won; food stalls and refreshments, kids’ entertainment, and C103 Roadshow.

‘It’s all completely free, and there will be a great party atmosphere on the day. We're very proud of what we have built and want to show it to people.’

What does the next 100 years hold for Lisavaird?

‘We can never lose sight of our roots,’ says Denis. ‘Our current structure as an individual co-op that’s part of the Carbery Group, hasn’t changed. Our suppliers and customers are really our bosses, and we provide a service to them today the same way we did 100 years ago. Despite challenges, we never lose sight of our grassroots and co-op spirit. That ethos is as much alive today as it always was among the co-ops on the ground in West Cork, and we are still very loyal to our founding vision.

John O’Donovan and Michael Brickey sharing a joke in the days when the pony and cart was still a common method of transport.

‘Coming from a farming background myself, I really get what the co-op means to everyone. After 25 years working here, I knew we needed to capture our history. Turning 100 years was an opportunity to get the word out that we needed to bring the past alive by asking people to come and share their memories and stories with us. Chris Collins who wrote The Story of Lisavaird Co-Op 1925-2025 knew what the co-op meant to people, and you can feel that in the book.

‘We'll continue to employ local people - my own children and so many other people's children start working here and it gives them a grounding and confidence. Lisavaird is a great local employer, and we want to keep that going.

‘With our upcoming centenary, we wanted to get the place in shape and now, please God, these buildings will go on for another 100 years. We continue to be very successful, and hopefully our history is a little treasure that will last forever.’