Peter Fleming, chairman of Barryroe Co-op, has succeeded Dermot O'Leary as chairman of Carbery Group.
PETER Fleming, chairman of Barryroe Co-op, has succeeded Dermot O'Leary as chairman of Carbery Group. TJ Sullivan, chairman of Drinagh Co-op has been appointed vice-chairman.
Peter has been chairman of Barryroe Co-op since 2012. Â He has been on the board of Carbery from 2014 and held the position of vice-chairman for the last two years. During that time he also held the position of chairman of the audit committee.
Peter, a dairy farmer from Timoleague, said he was honoured to be elected to the role. âCarbery is  such an important business for the dairy farmers of West Cork and for the local economy. I look forward to working with my board colleagues and  the management team as we continue to diversify and grow the company, for the benefit of our milk suppliers,' he said.
Mr Fleming also paid tribute to Dermot O'Leary for his significant contribution to Carbery Group as chairman of Carbery over the past two years. âUnder Dermot's leadership, Carbery has continued to make significant progress, both nationally and internationally. He has dedicated much time and effort to developing the business and delivering benefits for the milk suppliers of West Cork. I would like to sincerely thank him for his valuable contribution.'
Carbery Group is an international food ingredients, flavours and cheese manufacturer headquartered in Ballineen and is owned by four Irish co-operatives â Bandon, Barryroe, Drinagh and Lisavaird.
One of Cork's most significant employers, it has a staff of close to 600 people and  operates from eight locations including Ireland, the UK, the USA, Brazil and Thailand.
Carbery was established in 1965 and remains one of Ireland's leading producers of award-winning cheeses for the industrial, foodservice and retail sectors. The company produces a wide range of cheese, including the Dubliner brand, cheddar, reduced fat cheeses and Red Leicester. Ballineen is the largest single cheese-producing facility in Ireland, producing almost 25% of Ireland's annual cheese output (see panel, right).
Carbery has become a leading innovator in whey proteins and other dairy-derived ingredients. Its whey protein concentrates and isolates are destined primarily for infant formulae, sports and clinical nutrition and other functional foods. Hydrolysed proteins and further advanced nutritional ingredients are now a key part of Carbery's portfolio.
For the year ended 31 December 2016 Carbery Group reported a turnover of â¬340m and EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) of â¬37m, up from â¬35.3m in 2015.