Glanbia plc is an international nutritional solutions and cheese group which has its headquarters in Kilkenny, Ireland. It is the second leading company is the Agribusiness industry, ranked fifth in Food industry, and placed twenty-sixth in Top companies by turnover (Top1000.ie 2014). Agribusiness is defined as, businesses collectively associated with the production, processing, and distribution of agricultural products (Agribusiness 2014). Glanbia has four divisions, Global Performance Nutrition, Global Ingredients, Dairy Ireland, and Joint Ventures and Associates. Global Performance Nutrition and Global Ingredients are the two largest sectors and the significant drivers of growth representing 76% of Total Group EBITA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes and Amortization). The group employs 5,202 people across a total of thirty-two countries worldwide, as well as selling its products in over one-hundred and thirty countries (Glanbia plc 2014). USA and Europe represent the principal markets to Glanbia but the group are continuing to expand into the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America (Glanbia Wikipedia 2014). Glanbia is a truly global organisation. It is listed on both the Dublin and London Stock Exchanges (Glanbia plc 2014). Glanbia has its origins in the Irish co-operative movement that evolved over the last century. Glanbia plc was formed in 1997 out of the merger of Avonmore Foods plc and Waterford Foods plc (Glanbia plc 2014). On the 4th September 1997, Avonmore Foods plc and Waterford Foods plc merged to form Avonmore Waterford Group (AWG) plc. The combined entity was the fourth biggest dairy processor in Europe and the fourth biggest cheese producer in the world. In 1999, the business was rebranded and the name changed to Glanbia plc, meaning “pure food” in Irish language (Glanbia plc 2014). Globalisation & Culture: Glanbia is a leading performance nutrition and ingredients company and …show more content…
Glanbia has four main sectors as already mentioned in the introduction; Global Performance Nutrition, Global Ingredients, Dairy Ireland and Joint Ventures and Associates. Global Performance Nutrition is the worlds leading sports nutrition provider worldwide. The USA is the largest single market in which it operates but it continues to invest in expanding into new markets globally and over recent years it has experienced significant international expansion and now has in-market sales teams in 19 countries as well as their products been available in over 100 countries worldwide. Global Ingredients is made up of three business units; US Cheese, Ingredient Technologies, and Customised Solutions. Global Ingredients operates in 22 countries around the globe and has numerous international sales offices that support their strong export platforms. Dairy Ireland is comprised of two businesses; Consumer Products and Agribusiness. Agribusiness is the largest supplier of inputs to the Irish agri sector with a network of 50 retail stores. Through its brand Green Feeds they are Ireland’s biggest supplier of animal feed and continue to develop globally. On top of that it is Ireland’s largest purchaser and processer of grain and although a lot is used in their production of animal feed they are also a key supplier to beer, spirits, and cereal industries. Consumer Products is a leading supplier of branded consumer products to the Irish market with brands such as Avonmore which is the second largest selling grocery brand in Ireland and Kilmeaden which is the biggest block cheddar brand. Glanbia has continued its commitment to innovation and new product development and recently planned on building a new facility to produce long-life liquid milk and cream suitable