Cheese is at the heart of an emerging new trend – the In Flight Cheese Plate Challenge or #inflightcheeseplatechallenge on instagram.
It’s a great way to pass the time on a long haul flight and delicious too. Might be best to avoid really smelly cheeses though! Take a look at these lovely examples.
Tadhg is a sales executive at Ingredient Solutions Ltd and he’s been working with the company for 7 years. Tadhg is a popular member of staff, people find him very easy to get on with. He’s highly motivated and enjoys a challenge. Tadhg says that there is “always a different task everyday which makes the role interesting.” The goal that he would like to achieve whilst working at Ingredient Solutions is to take over from Gary Davies, so watch out Gary!
Outside of work Tadhg enjoys working out and does high intensity CrossFit training. He also races greyhounds with his father in Cork and Tralee. The family currently have six beautiful pups to train along with three racing dogs.
When asked what his favourite cheese is Tadhg said “West Country Cheddar – If you haven’t tried it you must!”
Catherine’s role is Technical Assistant and she is one of the newer members of the Ingredient Solutions team. Catherine recently graduated in Food Science and Innovation at WIT and is motivated, positive and enjoys working in a team. Catherine says, “I always see the good in every challenge that approaches me as they can lead to opportunities to learn more.” She is looking forward to focusing on the areas that she can control and learning how to perfect them.
Catherine’s first impressions of Ingredient Solutions are that the factory is very well run and that everyone is very dedicated to their jobs so there is a great atmosphere.
Outside of work, Catherine enjoys outdoor activities. She loves gardening and grows her own fruit and vegetables. She also helps out on her family’s dairy farm and makes fabulous creamy butter. In her final year in college she won the award for the most Innovative product 2021 for her seaweed butter.
Catherine’s favourite cheeses are Mozzarella and grated white mature cheddar, “Every Saturday I either make a pizza or quiche using cheese, which come in handy when craving a midnight feast”.
Esther has been working for Ingredient Solutions for sixteen years and as Office Manager oversees the Accounts, Finance and Sales Support Teams. Esther is very organised and hardworking, plus she is easy to get on with and has a great sense of humour. She strives to ensure that the staff who work for her are happy and have a pleasant work environment, whilst still achieving the business goals.
Esther enjoys being part of the Ingredient Solutions team, she says that “everyone is enthusiastic and hardworking, so there’s a great atmosphere and everyone understands the customers needs”.
Outside of work Esther likes to keep fit hill walking and cycling the new Limerick Greenway, “The Great Southern Trail”, she also likes going to the gym.
When asked about her favourite cheesy meal, Esther said it had to be a pizza with her special homemade sauce & pizza base, cooked in the pizza oven on the BBQ – topped with fresh mozzarella. Sounds delicious!
Ted is the Factory Manager, he is the man that keeps everything running smoothly, supporting production and technical operations. He ensures that all the machinery within the factory functions at maximum efficiency and is properly maintained.
Ted has been with Ingredient Solutions since the business began in 2001 and has worked in the food industry for 36 years in a wide range of industries. He began as Ingredient Solutions’ Production Manager and has also been the Technical Manager before becoming Factory Manager in 2018.
Over his time working for Ingredient Solutions Ted has been completely responsible for the organisation and layout of all the production lines and services currently in operation in our Boherbue factory. Ted is a vital asset to our business with knowledge of all areas of operations, and he’s well liked and approachable. Asked what he likes about working at Ingredient Solutions, Ted said, “I particularly like the people, both factory and management, their loyalty and genuine interest in the business to succeed.”
Ted’s favourite cheese on a festive cheeseboard is Gorgonzola accompanied by crackers, grapes, olives, nuts, almonds, vintage cheddar and a glass of white wine.
Suma has worked for Ingredient Solutions for two years as Technical Manager – leading the technical team. Before working for Ingredient Solutions, Suma worked in Asia, the Middle East and Europe and has over twenty years experience in management and leadership in food and other industries.
Suma has lived in Ireland for the past ten years, she lived in Donegal before working at the Boherbue factory. Although the Cork accent was initially hard to understand, Suma takes things in her stride. “It’s not a very big culture shock, though there are always some differences, I don’t find it hard to adjust. Food-wise yes I miss typical Indian food, but I learnt to cook at home. I am a foodie and very enthusiastic cook. I cook for my team from time to time which has helped us all get through this difficult period when visits to our favourite restaurants were not possible.”
suma Lakshmana joined Ingredient Solutions in 2020 and had new, unique and unforeseen challenges to face over that time. Suma said facing those challenges wouldn’t have been possible without the support of her team mates in Ingredient Solutions and the support of the management.
Suma strives to achieve perfection. She was instrumental in the award of the EcoVadis Platinum Award received by Ingredient Solutions in 2021.
When asked what her favourite cheese is Suma said “Red Leicester”. She’s been experimenting with using masala spices with cheese, but her favourite cheese based dish to cook is “Cauliflower & Broccoli Mornay” Suma says, “using mature cheddar cheese sauce with a pourable consistency is the secret in this dish. Though none of us in our family are great cheese eaters, we love this dish and now I make it often.”
Pina is our UK Sales Support Administrator and has worked for Ingredient Solutions since 2012. She works alongside Gary Davies and the sales team providing them with sales information and supporting the team especially when they are on the road. Pina works remotely for Ingredient Solutions from her base in Luton in the UK.
Pina also worked for another cheese company, Dairyborn, with MD Ian Galletly and Sales Director Gary Davies before it was sold to Golden Vale in 1999 and she has over 20 years experience running cheese sales desks.
Pina said, “Working from home has its challenges, but Ingredient Solutions is a great company with strong leadership. When I contact Head Office for help, information or advice everyone is very helpful.”
Outside of work, Pina enjoys walking and also likes spending time on her boat cruising on the Great Ouse River.
Pina is a great cook and her favourite meal to cook with cheese as an ingredient is lasagna.
Marek is based near Lublin, that’s not a typo we don’t mean Dublin, he’s our man on the ground in Eastern Europe.
Marek has worked for Ingredient Solutions for 17 years in a variety of roles from general operator to technical officer, he knows the business inside and out. Since 2014 he has worked for Ingredient solutions remotely from his base near Lublin in south-east Poland. Marek is a key member of our technical team. His role involves conducting supplier approval evaluations, product specifications, and looking after our customers’ technical queries.
Despite now being based overseas Marek is very much an active part of the company and is well liked. He’s hardworking and takes pride in the quality of his work and is a real asset to the Technical team. He’s back with us in Ireland for a week or two once or twice a year.
Outside of work Marek enjoys listening to music and he’s got a great vinyl record collection with rock classics from 70s – 90s including Tom Petty, ELO, Queen, Travelling Wilburys, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. He also enjoys riding and tinkering with his vintage Honda Shadow VT800 motorbike from 1988.
Plus Marek loves cheese! He’s a real fan of all cheese dishes. His favourite cheese to enjoy on a cracker is a traditional mature cheddar.
Ian is the Managing Director of Ingredient Solutions, guiding the company and keeping it on track to achieve an incredibly high level of service to our customers. Ian has always been a foodie. He started his career training as a commis chef and learned the functionality of different cheeses, but decided to move into the food production industry. It was a good decision. Ian has been in management since he was 21 and working in the dairy industry for 35 years. Over that time he has seen the evolution of the business and adapted to the many changes in technologies and met the challenges set by new regulations and consumer demands over the years.
Hailing from Scotland, Ian established the business in 2001. His success in the UK dairy industry meant that he was able to relocate to Ireland. Ian’s wife is from Listowel, in Co. Kerry and she dreamed of moving home, so it was an ideal place to set up Ingredient Solutions. Ian’s vast experience and highly motivated team have achieved a lot since the business was founded by Ian in 2001.
Starting with just 5 employees, some of whom are still with the business, the team at Ingredient Solutions has grown to over 75 staff members and has a turnover of over €45 million, supplying over 110 customers in 30 countries in Europe. Recently they have acquired customers in the Middle East, China, North Africa and the Caribbean.
So what does Ian believe made Ingredient Solutions such a success? Ian says “I stay in direct contact with the management team, we are very close and we maintain good relationships with our customers. When a customer rings looking for information they aren’t put through to an automated service, they speak personally to the appropriate person in our team and their needs are prioritised. That makes us unique.”
Ian particularly feels his strong, deep and long established management team have played a vital role in the success of the business. Colin O’Sullivan has been with Ingredient Solutions since day one and has been a steadfast and efficient member of the production team. Ted Healy, another early staff member, has been looking after the machinery and keeping things running through the years. Colin Barrow, a longtime friend and associate, is involved in the background providing business insights and brilliant ideas. Sales Director Gary Davies has grown sales enormously. Ian has known Gary for over 30 years. Gary has always been industrious and dedicated- he was 16 and washing Ian’s car when they first met. Esther Linehan, Office Manager, runs the office and the sales administration team admirably, ensuring the company maintains its great customer service by ensuring that we meet the day to day logistical challenges that face the business. Esther has been with the company over 15 years. Last, but definitely not least, Janice Sweeney as Ian’s PA has been an indispensable and highly efficient member of the team, keeping the business on track and working closely with the team. Janice is retiring next month and she’ll be sorely missed by everyone.
In the future Ian sees further growth for the business and the team he has built are equally enthusiastic for the challenges ahead. The company has bought land to expand physically, just 300m away from the existing facility in Boherbue. The plan is to build a new state of the art factory, and have the capacity to double the turnover over the next 5 years. That will help to secure the long term future for the company and staff.
So what does Ian do in his spare time? Does he have any? “I enjoy salmon fishing. I fish when I can here in Ireland, but I’ve also fished in Canada and Scotland. I’d really like to go fishing in Norway some time in the future.” Ian’s biggest catch ever was a 36lb Salmon in Canada. He fishes for sport and returns his catches to the river, so that one might have got even bigger!
His other great love is horse racing and he owns a race horse, it’s only 2 years old and yet to race, but we hope it’s a winner.
When asked about his favourite cheese Ian said he likes a good cheeseboard with all the trimmings with a fine vintage cheddar and a nice glass of Shiraz or Malbec.
Agnieszka is the company accountant and is responsible for the financial and management accounting, overseeing the tax affairs, cooperating with every department and making sure that everything is perfect. She enjoys working with the team to find answers to all the inevitable questions accountants are always asked. Agnieszka has been with Ingredient Solutions since June 2021.
Agnieszka studied economics in Poland and has a masters degree in accounting. She has taught accounting and business studies at colleges in Poland and Ireland and so she has a very thorough knowledge of the area.
Agnieszka has lived in Ireland since 2015. At Ingredient Solutions she works directly for the MD Ian Galletly. She says, “It’s unusual to find such a large business situated in such a small rural village. The local community and the staff at Ingredient Solutions are very welcoming and it’s a good place to work.”
In her spare time Agnieszka enjoys cooking trying out new recipes from her cookbook collection, learningFrench language, and visiting Irish landmarks and attractions like Blarney, Killarney, Youghal or Cobh. She tries to live a healthy lifestyle, eating healthy foods and de-stressing with her beautiful tabby cat called Kitty. Agnieszka is also strongly interested in interior design, that’s why she is doing a professional interior designing course to broaden her knowledge in this field.
Agnieszka’s favourite cheeses are mozzarella and cheddar. She doesn’t have a favourite recipe that includes cheese, but she enjoys every meal with melted cheese.
