Research: Dawn Meats

Dawn Meats was founded by three farming families in Waterford in the 1980s, at a time when there was a shortage of deboning and meat-processing capacity in the area. It has gone on to be one of the biggest operators in the fresh meat sector, supplying supermarkets and retailers in Ireland and across Europe.

The company employs 1,400 people in Ireland and 2,400 in all. A key to its success has been its innovative approach to what might at first seem a traditional business.

“Our product development team spends a lot of time working on developing products that suit the preferred cooking methods and flavours of a variety of European countries. The way they cook meat and the flavours that are preferred are significantly different between the UK and Germany, for example,” says Richard Clinton, the group’s commercial director.

As well as selling fresh meat to supermarkets, the company has developed a range of value added products, prepared either cooked sous vide or raw, with sauces and marinades.

Some of the group’s innovations are supplier focused, such as the Save Our Suckler scheme, which gives farmers a financial incentive to breed a calf from a heifer at less than 30 months of age, earlier than would otherwise be the case, to boost supply.

It also puts an emphasis on animal welfare, with animal welfare officers on each of its sites to ensure animals are handled correctly.

It’s in everybody’s interests to do this as, he points out, as animals that are handled correctly at all stages provide better quality meat.

Dawn Meats Group has introduced a series of green initiatives too, including the harvesting of rainwater at plants. It also uses heat recovery techniques by which waste heat generated by refrigeration units is used to heat water.

It takes an innovative approach to staff too, including a two year graduate trainee programme which provides on-the-job training in all aspects of the business. “We encourage the graduates, who come from all disciplines, to pitch their own ideas in a Dragon’s Den type scenario,” said Clinton.

“We need to be constantly moving forward with new ideas as to how our products are packaged, promoted and presented,” said Clinton.