Arrabawn is reporting a sudden sharp increase in demand for buttermilk with locals baking more at home.
The Nenagh-based co-op says its output has remained steady since the outbreak, with increased dairy sales in shops making up for the loss of demand from some closed businesses.
CEO of Arrabawn, Conor Ryan, says they’ve lost 200 customers during the restrictions, including cafes and restaurants which are still forced shut.
Mr Ryan has been outlining some of the sales trends over the last month:
“There’s still a tendancy towards the small, local shop – it’s doing far better than it has done traditionally. The local supermarkets are doing very well also.
“People are buying maybe the larger skews – the 2 and 3 litres – we see a lot of tendancies towards that.
“On top of that, we’ve never sold as much buttermilk in our life as we’ve sold in the last week or two. There’s a lot of baking going on in houses as people have more time on their hands.
Mr Ryan has also been praising local farmers for their cooperation in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
He says that farmers have been keeping their distance during milk collections, and that all employees entering their production facilities are being temperature checked before gaining access.
