What Aurivo does

Aurivo Co-operative Society Ltd. is an Irish farmer-owned dairy and agribusiness cooperative headquartered in Sligo, with roots dating to the 19th century and the modern entity formed in 1972 through amalgamation of North Connacht cooperatives. The cooperative operates four integrated business units: Consumer Foods (branded butter, milk, cream under Connacht Gold, Donegal Creameries, Arrabawn, Organic for Us, and the UK-acquired For Goodness Shakes nutrition brand), Dairy Ingredients (spray-dried enriched milk powders, skim milk powders, growing-up and senior milk powders, and specialised butters produced at a state-of-the-art Ballaghaderreen facility processing 500 million litres of milk from 955 family farms annually for export to 50+ countries), Agri Business (34-35 Homeland retail stores, homeland.ie online platform, and Nutrias/Goldstar animal feed brands manufactured at the Ballaghaderreen feed mill), and Livestock Marts (four auction marts in Balla, Ballinrobe, Ballymote, and Mohill serving western Ireland). The cooperative is governed by its 10,000+ farmer-members, employs over 750 people, and distributes profits back to members via milk pricing rather than external dividends.

The business model combines vertically integrated raw-material supply (members supply the milk and purchase agricultural inputs at Homeland), B2B export of specialised dairy ingredients with bespoke protein levels and formats, branded retail distribution through major Irish grocers and van sales, livestock auction commissions, and agricultural retail margins. Revenue for FY2024 was €725.1m, up 13.5% year-on-year, with Dairy Ingredients at €289.6m (+22.5%), Consumer Foods at €158.3m (+15.1%), Agri Business at €159.9m, and Livestock Marts at €117.3m (+13.8%); operating profit rose 236% to €17m. Manufacturing milk price paid to members averaged 52.9cpl (up 23% on 2023), reflecting commodity price recovery.

Strategic direction under CEO Donal Tierney centres on geographic diversification in B2B ingredients (South East Asia now 10% of Dairy Ingredients sales), premiumisation in Consumer Foods (Organic for Us +52%), sustainability-driven competitiveness (€12m wood pellet burner investment at Ballaghaderreen delivering 7,500 tonnes of CO2 reduction annually), and industry consolidation via the March 2026 Dale Farm strategic all-island partnership covering byproduct utilisation and added-value protein — a measured alternative to full M&A. Acquisition history includes Donegal Creameries (2012), For Goodness Shakes (2015), and Arrabawn (2023), with an active pipeline of 12 new Dairy Ingredients SKUs and ongoing Homeland store redevelopment.

Name

Aurivo

Legal name

Aurivo Co-operative Society Ltd.

Website

https://aurivo.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Aurivo is an Irish farmer-owned dairy and agribusiness cooperative operating Consumer Foods (Connacht Gold, Arrabawn, Donegal Creameries brands), Dairy Ingredients (milk powders and butter exported to 50+ countries from 955 family farms), Homeland agri-retail, and four livestock marts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Products and Ingredients

NAICS

Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Fluid Milk & Cream Processing (AFAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Consumer Packaged Fluid Milk (White Milk) Processing (AFAHAAAA), Private Label/Co-Manufactured Fluid Milk Processing (AFAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Dairy ingredients manufacturing
• Consumer dairy products
• Animal feed production
• Agricultural retail
• Livestock mart services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sligo

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dairy Ingredients: Processes 500 million litres of fresh Irish milk annually into enriched milk powders, growing-up milk powders, skim milk powders, senior milk powders and butters for global export markets. Revenue increased 22.5% to €289.6m in 2024.
2. Consumer Foods: Sells branded consumer dairy products including Connacht Gold butter, Arrabawn liquid milk, Donegal Creameries, Organic for Us milk, and For Goodness Shakes nutrition products through major retailers and van sales. Revenue increased 15.1% to €158.3m in 2024.
3. Agri Business: Comprises 34 Homeland retail stores selling agricultural inputs, animal feeds (Nutrias and Goldstar brands), garden centres and pet shops, plus online store homeland.ie. Revenue broadly in line with prior year at €159.9m.
4. Livestock Marts: Four livestock marts (Ballymote, Mohill, Ballinrobe, Balla) facilitate cattle and sheep trading, generating revenue through sales commissions. Revenue increased 13.8% to €117.3m in 2024, with throughput of 79,000 cattle and 83,000 sheep.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aurivo is a farmer-owned dairy co-operative that processes milk from 955 Irish family farms into four product streams: consumer-branded dairy products (Connacht Gold, Arrabawn, Donegal Creameries, Organic for Us, For Goodness Shakes), B2B dairy ingredients (enriched milk powders, skim milk powders, growing-up and senior milk powders, and butters exported globally), agricultural retail and animal feeds (Homeland stores, Nutrias and Goldstar feed brands), and livestock trading services through four marts. The cooperative also runs farm support programmes (Future Milk, Farm Profitability, Winter Milk) that incentivise sustainable milk production across its supplier base.

Product overview

Aurivo is a farmer-owned multipurpose agribusiness co-operative operating four distinct business units: Consumer Foods (producing award-winning dairy brands including Connacht Gold, Arrabawn, Donegal Creameries, Organic for Us, and For Goodness Shakes); Dairy Ingredients (producing enriched milk powders, skim milk powders, and butters for global export to over 50 countries); Agri Business (comprising 35 Homeland retail stores, homeland.ie online platform, and animal feeds brands Nutrias and Goldstar); and Livestock Marts (operating four livestock trading platforms at Balla, Ballinrobe, Ballymote, and Mohill). The co-operative also delivers sustainability and farm profitability support programmes including Future Milk, Farm Profitability, and Winter Milk programmes, and runs the annual Aurivo Milk Quality Awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Connacht Gold: Award-winning butter and dairy brand including Half Fat butter (only half fat real Irish butter that spreads straight from the fridge), various butter products, and Organic for Us milk range
• Arrabawn
• Donegal Creameries
• For Goodness Shakes
• Homeland
• Nutrias
• Goldstar Feeds

Products and services

• Dairy Ingredients B2B dairy ingredients business producing enriched milk powders, skim milk powders, growing-up milk powders, senior milk powders, and butters from 500 million litres of fresh Irish milk sourced from 955 family farms annually, exported to over 50 countries including Africa, Middle East, Europe, South East Asia, and Central and South America.
• Consumer Foods Branded consumer dairy products division producing and distributing milk, butter, cream, and nutrition products under multiple brands including Connacht Gold, Arrabawn, Donegal Creameries, and Organic for Us, including health and nutrition brand For Goodness Shakes acquired in 2015.
• Agri Business (Homeland retail and Nutrias/Goldstar feeds) Agricultural retail and animal feed business comprising 34 Homeland retail stores across Ireland (many with garden centres and pet shops), the homeland.ie online store, the Aurivo animal feed mill at Ballaghaderreen producing Nutrias and Goldstar feed brands, and Goldstar feeds distributed nationally through over 60 independent merchants.
• Livestock Marts (Balla, Ballinrobe, Ballymote, Mohill) Four livestock trading platforms in the West of Ireland selling cattle and sheep, with online bidding via Martbids App and Livestock Live (LSL), three centres certified for export to Northern Ireland, UK, and Europe. 2024 throughput of 79,000 cattle and 83,000 sheep.
• Connacht Gold butter range Premium butter brand under the Consumer Foods division featuring Pure Irish Butter, Half Fat Butter (spreads straight from the fridge), Softer Butter, and Garlic & Herb Butter; five products received gold stars at the Great Taste Awards 2025.
• Arrabawn fresh milk and butter Acquired in 2023, Arrabawn offers Fresh milk, Light milk, SkimPlus milk, Fresh Cream, and Original Irish Butter in fully renewable, recyclable 1-litre cartons with low climate impact and no fossil-based plastic.
• Donegal Creameries branded milk Number one milk brand in Donegal, supplied from the Killygordon creamery established in 1899 with 125 years of milk processing heritage. Celebrated 125th anniversary of milk processing in July 2024.
• Organic for Us organic milk range Award-winning organic milk range under the Connacht Gold brand, popular with the country's top baristas; Connacht Gold Organic for Us Whole Milk received a Great Taste Award gold star in 2025. Branded organic milk grew 52% in 2024.
• For Goodness Shakes health and nutrition shakes Acquired UK health and nutrition shakes brand providing Aurivo access to the growing UK health and nutrition market, sold through retail and out-of-home channels.
• Homeland retail store network Network of 34–35 retail stores across Ireland (plus a Northern Ireland store at Omagh) selling agricultural inputs, animal feeds, garden centre and pet shop products, with nationwide delivery via homeland.ie.
• Nutrias animal feeds Animal feed brand developed for optimum animal performance through scientifically proven and nutritionally enriched feed formulations, distributed via retail stores and direct to farmers. Aurivo's feed mill achieved record production in 2024 with a 13% increase in feed volume.
• Goldstar Feeds Merchant animal feed brand manufactured at the Aurivo animal feed mill in Ballaghaderreen, formulated with quality ingredients and balanced minerals and vitamins. Stocked nationally through over 60 independent merchants.
• Skim Milk Powder Spray-dried free-flowing skim milk powder with high nutritional value, available in standardised and non-standardised forms with excellent flavour and versatility for food and nutrition applications.
• Enriched Milk Powder Manufactured by spray drying pasteurised full skim milk. White or cream-coloured free-flowing powder with clean flavour profile, available with protein levels 24%-15%, instant format, coffee stable/Callie yoghurt format, fortified with Vitamin A and Vitamin D, and based on either palm oil or coconut oil.
• Specialised Butter Products Range of 25 kg butters including Unsalted Lactic, Salted Sweet Cream, Softer Salted Sweet Cream, and Winter Butter (firmer texture for laminated doughs such as viennoiserie and puff pastry), made from cows grazing on Irish pasture.
• Connacht Gold Mór Protein Drinks High-protein drink range under the Connacht Gold brand, part of the 2024 Consumer Foods new product development pipeline.
• Balla Mart livestock auction services Livestock mart in County Mayo operating Saturday sales with three rings, offering cattle, bullock, heifer, dry cow, breeding bull, springer, and weanling sales with online bidding available via the Martbids App.
• Ballinrobe Mart livestock auction services Livestock mart in County Mayo with cattle sales every Wednesday and sheep sales every Thursday, providing an online bidding facility via the Martbids App.
• Ballymote Mart livestock auction services Livestock mart in County Sligo operating Thursday cattle sales and Friday weanling sales, with online auction services via Livestock Live (LSL) and sheep scanning procedures.
• Mohill Mart livestock auction services Livestock mart in County Leitrim operating Saturday sales starting at 10:00 AM with dry cows sold first.

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue growth of 13.5% to €725.1m in 2024, with operating profit up 236.1% to €17m.
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dale FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026Dairy co-operatives Aurivo and Dale Farm entered a strategic all-island partnership covering Ireland after shelving merger plans. The collaboration focuses on projects such as byproduct utilisation and added value protein, aiming to enhance processing efficiency and market returns for member farmers. The partnership builds on five years of prior collaborative projects.
• Enterprise IrelandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-funder of the €12 million wood pellet burner and boiler system at the Dairy Ingredients facility in Ballaghaderreen, as part of the Shared Island Sustainability Capital Grant scheme.
• InterTradeIrelandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-funder and delivery partner of the Shared Island Sustainability Capital Grant scheme, supporting Aurivo's €12 million decarbonisation investment.
• Invest Northern IrelandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-funder and delivery partner of the Shared Island Sustainability Capital Grant scheme supporting Aurivo's wood pellet burner investment.
• TeagasccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner delivering the Farm Profitability Programme and Signpost Programme to Aurivo farmers, providing technical advice through farm walks, discussion groups, articles, videos and newsletters.
• Bord BiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarmers in the Future Milk programme are required to complete the Bord Bia Sustainability Survey annually to provide data on the carbon footprint of the milk pool.
• PV GenerationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in the Aurivo Farm Solar Programme providing turn-key solar PV solutions for farmers to produce renewable energy and reduce carbon footprint.
• SenusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Aurivo/Senus Soil Carbon Programme established in 2023 to capture long-term changes in soil carbon stocks and provide verified data on carbon sequestration.
• ABPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through the Aurivo/ABP Dairy Beef Programme linking dairy and beef farmers throughout the supply chain to improve beef characteristics, enhance animal health and lower slaughter age.
• The Hawkswell TheatreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate Friend of The Hawkswell Theatre, supporting local arts and community engagement.
• Land Mobility ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-established relationship supporting farmers in generational renewal and farm succession through events and one-on-one clinics on succession planning, registered farm partnerships, and land mobility arrangements.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tirlán Co-operative Society (formerly Glanbia Ireland): Ireland's largest dairy cooperative with the same farmer-owned structure, B2B dairy ingredients export reach, and consumer foods brands. Closest direct comparable to Aurivo's diversified agribusiness cooperative model across Consumer Foods, Dairy Ingredients, and Agri Business.
• Dairygold Co-operative Society: Major Irish dairy cooperative headquartered in Mitchelstown with food ingredients, consumer dairy brands (e.g., Wexford, light butter), and agri retail divisions. Direct comparable on farmer-owned structure, product portfolio, and Irish retail/wholesale footprint.
• Lakeland Dairies: Cross-border Irish/Northern Ireland dairy cooperative with milk powders, butter, and consumer foods operations spanning two jurisdictions. Highly comparable scale and cross-border model to Aurivo.
• Ornua Co-operative: Irish dairy cooperative marketing globally under the Kerrygold brand (butter and cheese). Direct comparable in cooperative member economics, butter-led export focus, and Irish heritage positioning.
• Dale Farm: Largest UK/Northern Ireland dairy cooperative producing butter and dairy ingredients; Aurivo's March 2026 strategic partner. Highly comparable on cooperative structure, cross-border geography, and product mix.
• Carbery Group: Irish/West Cork dairy cooperative producing cheese, dairy ingredients, flavours, and nutritional products with global export reach. Comparable to Aurivo's Dairy Ingredients division on B2B focus and member-owned model.
• Müller UK & Ireland: Major UK dairy company focused on yogurts, desserts, and milk drinks — a direct competitive overlap with Aurivo's Consumer Foods division on the UK side (e.g., For Goodness Shakes competing in adjacent nutrition shake categories).

Broad incumbents

• Kerry Group: Largest Irish food company with global taste & nutrition ingredients and consumer foods operations. Has significant dairy exposure and broader scale, but is a publicly listed PLC rather than a cooperative.
• Arla Foods: Largest European farmer-owned dairy cooperative producing butter (Lurpak), milk powder, and consumer dairy products across multiple markets. Similar member-owned model but operates at substantially larger scale than Aurivo.
• FrieslandCampina: Dutch dairy cooperative operating globally across B2B dairy ingredients and consumer brands. Same member-owned cooperative model as Aurivo, but at significantly larger scale across Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AurivoCo_op
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connacht-gold
• Facebookfacebook.com/forgoodnessshakesireland

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aurivo