Business And Leadership, Ireland's Business News Service

The brand story

The history of Odlums can be traced back to 1845, when three Odlum brothers were involved in separate milling operations around the country, with William Odlum opening his first mill in Portlaoise (then called Maryborough).

The early years were marked by an expansion of the business. Many of the mills were built in conjunction with other families who had milling and baking interests. By the end of the 1920s, Odlums was operating a total of nine mills around the country.

In a move to strengthen the company’s position, the Dublin mill was remodelled in 1969, and a new mill was opened in Portarlington in 1978, with a further new mill being created in Cork in 1982.

For over 146 years, Odlums was a family owned business. Today, Odlums is owned by Origin Enterprises plc and continues to hold the hearts and minds of Irish consumers nationwide.

Products

Having long been the brand of choice when it comes to flour, Odlums has over 14 different flour products in its range, including Odlums Plain Cream Flour and Odlums Self Raising Flour, which form the cornerstone of the brand’s offering. The Odlums portfolio also includes an extensive range of bagged and bulk flours manufactured exclusively for the bakery industry throughout Ireland.

To cater to consumer demand for simple, easy-to-use wholesome products, the Odlums product range has recently been expanded to include an innovative range of Quick Cakes and Quick Breads.

The brand has successfully expanded into the hot-cereals category, with seven oat and porridge products introduced over the past few years. These include being the first to market Fruit Porridge varieties, Smooth & Creamy Porridge and Organic Oatflakes. In addition, two varieties of a healthy oat-based snack bar, Vita Grain, have recently been introduced.

Innovation

Having always sought to be at the forefront of product innovation, Odlums’ consumer-driven approach to business has meant that each new product is created by paying close attention to the needs and wants of its diverse consumer base.

Odlums has a dedicated research and development facility, which consists of a cutting-edge pilot-size test bakery, wheat and oat-cleaning and milling facility and a cereal chemistry laboratory.

While Odlums flour has endured the test of time against strong competition, recent innovation successes include the Odlums Quick range of breads, scones and cakes, plus the Odlums Kids Mini Muffin range.

Marketing and Promotion

Odlums has used recipe and baking advice as a core marketing tool over the past 50 years. In the Sixties, a dedicated Odlums home-baking advisory service was set up to help provide consumers with baking and recipe information. This service was originally led by Patricia O’Sullivan, while Catherine Leyden has become Odlums’ resident baker and continues to follow the Odlums recipe tradition with her weekly slot on TV3.

Apart from the more traditional radio and press advertising, Odlums has also sought to develop innovative marketing campaigns that target new, younger users. These have included the successful national Children’s Cup Cake Cup competition, which attracted over 1,000 entries from young children across the country, each of whom demonstrated their creative abilities in making cup cakes.

In conjunction with The National Children’s Hospital, Tallaght, Odlums has also helped launch the National Pancake Party Campaign. This highly successful campaign registered over 500 pancake parties and raised almost €70,000 for charity. It continues to go from strength to strength each year.