Killadoon Milk was founded in 2023 as a means of supplying their delicious, creamy milk directly to customers. This came after transforming their Kildare-based farm from beef and tillage farming to dairy in 2019. Their small but hard working team along with their top quality Jersey cross cows have produced a 2024 Blas award winning product.
Killadoon Milk won Gold in the Milk category along with winning Best in Kildare, Best in Leinster and Best new start-up.
At Blas the awards are based on blind tasting, our judges review solely on the food and drink they are tasting, they don’t know who has made it or where it is coming from. This blind element is a key part of our judging to allow a level playing field for all. However, once the judging is done we love nothing more than learning all about the producers just like Vanessa & Martin at Killadoon Milk
When & why did you start your business?
We are a family-run dairy farm producing pasteurised, non-homogenised whole and flavoured
milk from our single source jersey-cross herd. Our milk is purchased from our bespoke milk
dispensing machines using reusable glass bottles. We started Killadoon Milk in 2023 and the
first bottle of Killadoon Milk was purchased in our first stockist, Fallon & Byrne, on 20
September 2023.
We are passionate in offering the consumer a high quality dairy product while also
encouraging customers to purchase and reuse glass bottles, minimising single use plastic
and supporting Ireland’s circular economy.
Who is your food inspiration?
We both love to BBQ so Frances Mallman is a big inspiration and we always try to look up any
documentary / cookbook to do with him. Closer to home we are big fans of Nevin Maguire for
his great recipes and all that he does to promote Irish food.
What do you love about your job?
We love that we’re trying something different in the retail area and hopefully shifting buying
habits to minimise plastic use while also delivering a premium quality dairy product to the
consumer direct from our farm.
What is your typical day?
We don’t have a typical as such. It will always be a mix between farm work and paperwork for
the farm and / or Killadoon Milk. I guess that’s why we enjoy it so much as no day is the same.
What was your best day since you started your business?
Standing back and seeing people buy and love our milk so much in Fallon & Byrne when we
launched in September 2023. We have since rolled out more Killadoon Milk vending machines
in Avoca Dunboyne and SuperValu (Lucan and Rathgar) and a local food café, Rye River Café
in Kilcock. We have been incredibly lucky to have such supportive stockists.
Where do your ingredients come from?
We are a single-source dairy farm meaning every drop of Killadoon Milk comes exclusively
from our jersey-cross herd. This allows us to maintain full traceability of our product, maintain
the highest standards of animal welfare, and deliver a product of unparalleled freshness and
quality.
Tell us about the people you work with?
We have a very small tight-knit team of 5 people which includes the both of us. We would be
lost without them. We’re lucky that our team is hardworking but always up for a laugh too.
What 3 words would you use to describe yourself/your business?
High-quality, innovative and sustainable are three words which we feel sum up Killadoon Milk.
What do you think is the key to success?
Hard-work mixed with a bit of stubbornness.
Has there been one single moment which has changed how you look at your business?
Winning Blas Gold in the Whole Milk category is a huge highlight for us, given its our first year
in business. We were also thrilled to win best product in Kildare, best product in Leinster and
best new start-up at the Blas Awards. It has given us the incentive to keep going and to keep
working hard to produce a high quality dairy product in a sustainable manner.