 The old logo, which was used for many years with many variations | |
| Company type | Wholesale Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1845 in Portlaoise, Ireland [1] |
| Parent | Valeo Foods |
Odlums Group is an Irish food processing and marketing company owned entirely by Valeo Foods, which is backed by Origin Enterprises and CapVest Limited, a European investment group. [2] It manufactures and retails a number of products under the Odlums name as well as McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal. [3] [4]
A flour mill operated by William Odlum, one of three Odlum brothers, in Maryborough (now Portlaoise) began operation in 1845. Odlum was succeeded by his two sons, William P. and Richard Odlum, and the company became known as W.P. & R. Odlum. In the early 20th century, the company operated as many as nine mills but consolidation reduced that number to the current three flour mills in Dublin, Cork, and Portarlington. The oatmeal mill in Sallins was closed at the end of 2013. The company remained in family hands until 1988. [5] In 2007, Origin Enterprises which previously had a 50% stake in the Odlums Group, acquired full control of Odlums from the state-sponsored Greencore Group. [6] In 2010, Batchelors, a manufacturer and retail category partner, and Origin Foods, the food division of Irish-based, Origin Enterprises Plc, merged to create Valeo Foods. [7]
Odlums manufactures and retails a number of flour and cereal related products under the Odlums name. These include quick porridges, cereal snacks, health foods, and baking flours and mixes. Odlums also customises flours for wholesale to bakers. In addition to Odlums branded products, the group manufactured and sold McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal and other similar oat products with the McCann's brand until it sold the brand in 2008 to Sturm Foods. [3] [8]
Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal, or it can be mixed with spices, meat, or vegetables to make a savoury dish. It is usually served hot in a bowl, depending on its consistency. Oat porridge, or oatmeal, is one of the most common types of porridge. Gruel is a thinner version of porridge and congee is a savoury variation of porridge of Asian origin.
Breakfast cereal is a breakfast food made from processed cereal grains. It is traditionally eaten as part of breakfast, or a snack food, primarily in Western societies.
General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company originally gained fame for being a large flour miller. Today, the company markets many well-known North American brands, including Gold Medal flour, Annie's Homegrown, Lärabar, Cascadian Farm, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Totino's, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Häagen-Dazs, as well as breakfast cereals under the General Mills name, including Cheerios, Wheaties, Chex, Lucky Charms, Trix, Cocoa Puffs and Count Chocula and the other monster cereals.
Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been de-husked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains (groats) that have either been milled (ground), rolled, or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel-cut oats are known as coarse oatmeal, Irish oatmeal, or pinhead oats. Rolled oats were traditionally thick old-fashioned oats, but can be made thinner or smaller, and may be categorized as quick oatmeal or instant oatmeal depending on the cooking time required, which is determined by the size of the oats and the amount of precooking.
Post Consumer Brands is an American consumer packaged goods food manufacturer headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota.
The Red River Cereal is a porridge, or hot cereal, made with a blend of cracked wheat, rye, and brown flaxseeds that was first created in 1924 in Manitoba, Canada and patented in 1929. In July 2022, Arva Flour Mill announced it had acquired the brand from a subsidiary of J.M. Smucker Co.
Cocoa Puffs is an American brand of chocolate-flavored puffed grain breakfast cereal, manufactured by General Mills. Introduced in 1956, the cereal consists of small orbs of corn and rice flavored with cocoa. Cocoa Puffs have the same shape as Kix and Trix cereal.
RHM plc, formerly Rank Hovis McDougall, was a United Kingdom food business. The company owned numerous brands, particularly for flour, where its core business started, and for consumer food products. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Premier Foods in March 2007; many of its brands continue to be produced.
Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The group owns many well-known brands, including Mr Kipling, Ambrosia, Bird's Custard, Angel Delight, Homepride cooking sauces, Lyons, Sharwood's, Loyd Grossman sauces, Oxo, Bisto, Batchelors and Plantastic. Premier Foods also produce cakes under the Cadbury's name, using the brand under licence. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Steel-cut oats (US), also called pinhead oats, coarse oatmeal (UK), or Irish oatmeal, are groats of whole oats which have been chopped into two or three pinhead-sized pieces. The pieces can then be sold, or processed further to make rolled oat flakes, of smaller size than flakes of whole groats. Steel-cutting produces oatmeal with a chewier and coarser texture than other processes.
Quaker Instant Oatmeal is a type of oatmeal made by the Quaker Oats Company, first launched in 1966. It is crafted from whole grain oats.
Wheatena is an American high-fiber, toasted-wheat cereal that originated on Mulberry Street in New York City, New York, c. 1879, when a small bakery owner began roasting whole wheat, grinding it, and packaging it for sale under this brand name.
Scott's Porage Oats is a Scottish breakfast cereal sold in the United Kingdom. The former Scott's Company was established in Glasgow by A&R Scott, two brothers who made a partnership to manufacture oat products. Scott's was purchased by Quaker Oats in 1982.
Jacob's is an Irish brand name for several lines of biscuits and crackers in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The brand name is owned by the Jacob Fruitfield Food Group, part of Valeo Foods, which produces snacks for the Irish market. The brand name is used under licence by United Biscuits, part of Pladis and by Mondelez International in Asia.
McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal is an Irish brand of oatmeal that is sold internationally. It consists of steel-cut oats rather than rolled oats.
Tiger Brands Limited is a South African packaged goods company. In addition to the company's South African operations, Tiger Brands has direct and indirect interests in international food businesses in Chile, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho and Cameroon. Tiger Brands is South Africa's largest food company.
The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. As Quaker Mill Company, the company was founded in 1877 in Ravenna, Ohio. In 1881, Henry Crowell bought the company and launched a national advertising campaign for Quaker Oats.
Valeo Foods is an Irish multinational producer of branded food and beverage products. The company has a portfolio of over 50 international food brands which are sold across 90 countries globally, including Rowse Honey, Odlums, Batchelors, Jacob's, Dolciaria Balconi, and Kelkin. The business combines food production, brand development, distribution and sales.
Bagrrys India Limited is an Indian multinational FMCG food-manufacturing company which manufactures the high-fiber breakfast cereals and health foods, headquartered in New Delhi, India. The company has two food brands in its portfolio ‘Bagrry's’ and ‘Lawrence Mills’.