JACK CLEARY was a dairy farmer with vision. Disillusioned by what he saw as the arch conservatism of his local co-op, he set up Tullamore Dairies in 1980 with the long-term aim of building a business beyond the confines of liquid milk.

His initial plan was to make soft cheese and, ultimately, cheesecakes using his herd’s surplus milk. His backup plan was yogurt production.

As things turned out, it was the yogurt that took off commercially. Today, the Offaly-based Glenisk is one of the country’s leading producers of organic yogurt.

Glenisk sells primarily within Ireland and its main competitors are household names such as Danone and Yoplait. Its products are carried by all the big multiples, through which it makes roughly 80% of its sales. Its market share is about 6%.

The company employs 30 people, including specialists in food technology, engineering and sales and marketing. Some 85% of its output is organic yogurt made from cow’s milk. The remainder is goat’s milk and yogurt. The company turned over €3.8m in 2002 with pre-tax profits of about €150,000. Its turnover this year is expected to top €5m.

There are 14 children in the Cleary family and six of them work in Glenisk. The company is jointly managed by twins Vincent and Brendan. Evelyn looks after administration, Gerard is responsible for finance and Mark and Brian manage production.

Glenisk’s first yogurts rolled off the production line in early 1987 and reaction from the food trade was good. Glenisk was listed almost immediately by what was then Quinnsworth, now Tesco.

“Our father’s intention was to differentiate Glenisk yogurt from others on the market,” says Vincent Cleary. “At the time, yogurt was seen as a dessert. His idea was to make a product which could be sold as a health food.”

When Glenisk was starting out, Jack Cleary didn’t have enough money to buy a pot filling machine. But he had two machines for packing liquid milk, one of which was not being used.

“Out of necessity, the yogurt was packed in half-litre cartons,” Vincent Cleary says. “But this actually gave it a uniqueness. Our packaging was distinctive and also very low cost.”

In 1995, the carton was deemed to have outlived its novelty value. The company changed to pots and its sales almost doubled overnight.

The death of Jack Cleary in 1994 was a milestone for the family business. “Our father had controlled everything and his death left a power vacuum,” says Vincent Cleary.

“What followed were a few years in the wilderness. Eventually we decided to split things up. Brendan and I had been closely involved with Glenisk, so we stayed here. Other family members focused on the farm and on Tullamore Dairies.