Willowbrook '˜weathers the storm'

Speaking about how the company mitigated the situation, John McCann MBE, Managing Director of Willowbrook Foods explains: “Priority for us at all times is the delivery of exceptional service to our customers.

“When the snow and low temperatures hit Ireland in late February and early March, our Logistics team worked quickly with our haulier partners to set a plan in place.

“Whilst one retailer had to completely close their depot for a day, we were able to house their delivery within a chilled location until they were ready to accept it. We then increased our production significantly to meet the double order the retailer required in the days that followed.

“Another retailer, who normally provides their own collection lorries to our site, was unable to send their vehicles on account of the weather. We provided an alternative solution to them, using our own partners to deliver product from us to their base,” Mr McCann said.

Stretching beyond Ireland, Willowbrook Foods had to ensure that their customers in Great Britain received orders, despite the main ports being closed.

John continued: “We collaborated with our partners throughout the supply chain to ensure that our product was ready on time to cross the water and reach our major foodservice and retail customers in England. This meant starting production earlier in order to meet shipping times.

“Our supply chain management process allowed us to ensure there was zero shortage to our customer base during this particularly bad period of weather, with all customers receiving fresh product throughout.

“Maintaining first class customer service standards is top priority and our business model gives us the flexibility we need to achieve this,” Mr McCann added.