Offaly milk farmer bounces back after burglary

AN Offaly milk business, which had only just opened its doors back in 2021, has re-opened almost 12 months to the day after raiders struck.

Extensive damage was caused when burglars broke into the Boora Bainne premises off the Tullamore to Cloghan Road.

Having only just launched in July 2021, the innovative milk vending service was targeted on October 7th, 2021, but no arrests have been made according to Gardai.

"It was a terrible blow having to close so quickly, because we had only just got everything up and going and I didn’t think I’d be able to recover," said Paul Molloy, proprietor.

It is understood the raiders did over €15,000 worth of damage to the vending machines as they searched for cash.

Speaking at the time of the burglary, Molloy said, “Over 90% of our customers paid by card and only a tiny amount of cash is left in the shop at night made up of 50c, 20c and 10c pieces, so they only got away with a few euros.

This time around, security has been strengthened and a new alarm system installed.

"We have also added a newly upgraded vending machine and even better, we are managing to source all of our milk bottles from a local supplier in nearby Ferbane," says Molloy.

The business venture has had to overcome a host of planning regulations but Molloy says he has found the majority of regulators to be largely supportive of his latest venture not to mention his customers.

Getting a risk assessment done on the adjacent road cost over €5,000 and that’s just the beginning of all the paperwork needed to comply with local planning laws.

"Some suggested I might have been better off just pre-filling the bottles and reducing the risk, but there’s something novel about being able to fill up the bottle yourself knowing that what you are purchasing is as fresh as if you milked it yourself.

The high quality milk is attracting customers from all over the county and even further afield," says Molloy. "It’s nothing like what you would get in the shop or supermarket and has a very distinctive taste, but I can’t quite believe how popular it is."

Older customers, who used to have their milk delivered locally, will remember the foil-topped glass bottles from back in the day and we are attempting to give people some sense of that," says Molloy.

Joe Molloy and his wife Josie, says, "there are customers who come to us regularly with special needs, some of whom are suffering from a whole range of illnesses. While we don’t make the claim that our milk has any curative properties, one mother told me, her son will drink nothing else. It’s great to hear feedback like that because we are very particular about what we feed the livestock and that tends to be reflected in the quality of the milk. Some might argue it’s a meal in itself but we have a whole selection of flavours to choose from, so there’s no shortage of choice.

For more information you can visit: www.boorabainne.com