The Twenty20 Beef Club is an innovative beef production model that is integrated right across the supply chain and has at its
heart the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of our Farmer Members. It combines:

• A guaranteed market with predictable pricing;
• Financial certainty underpinned by premium pricing;
• A comprehensive technical support programme;
• An “Advance Payment” option to alleviate cash flow pressure and regularise income;
• A production model that reduces the carbon footprint of the beef produced;
• An unrivalled consumer proposition that addresses trends, concerns and taste.
  

This innovation is also unique in that it involves the collaboration of partners, including Kepak Group and Finance Ireland, that bring skill sets and market
access that are not within our own Co-operative structure and uses those to create value for our Farmer Members.
Our beef producing members operate with very tight margins and depend substantially on support payments. The value of the premiums/bonuses available
to Club members is a game changer in terms of farm income.
The Twenty20 Club delivers right across multiple criteria and brings unrivalled traceability and provenance to the beef supply chain. It provides all the
elements of a leading edge Blockchain development. It has all the required components from genetics on the source farm right through the animal’s life
cycle with all inputs supplied by Glanbia Ireland and all aspects of production, health, welfare and nutrition managed through strict protocols and strong
technical support.
What stand out the most are the economic benefits to our beef-producing members as demonstrated by the example earlier. In this example, the member
benefited by €108/head. Whilst further work is in progress on the carbon footprint reduction, the indications from researchers in this area are that it will be
in the order of 20%.
At the outset we stated: The innovative Twenty20 Beef Club was developed to improve the economic, social and environmental sustainability of dairy calfto-
beef production. Delivering better economic returns for our Co-op Members and the farming community a central purpose. We believe it has clearly
delivered on its core objectives and will be a major force in shaping future trends and standards within the Irish beef production business.
“Farming together for a sustainable future”

With innovation, OSM Piątnica increases the sustainability of its production processes. As a major producer of cottage cheese,
curd, cream cheese or yoghurt, the cooperative has plenty of their by-product – whey. Traditionally, whey would be dried
into powder and sold on the mass market generating very little income. Looking for alternative ways to monetise its whey,
Piątnica isolated its most valuable ingredient – whey protein – and used it to create a fresh whey protein consumer cocktail.
The profitability of the cocktail considerably exceeds the profitability of the powdered whey, which has a positive positively
Piatnica’s ability to pay a premium price for milk to its members.
Piątnica’s innovative cocktail contains fresh and unprocessed whey protein. It is the first and only such product on the Polish
and perhaps even on the European market. Whey protein has an beneficial effect on human health due to its nutritional and regenerative value as well as its
antioxidant and antibacterial properties. A single portion contains only 227 kcal, a small amount of fat and carbohydrates derived from natural fruit, purée or
juice. It is available in three tasty flavours. One bottle of the whey protein cocktail contains 28 grammes of protein and 307 mg of calcium, which covers 56%
and 38% of the nutrient reference values (NRV) for the average adult, respectively. Contrary to the powdered whey protein available on the market, Piatnica’s
cocktail comes in an easy-to-eat form and does not require any preparation.
Until now, whey protein was available on the market in the following three forms: whey protein isolate (WPI), whey protein concentrate (WPC), whey protein
hydrolysate (WPH). They are all in powder form, highly processed and exposed to high-temperature treatment in evaporators and drying towers. In contrast,
the whey protein in Piątnica’s cocktail is fresh and unprocessed thanks to the use of membrane processes.
By launching its cocktail, OSM Piatnica has further improved its competitive edge. It has shaken up the whey protein category, which is dominated by
powdered products. The powdered whey proteins have limited distribution outlets, mainly being sold in specialised shops. Furthermore, due to their
powdered form, the products have negative consumer perception. For these reasons, whey protein was mainly used by bodybuilders and athletes. By
introducing a ready-to-eat wholesome liquid snack that is available in the local grocery store, Piątnica makes whey protein accessible to the average
consumer.
The most common whey management model is to dry and sell it in the form of whey powder with very little margins. The revenue obtained from selling
one gramme of whey protein in whey cocktails is considerably higher than that obtained from the sale of this protein in powdered whey. The profitability
of the cocktail is also much higher. Assuming opportunity cost to be the cost of goods, the profitability of the cocktail takes on double-digit values. Another
economic advantage is greater stability and predictability of profitability due to reduced dependence on shifts in commodity prices driven by global supply
and demand.
This product was introduced onto the market in April 2020 and its great potential has been already observed. The whey protein cocktail was sold over the
last nine months for 2 million PLN, despite challenges in distribution due to COVID-19 lockdowns. From early 2021, Piątnica launched its cocktails at Poland’s
largest retailer. This will significantly increase the distribution of the product and consumer accessibility. Piątnica expects that sales will increase at least
fivefold, exceeding 2020 sales in the first quarter of 2021.