New spying claims bring fresh twist to Rippling-Deel corporate espionage dispute
A legal dispute between warring HR software giants, centring on claims one used an Irish 'spy' to steal trade secrets from the other, has taken a fresh twist.
San Franciso-based Rippling issued High Court proceedings in Dublin in March claiming one of its executives, Keith O'Brien, was induced by rival firm Deel Inc to pass on sensitive company information.
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Irish Examiner
24 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Five cheesemaker-farmers from Munster celebrate Great Taste Awards
Munster cheesemaker-farmers are celebrating, after a string of top awards in the Great Taste 2025 championship. Five cheesemakers, from Tipperary to West Cork, were among the top echelon of 273 that secured three-star awards out of 14,340 Great Taste entries, from more than 3,611 companies across 110 countries. J&L Grubb • Three award-winning cheeses this year bring J & L Grubb Ltd/Cashel Blue to a growing tally of Great Taste awards. They have been have been hand-crafting the original Irish farmhouse blue cheese and other cheeses on their family farm near Fethard, Co Tipperary, for 40 years. 'A great endorsement, it seems Tipperary is on a roll', was their reaction, when they received three stars for both their Crozier Blue and Cashel Blue cheeses in the 2025 Great Taste Awards. That puts both in the top 1.9% of the products from around the world that go through a rigorous blind-judging by more than 500 industry experts, including chefs, food critics, technologists, retailers, and food writers. Jane and Louis Grubb of Cashel Blue Cheese in Co Tipperary receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Food Writers Guild in March of this year. Picture: Paul Sherwood The judging process takes more than 110 days, at venues in England, Ireland, and Italy. Cashel Blue, created by Jane and Louis Grubb, comes from the cows on Beechmount Farm. It was also a three-star winner in 2024, and one of three one-star winners for the company in 2023, along with Signature Tastes Cashel Blue and Specially Selected Cashel Blue. This year, there was also a one-star Great Taste award for Deluxe Mature Cashel Blue. Crozier Blue cheese comes from the milk of Friesland ewes on the Co Wicklow farm of George and Hannah Finlay. Toons Bridge Dairy • Also 'over the moon' after this year's Great Taste Awards were Toby Simmonds and Jenny-Rose Clarke of the Toons Bridge Dairy at Kilbarry, Macroom, Co Cork. The Greek-style cheese that they recently started making in their dairy from the milk of their herd of water buffalo was awarded three stars. There was a two-star award for the cultured butter made from the cream left behind after making fior di latte (mozzarella made from cow's milk, rather than from buffalo milk). The butter contains all the cultures of traditional mozzarella-making. There was a one-star award for the loomi frying cheese made with cow's milk and vegetarian rennet at Toons Bridge Dairy, using milk purchased from local dairy farms. The Toons Bridge Dairy team said: 'Thank you so much to the wonderful team in our cheese room and the packers, order fillers, van drivers, invoice writers, patient neighbours, buffalo milkers, cows' milk suppliers, milk collectors, fence fixers, boiler repairers, well pump fixers, whey collectors, slurry tank emptiers, lime spreaders, hay savers, to mention just a few, and not forgetting the amazing buffaloes and cows that produce the beautiful milk it all begins with. It really does take a village!' Their other business, The Real Olive Company, importers and producers of authentic Mediterranean olives, oils, pastes, cheeses, meats, and fish, earned a two-star award this year for Garlic And Fresh Thyme Dressed Olives, and a one-star award for their 12-year balsamic vinegar. Macroom Buffalo Cheese • Also in the Macroom area, three stars were awarded to the Macroom Buffalo Ricotta from Macroom Buffalo Cheese Products, Kilnamartyra, a long-standing Irish high performer in the Great Taste Awards. Having imported 31 buffaloes from Northern Italy and started making buffalo cheese in 2009, the Lynch family opened a state-of-the-art production facility on their main farm 10 years ago, to produce the largest range of buffalo cheese and yoghurt in Ireland from the milk of their much-expanded herd of grass-fed buffalo. Their herd of over 750 buffalo is spread across 640 acres in the Macroom area. Durrus Cheese • There were three stars also for Durrus Óg, a cheese made by Durrus Cheese, near Bantry in West Cork. Jeffa Gill began making cheese on her farm in 1979 and, 46 years on, the Durrus Cheese range is still made by hand. Cooleeney Cheese • Cooleeney Cheese, Thurles, were also among the Great Taste 2025 winners, awarded two stars for Gleann Óir, and one star each for Darú and Signature Tastes Cooleeney Cheese. There are two stars also this year for the St Tola Karst product from Inagh Farmhouse Cheese, Ennistymon, Co Clare. Only 1,508 of the 14,340 Great Taste entries secured two-star status.
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Major cheese company confirms closure of Irish manufacturing plant in Laois as 132 jobs under threat
The confirmed closure of the manufacturing plant is set to occur in the second half of 2026 WORK WOES Major cheese company confirms closure of Irish manufacturing plant in Laois as 132 jobs under threat A MAJOR cheese company has confirmed their plans to close a manufacturing plant in Portlaoise in the second half of next year. The US cheese company Leprino Foods has announced its closure plans for the manufacturing plant in Co Laois, which currently employs around 132 Irish employees. The firm, which produces mozzarella and string cheese, said the "difficult" decision was taken after a "comprehensive evaluation" of all possible options to improve the financial and operational performance of the Portlaoise plant. Some 132 staff work at the Laois site. The confirmed closure of the manufacturing plant is set to occur in the second half of 2026. In a statement, Chief Executive of Leprino Europe Paul Vernon said: "Despite considerable efforts, the level of sustainable improvement needed could not be achieved. "Closing the site will help ensure that Leprino can remain competitive while optimising its manufacturing footprint to continue meeting the evolving needs of customers. 'We understand the impact this announcement will have on our colleagues, their families, and the local community. 'We want to express our sincere gratitude to the talented team at Portlaoise. This decision does not lessen the value of their hard work or contributions.' Leprino said it will provide enhanced redundancy packages as well as career transition assistance to employees. It is also understood the current production in Portlaoise will be transitioned to other European sites in Magheralin in Northern Ireland and Llangefni in Wales. They added: "The company will provide enhanced redundancy packages, career transition assistance, and regular updates to ensure transparency at every stage." 'CONTINUE TO EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES' "In parallel to the above we will continue to explore opportunities for the site with any potentially interested third parties." Leprino has only been in operation in Portlaoise since 2020. It started as a family-owned company in Denver, Colorado, in 1950 when Mike Leprino Sr started making mozzarella cheese for his family's corner grocery shop. Leprino is now one of the largest producers of mozzarella cheese in the world, and also supplies lactose, whey protein, micellar casein, and sweet whey. It employs more than 5,500 people globally and has global sales in 80 countries.
The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Environmentalists urge Kildare County Council to refuse planning to €3bn data centre
FRIENDS OF THE Earth Ireland, An Taisce and Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) have called on Kildare County Council to refuse planning permission to a planned €3 billion data centre due mainly to the increased greenhouse gas emissions it will produce. In August of last year, multimillionaire engineering entrepreneur and co-owner of Monaghan-based forklift manufacturer Combilift, Robert Moffett's Herbata Ltd, lodged plans for the six data centre campus for a site next to the M7 motorway and business park at Naas, Co Kildare Last October, the Council stalled the plan after stating that the projected CO2 emissions from the data centre campus on lands in the Jigginstown, Halverstown and Newhall areas of Naas represents 49.35% of the 'Sectoral Emissions Ceiling' for the entire Commercial Built Environment Sector to 2030. The Council stated that the level of emission is 'excessive' for one development. In June, Herbata lodged extensive further information on the scheme in response to the Council concerns pointing out that the data centre will not be reliant upon the existing electricity generation and will get 50% of its power from renewables. Consultants for the applicants, RPS stated that the utilisation of Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGT) would result in a consequent reduction of 552,000 tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions However, in new submissions ahead of a Council planning decision this week, Friends of the Earth Ireland, An Taisce and FIE call on the Council to reject the plan while County Kildare Chamber has urged the planning authority to grant permission. On behalf of FIE, director Tony Lowes stated that FIE strongly oppose the proposed development of six gas-powered data centres due to their projected high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and incompatibility with Ireland's climate obligations He stated that the development 'could emit nearly one million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year. Over five years, this would account for almost a quarter of Ireland's electricity sector carbon budget – posing a major adverse impact on national emissions targets'. Advertisement Lowes adds that 'the mitigation measures proposed, such as Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs), the potential use of biomethane or hydrogen, and future district heating, are either mismatched, unreliable, unproven, or dependent on fossil fuels'. On behalf of Friends of the Earth Ireland, campaigns director Jerry Mac Evilly stated that 'the central message of this submission is that the applicant has not clearly or sufficiently addressed significant emissions impacts of the six gas-powered data centres. 'We therefore call for the application to be rejected,' he said. He said that 'the proposed data centre's extremely high associated emissions directly conflict with legal obligations to reduce emissions under the 2021 Climate Act and would undermine national decarbonisation efforts'. On behalf of An Taisce, senior planning and environmental policy officer Phoebe Duvall has told the council that to grant permission 'would be in contravention of Ireland's legally binding emissions reduction obligations and contrary to the national climate objective'. In a submission on behalf of County Kildare Chamber, CEO Sinead Ronan has told the council that 'this project represents a significant and timely investment in Naas and the wider Kildare region, delivering multiple economic, environmental and infrastructural benefits'. Ronan stated that 'the revised proposals submitted in response to the request for further information highlight several key enhancements'. She said: 'Notably, the data centre will not draw power from the national grid. Instead, only a minimum of 50% of its energy demand will be met through on-site solar PV generation or renewable energy sourced via Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs)'. Ronan stated that 'this proposal presents a forward-looking opportunity to enhance the local economy, support employment and position Kildare as a leader in sustainable digital infrastructure. 'The project also has a clear alignment to planning policy, climate goals and heritage protection'.
