THE HISTORY OF CONNOLLY'S RED MILLS®
Red Mills®, nestled in the scenic farm country in County
Kilkenny, Ireland, has been the home of the Connolly
family since 1908. Red Mills® has grown from a
local grain mill to a market leader in horse nutrition
throughout Ireland, the United Kingdom, continental
Europe and now in the United States.
Red Mills®, named for the red tiled roof of the original
mill built in 1780, has witnessed an evolution of this
business. Now with our production in the Midwest
we
are able to offer the same quality feeds to the U.S.
horse market using the same tried and true recipes
that have made us market leaders in Europe.
In
the mid 20th Century, the Connolly's purchased grain
from local farmers and processed it for human foods,
in particular Porridge Oats which was the staple diet
in the region. The wealth of experience gained
over the century in steam cooking, pressure cooking,
micronizing and extrusion adds to Red Mills® expertise
which is available to our customers today. This
commitment to wholesome, quality ingredients carried
through to the blending of horse feeds in the 1960's.
Paddy
Mullins who was a classmate of Liam Connolly (Red Mills® Managing Director, 1950-1995) called to the mill
to discuss a horse with an eating problem. Liam
decided to make a formulae that would encompass all
the nutritional requirements of the horse and then
cooked it to make it more appetizing and digestible.
The results were astounding, that horse Vulpine, went
on to win the Irish Grand National and the Powers
Whiskey Gold Cup.
News spread of this new feed
and Connolly's Red Mills® was on its way to becoming
Ireland's premier horse feed supplier.
Over
the intervening years, Red Mills®' commitment to
research and development led it to establish one of
the most sophisticated quality control laboratories in
the industry, dedicated to assuring the quality and
consistency of all of its feeds. This on-site
laboratory is equipped to analyze both the full range
of ingredients and finished feeds to a standard which
meets the requirements of the various equine governing
authorities.
