The Kolbe show

Kolbe Feeds in Cootehill, County Cavan is the sole distributor of animal feedstuffs for Carton Brothers (Manor Farm). A strong family-run operation which celebrates two decades in existence next year, Kolbe Feeds swept the board by winning a staggering seven prizes at the recent Boot to the Headlight truck show in Swords. Naturally, Irish Trucker felt compelled to provide a closer insight…

Members of the Kolbe Feeds team display the seven awards garnered at Boot to the Headlight. From left: Aileen Clerkin, Kenneth McIntyre, Ann McIntyre, John McIntyre, Eamon McMullen, Rose McMullen, Martin McMullen

In trucking, the fleet is paramount. While it may seem that we are stating the obvious here, there is simply no getting away from the vital importance of maintaining a top-class fleet. A pristine fleet projects a favourable image of the company (to clients and the general public alike); it buoys the staff; it emits professionalism; and it generates a general feelgood factor that no money can buy. Add in the obvious health and safety benefits and the advantages of operating a high-quality fleet are too manifold to ignore.

Headquartered in Lisaderg, Cootehill in the Breffni County, Kolbe Feeds is a family business that leads the way when it comes to fleet maintenance. No stone, sponge, hose, chequebook or mechanical tool is left unturned in ensuring that the Kolbe fleet looks and performs brilliantly. The trucks and trailers are enhanced by the latest, state-of-the art operational and safety features, with a veritable plethora of extras and accessories added to ensure that the vehicles are also visually striking.

That’s why Kolbe Feeds trucks invariably attract nods of approval and admiration from other road users, as opposed to the dreaded torrent of expletives or raised middle fingers than afflict many of our members… It’s also why the company stole the show at the Boot to the Headlight extravaganza in Swords in July, taking an unbelievable SEVEN trophies back to its Shercock Road base.
The seven categories in which Kolbe Feeds showed a clean pair of (w)heels to the chasing pack were: Best Fleet; Best Scania; Best Combination; Best Paintwork; Best Owner Driver; Best New Truck; and Best Specialised Truck. Not a bad haul!

Kenneth McIntyre, John McIntyre and Martin McMullen show off the silverware

Needless to say, transport manager Kenneth McIntyre was delighted with the raft of acknowledgement: “We were chuffed to collect seven awards. It was a lot more than we expected, especially taking into the consideration the quality of the trucks we were up against. But we prepared our fleet well and we were thrilled. A lot of hard work and late nights go into preparing for a truck show, so it’s nice when the effort is rewarded. Everybody in the company is very conscious of looking after the fleet and we’re fortunate to have two great lads – Eamonn and Gareth – available to wash the fleet for us every weekend.”

Kenneth and his crew spent some four or five weeks getting ready for the show. Ultimately, it’s all about putting forward the best possible face on behalf of the company founded by his parents John and Ann back in 1988. “It’s just matter of pride in the fleet. It also proves that we look after things here and that we take the condition of our fleet very seriously, so it’s worth all the hard work.”
Kolbe Feeds is the trading name for Jupiter Transport. With a present fleet of seven trucks, the company was established to provide a specialised distribution service to nearby Carton Brothers, which produces the Manor Farm brand of chickens and chicken products. Founder John McIntyre worked for Manor Farm himself before the opportunity arose to set up a business specifically to handle the distribution of feedstuff to Manor Farm’s growers.

All Kolbe Feeds units are visually striking

Both companies have been developing hand in hand for almost a score of years. Kolbe Feeds essentially collects feedstuffs from the Carton Bros mill in Shercock and distributes these to the 170 growers located all over counties Cavan and Monaghan as well as in parts of Meath, Longford and Down. “We use a special vacuum system for the extraction of feedstuffs. This is manufactured by Muldoon Transport Systems in Dungannon and won an award at the Boot to the Headlight show,” Kenneth notes.
The multi-award-winning Kolbe Feeds fleet is supplied by McElvaney Motors in Monaghan town. The fleet comprises five Scania artics and two rigids (one Scania; one Hino). All the trailers are manufactured by Muldoons. The brand-new ’07 truck is fitted with Durabrite alloys from Midland Tyres and lights from Bits & Bobs in Monaghan (Barry McMahon). The interior of the award-winning ’05 truck was supplied by Full Throttle Interiors in Cork (Finbar O’Flaherty).

The company employs seven full time and three part time. These days the operation is overseen by Kenneth McIntyre and Martin McMullen, foreman. Patrick (Kenneth’s brother) and Ann McIntyre oversee the office. Kolbe Feeds have their own yard and workshop and carry out their own trailer servicing and maintenance (Kenneth trained as a mechanic at McElvaneys, who handle the truck maintenance).

Two units from the prestine, multi-award-winning Kolbe Feeds fleet

Of course, the 2007 Boot to the Headlight show was not Kolbe’s first foray into the truck show circuit. They competed in the Mondello Truck Show in 2000 and 2002; Punchestown in ’03; Limerick and Punchestown in ’05; and Limerick in ’06. Kolbe Feeds won many awards along the way, all of which are on display in the office. But they never experienced anything like the phenomenal success enjoyed at Swords a few months ago…

Regarding the future of the company, Kenneth McIntyre concludes: “As Manor Farm continues to expand, we hope to grow in tandem with their success. A lot of new growers have joined and we’re hoping there’s further growth ahead for all parties. We’ve built and developed a strong fleet over the years and we’ll continue to place a major emphasis on our fleet.”
Looks like there could be many more awards on the way. But, more importantly, Kolbe Feeds’ clients can continue to depend on an excellent level of service all year around.