McCann's History

1800 - Present day

The story of McCann's dates back to 1800 when John McCann built a mill at Beamond, four miles from Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland. The mill was powered by water diverted from the Nanny River, from which Mr. McCann's rod and line hooked some excellent trout. John McCann's Irish Oatmeal secured many prizes for its excellent quality over the years. A double success in the London Exhibition and the Dublin Exhibition in 1851, was followed by first prize at the Philadelphia Exhibition in 1876 and an award for "Uniformity of Granulation" in 1893 at the Chicago Exhibition.

In 1898, the company moved to new premises on Merchant's Quay in the town of Drogheda itself. Two years later the directors recorded with pride that their mills were equipped with all the best modern machinery procurable and were working night and day.

In the early part of the century, exports of McCann's Irish Oatmeal increased dramatically enabling the inhabitants of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco, Montreal and Vancouver to enjoy the distinctive, nutty flavour of steel cut oats.

In 1964, Odlums acquired the business of John McCann's and transferred production to their own oatmeal mill in Sallins, Co. Kildare which had itself been in operation since 1910. This mill was extensively remodelled and upgraded in 1995 putting it on a par with the most modern mills in Europe.

Awarded the Hygiene Mark from Excellence Ireland in 1999, Sallins is also accredited to ISO 9002, an internationally recognised quality system and to ISO 14001, an environmental management system.