Castlecool Ltd. is the proud sponsor of the County Board's U16 league competitions. Celebrating a decade in existence, the Castleblayney headquartered warehousing and logistics specialist is a true friend of Monaghan GAA. As an amateur organisation, the GAA - at national and local levels - is completely dependent on goodwill and sponsorship. There exists a seemingly endless number of teams (club and county) and competitions (adult and juvenile), each of which requires a generous benefactor. But the natives always pull together for the greater good, to ensure the smooth evolution of the world's most unique amateur sporting body. In Monaghan, the story is no different. Monaghan GAA is fortunate to have plenty of support from the local business community, which helps sustain a vibrant and progressive strand of our homegrown national sporting body. A case in point is Castlecool Ltd., main sponsor of the county U16 leagues at Division One, Division Two and Division Three levels. Castlecool specialises in the field of temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics, providing clients with a state-of-the-art storage service that cannot be bettered. The company is the brainchild of Castleblayney native Paul Shortt, who set Castlecool Ltd. up ten years ago. Paul was born and bred at Main Street, Castleblayney and has spent most of his life in the town. As such, he is acutely aware of the massive popularity enjoyed by gaelic games in the area. In 'Blayney, the influence of the GAA is omnipresent, so it's no major surprise that a 'Blayney man should decided to sponsor the county's U16 football leagues. To this end, Castlecool Ltd. sponsors all three U16 league competitions. The U16 Division One league is contested for the McNally Cup and was won by Monaghan Harps in 2004. Meanwhile, Donaghmoyne claimed the U16 Division Two league (McCormack Cup), while the Division Three crown (Curley Cup) went to Ballybay. Castlecool has been sponsoring these competitions for the past four years. How did the sponsorship come about? "It's an ideal way to support the community," says Paul. "Supporting the community has always been an important part of the company ethos and the GAA is the obvious channel as it's such an important part of life in this area." When Paul spotted a niche in the marketplace, he was quick to act: "The food processing industry in the region was growing rapidly and I felt there was an opening for a quality provider of storage and distribution," Paul comments. Indeed, the industry in general was outsourcing a lot of its warehousing, distribution and general logistics needs, and Paul correctly identified an opening for a quality provider in the flourishing Cavan/Monaghan/Louth area (where food processing is a key industry). The service provided by Castlecool is such that their client list reads like a Who's Who of the local food industry - Heinz, Glanbia, Silverhill, Town of Monaghan Co-Op etc. Deploying a fresh approach to warehousing and distribution, Castlecool provides its wide range of customers with a complete and reliable service. The company has deservedly gained a reputation for reliability and expertise in the field of temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics. This has been achieved by offering the following: cold storage capacity of 1.9 million cu. ft. fully mobile racked blast freezing packing chilled and dry stores distribution facilities The company has full EU certification and is ISO 9001-2000 approved. A major force in the food supply chain, Castlecool now boasts facilities strategically located between Dublin and Belfast - on the main N2 route in Castleblayney and in Dundalk. Close proximity to major ports and route-ways enables the servicing of a multitude of customer types both nationally and internationally. A comprehensive range of services is provided across a wide variety of food types from ready meals to bulk products (including meat and dairy products): cold stores (10,000 pallet spaces), chilled store (250 pallet spaces), dry stores (2,500 pallet spaces), blast freezers (100 pallets per cycle), tempering room (30 tonne), packing facilities, order picking, bulk freezing, preparation, grading, repacking, local and international distribution facilities, sampling and food testing, logistical management services, food brokerage. Over the years, Castlecool has forged a reputation for reliability and expertise in the field of temperature-controlled storage and distribution, providing producers, manufacturers, food service operators and retailers with a wide range of services. With three fully automated cold storage warehouses as well as chilled and dry storage, Castlecool is perfectly equipped to offer a full logistical service. A highly-efficient computer-controlled system ensures accurate monitoring and traceability of products. A virtually paperless system controls the movement of stock through the stores. Castlecool is big enough to cope with the requirements of large, demanding customers and flexible enough to deal with the needs of smaller customers. Through the use of modern blast freezing facilities and mobile racking systems, maximum use is made of storage space, while an efficient and fully-trained workforce provides the flexibility and high standard of service demanded by customers. As a young innovative company with well-established management and operational experience, Castlecool knows exactly how to achieve maximum levels of customer satisfaction. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and customers can rest assured that their product is secure and treated with the highest level of care. Any order will be processed from a single box to a 20,000-boxes-per-month contract. In November, Castlecool Ltd. celebrated its tenth anniversary in style by receiving the Excellence Through People award. The company completed the building of its first cold store in November 1994 (commencing trading two months later) and has since grown into a highly successful multifunctional operator. Monaghan GAA is hoping that the success story continues unabated! Tweet

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