Bringing Global Software Excellence to a Local Community
CORE Technology has nurtured local talent and served businesses in Ireland for more than 40 years — and support from Cultura and Volaris enables the tradition to continue
Just 40 minutes north of Cork — Ireland’s “second city” — is a picturesque area with the kinds of rolling green landscapes that earn the country its nickname of “the Emerald Isle.”
Mitchelstown sits at the foothills of the Galtee Mountains.
The region, known as the Golden Vale, boasts a rich history in farming and some of Ireland’s most fertile land — and at the heart of it sits Mitchelstown.
Despite a modest population (3,744 as of 2022), Mitchelstown has put itself on the map during the past century for its robust dairy and livestock farming industry.
Cork and its surrounding counties of Tipperary, Kilkenny, and Kerry are home to some of the largest farmer-owned co-operatives in Ireland. Cows that graze on the lush local pastures provide milk for Ireland’s premium dairy products, including the world-famous Kerrygold butter. Thanks to Ireland’s large dairy processing industry, the area is also renowned for its internationally award-winning cheeses.
As the local industry has evolved, so has its need for software over the decades.
Providing software solutions for a modern agri-food industry
Understanding that modern farming and food processing can benefit from custom-made digital solutions, CORE Technology was formed in 1982 (originally named “CORE Computer Consultants”) to meet the industry’s specific software needs.
CORE’s client base is mainly in Ireland, and the company counts the majority of the largest farmers' co-ops in Ireland as longstanding customers. The company serves agri co-ops in the country with end-to-end software solutions. CORE provides software for the retail end of the business, as well as for dairy, milk collection, milling, and animal feed production.
When the company’s leadership was looking to sell in 2015, they found an ideal acquirer in Cultura Technologies, a division of Volaris Group that is home to a collaborative ecosystem of agri-food software businesses. CORE’s leaders were reassured that after the acquisition, they could remain true to their values and expand career opportunities for employees, while continuing to serve the local farming community.
More than 40 years after being founded, the company’s vision remains the same: to provide cutting-edge software solutions to agriculture and adjacent industries.
CORE Technology's office building in Mitchelstown, Ireland
Investing in valuable local expertise
Keeping CORE’s headquarters in Mitchelstown has remained important to its operation. After being acquired, the company was pleased that neither Cultura or Volaris asked for an office relocation, which would have uprooted their staff. Nor has the company been required to replace local staff with employees from elsewhere.
Instead, CORE was encouraged to keep operations running locally, in a way that was best for its clients – and by continuing to rely on and invest in employees’ local expertise. Staying headquartered in Mitchelstown offers the company the advantage of being able to stay in close contact with customers, observe local trends, and adapt quickly to emerging needs.
Keeping the company local also helps employees maintain a strong personal connection to the area. That's the case for General Manager Geraldine Quinlan Burke, who grew up just 20 minutes from Mitchelstown.
I feel a real connection with where we’re based. I’ve lived in Dublin, I’ve lived in other cities as well, but there was always a draw to come home. The community spirit is fantastic where we are.
-Geraldine Quinlan Burke, General Manager, CORE Technology
Many of CORE’s employees have personal experience with farming in the area.
One of them is Jim Doyle, CORE’s Database Administrator and Data Analytics Lead. He initially moved to the area from Dublin to escape city life and started working at CORE in 2003, making him one of the longest-tenured employees at the company.
Jim Doyle and Geraldine Quinlan Burke of CORE Technology
Doyle has been immersed in farming for much of his life, since both his father and grandfather owned farms: “I grew up visiting a dairy farm a lot, and my father bought calves as a hobby.” During his youth, he spent a lot of time looking after farmyard animals.
Another employee with a personal connection to farming in the area is Seamus McCarthy, CORE’s Professional Services Manager, who was born and raised in the area and has now purchased a house nearby.
McCarthy’s exposure to farming started early in life: “My father worked as an agricultural contractor, driving heavy machinery and working on farms.” While growing up, he was brought onto the farms where he learned about metalwork, fitting, fabrication, working with animals, and even driving tractors.
We're a small company, but we work together like a family. We all work together to try and deliver the best possible solutions for our clients and to make their job easier. If their job is easier, then it's a good reflection on us.
-Sylvia St John, Head of Technical Operations, CORE Technology
Yet another employee with a family connection to farming is Sylvia St John, CORE’s Head of Technical Operations. She married a farmer in south Tipperary, another area that makes up part of the Golden Vale.
Sylvia St John and Nicola Cogan are close collaborators at the CORE Technology office.
The CORE team’s deep and personal understanding of farming helps them relate to challenges, build relationships, and become trusted partners to their customers.
Agriculture is such an important industry. We’re feeding the world at the end of the day, and CORE is providing solutions that enable them to do that better.
-Nicola Cogan, Business Development Manager, CORE Technology
Their trust is well-earned in the community. CORE employees give back to the community through sponsorships and charitable donations. Their office is located in the Mitchelstown Enterprise Centre, where they share space and form a collegial environment with other small businesses.
"In the community, we can help each other, and we very much do help each other," says Quinlan Burke. "There's a real sense of belonging."
The CORE team also enjoys promoting and showcasing the local area and its amenities to both their customers and global colleagues at Cultura and Volaris.
CORE and Cultura team members at a wine tasting in Mitchelstown.
Investing in career development
Although CORE is a small company, its leaders have prioritized creating a workplace where employees want to stay for many years and continue their career development. Their long-tenured employees provide stability and niche expertise that is needed to help maintain long-lasting relationships with clients.
“Our company has provided a constant source of local employment,” says Quinlan Burke. “We’ve created employment opportunities for people who didn’t want to move away from the area, and who wanted to stay near home and set up their lives here.”
Seamus McCarthy has worked for CORE since 2013. He started working there during a college placement that included six months of work experience.
Seamus McCarthy has been working at CORE since he was 19 years old.
After finishing school, he joined the graduate program at the company, initially working as a business analyst. He progressively gained more experience at the company, working as a software developer, in quality assurance, consulting, and sales.
Eleven years after starting his first job at CORE, McCarthy now oversees a team of business analysts – giving them the same sort of mentorship he received when he initially started at the company in the same role.
Seamus McCarthy oversees a team of business analysts.
Kaitlyn Kenny and Hazel Stapleton are part of McCarthy's team. Both are getting hands-on training, support from colleagues, and exposure to different aspects of the business, including meeting with customers on-site.
“I received a lot of training,” says Kenney, who graduated in 2022 and enjoys the customer-facing aspect of her job. “I came with little experience, and the managers really highlight the importance of knowledge-sharing. We have a lot of workshops and chances to expand your knowledge and grow.”
My favorite part of the job is the variety. I’m being exposed to so many different areas, so every day is different. I could be working with a milling customer one day, and the next day I could be visiting a retail customer. So I’m getting a good grasp of all different areas of businesses.
-Kaitlyn Kenny, Graduate Business Analyst, CORE Technology
Stapleton feels similarly about her learning experience at CORE. She started working there in 2021 before taking time off to travel in fall 2022. She was pleased to be welcomed back to the company in February 2024, where she could continue her career where she left off.
“CORE is a good job to return to mainly because of the people that work here,” Stapleton says. “Anytime I run into problems, there’s always somebody on the other end of the phone.”
Being in a smaller business, we often have to take on several different roles – so that means that there’s so many opportunities for learning and growing as a graduate.
-Hazel Stapleton, Graduate Business Analyst, CORE Technology
Kenny finds it rewarding to help customers solve problems: “A customer could come with their issues, and I would analyze it and then bring it back to the team. We’d come up with a solution. I get a great deal of satisfaction when a project’s well done and the customer is very happy with it.”
Beyond the training CORE offers within its own company structure, employees can also access learning and development programs within Cultura and Volaris. Together, the two parent organizations provide much more opportunity to grow than what is typically available to employees working for a small company.
Geraldine Quinlan Burke with Volaris CEO Mike Dufton for the Volaris Executive Growth Academy.
In 2024, Quinlan Burke, CORE’s General Manager was selected to attend the Volaris Executive Growth Academy (VEGA), a multi-day executive leadership program organized by Volaris in partnership with the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
Over the course of a week, she heard about the latest leadership and performance strategies from professors at the business school. She also networked with top-performing peers from within Volaris.
We’re independent, we’re agile, but we’re supported by a global group with expertise and knowledge that we can draw on as required... So we have the best of both worlds.
-Nicola Cogan, Business Development Manager, CORE Technology
“By being part of Cultura and Volaris, we definitely have the opportunity to learn from a global community,” shares Quinlan Burke. “There are academies and forums, and we get to collaborate with our colleagues all the way through Cultura and Volaris.”
Members of CORE’s team had a chance to attend Quadrants, the world’s largest gathering of vertical market software businesses, hosted by Volaris Group.
A global network that delivers the best of both worlds
Reflecting on her career so far, Quinlan Burke recalls her experience working at different companies, and how they compare to her experience at Cultura and Volaris.
“I’ve worked for big corporations in the past, and I’ve worked somewhere with thousands of employees, where essentially you feel like you’re a number and you don’t feel that you can empower yourself or make change.”
Yet she doesn’t feel that way at Cultura or Volaris.
“CORE is very much about community, and I see that in both Cultura and Volaris as well. By being part of Volaris, we feel that we’re very much part of the Volaris community.”
As part of Cultura and Volaris, CORE is empowered to set ambitious business goals and remain committed to continual R&D and innovation. The benefits to the company trickle down to the customers, who they can collaborate with to shape cutting-edge software solutions that help future-proof them for industry changes.
“We have a true sense of commitment to our customers and each other. Although we’re a software house based in a small, rural town, we've always stayed on the cusp of cutting-edge technology,” says Quinlan Burke.
“Now we have the advantage of being involved in something that’s global.”