Lee family milk delivery service remains a fixture after 60 years

In an era when many consumers have been swapping shop windows for browser windows, the retail core of Athlone, and other towns, has been in a struggle to remain vibrant.

But behind it all, some long-standing traditional traders are quietly keeping their crafts alive, adapting to the changing times without abandoning what defines them. Loyal customers return to these traders for something the internet can't replicate: experience, trust and a personal connection built over years, even generations.

In this series, REBEKAH O'REILLY speaks to some of these traders. This week we talk to TREVOR LEE, the third generation of a family involved on the milk delivery trade.

Third-generation Athlone milkman Trevor Lee is continuing a family tradition that stretches back more than 60 years, delivering fresh milk to doorsteps across the town and surrounding areas.

“I am the third generation of Lee milkmen in Athlone,” Trevor said. “In the early 1960s my grandfather Reggie set up a milk round, delivering fresh milk door to door.”

Milk delivery was very different then. Reggie collected milk from an open-back lorry parked at the top of Beech Park, where Athlone Fire Station now stands.

“His van was an open-back Toyota Dyna,” Trevor said. “The milk was bottled in glass bottles at Dawn Dairies in Moate.”

Customers left empty bottles outside their doors to be collected, cleaned and reused. With no refrigeration and a short shelf life, milk had to be delivered six days a week.

“Many customers have told me they were often woken for school by the rattle of Reggie’s bottles,” Trevor said.

As demand grew, the business became a family affair, with Reggie’s three sons each taking responsibility for a different area.

“Almost every house got milk back then, as it wasn’t as common to buy it in shops,” Trevor said.

Trevor’s father, Frank Lee, continued delivering milk door to door until the early 1990s, when the growth of supermarkets led to a sharp decline in traditional milk rounds.

“In the early 90s, supermarkets really saw the demise of door-to-door deliveries,” Trevor said.

However, in 2012 Glanbia (now Tirlán) identified an opportunity to revive the service and approached Frank about restarting deliveries.

“Frank trialled it for about two years and could see it was likely to take off again,” Trevor said. “Glanbia installed a modern, remotely monitored cold room in Blyry Industrial Estate and began supporting the milk run.”

Today’s operation is a far cry from Reggie’s Toyota Dyna.

“The milk is now delivered in refrigerated vans and trucks,” Trevor said.

Trevor officially joined the business in 2014 and, alongside his “right-hand man” Kevin Sweeney, expanded the service significantly.

“Together we grew the business to cover Athlone, Moate, Mount Temple and Glasson,” he said. “At one stage we even had a small round in Roscommon town.”

A major turning point came in 2018 with the launch of the MyMilkman.ie platform.

“We were one of the first milkmen in the country to sign up,” Trevor said. “It became an efficient way to manage the business.”

Customers can order online and pay by card, while behind the scenes a full stock, billing and ordering system operates. The range of products has also expanded to include butter, cheese, yogurts and orange juice.

Despite the dominance of supermarkets, Trevor says customer loyalty remains strong.

“People like having the basics delivered to the door and not worrying about running out,” he said.

“Some customers say that popping into a shop for a litre of milk often turns into four or five unplanned purchases.”

For older customers in particular, the service can be essential.

“Milk is heavy, and if you don’t drive, it’s difficult to carry,” Trevor said. “Doorstep delivery really makes a difference.”

One customer, he added, has been receiving milk from the Lee family across all three generations.

The importance of the service became even clearer during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“When Covid arrived, demand increased dramatically,” Trevor said. “There was a big rise in people organising deliveries for elderly parents and relatives.”

To meet demand, the business partnered with other local traders, supplying fruit and vegetables, eggs, meat, fresh fish and cheese.

Looking ahead, Trevor is optimistic that the milkman will remain part of Athlone life.

“People enjoy the convenience of ordering from an app,” he said, “but they also value a friendly face calling regularly.”

Reliability and tradition, he says, remain at the heart of the business.

“We continue to take on new customers, especially in businesses where staff canteens need a transparent system for milk deliveries.

We will strive to honour the tradition established by Reggie Lee over half a century ago."