Our Growers Stories
2017
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Mark is a third generation farmer and has been based in Rush, Co. Dublin for over 40 years. My grandfather started farming the land and it was he who laid the roots of the business back in the early 1970s. We started off growing tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuces but as we found ourselves out of production for long periods we changed the direction of the business nearly ten years ago. We’re protected growers who today, supply Pak Choi, Cos, Baby Gem and Butter head lettuce across the island of Ireland. We are now in production twelve months of the year, which has led to the expansion of my business from a mere two acre site to the sixteen acres you see today. I was the first grower to introduce Pak Choi into Ireland and my business as a result, has grown from strength to strength. I was also one of the first growers in Europe to trial a new variety of
the crop and as a result, growers throughout Europe have started to introduce this particular variety into their greenhouses. I am dedicated to delivering the best quality produce I can and I am continuously improving and evolving my business to meet the demands of my customers. I am also devoted to supplying the freshest produce I can, by delivering where possible, produce which has been harvested that very same day!
I am situated in the heart of North County Dublin in Hayestown, which is approximately 3km from Rush. I am located only 30 minutes from Dublin City Centre and 20 minutes from the nearest Total Produce depot.
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My family and I have a long standing relationship with Total Produce and they have helped us expand our business to what it is today. By freeing up certain elements of the business they have allowed me to concentrate on what I know best, and that is growing the best quality produce I can!
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Mark McCann
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Denis Harford
I am situated in the heart of North County Dublin in Lusk. I am located only 20 minutes from Dublin City Centre and 10 minutes from the nearest Total Produce depot.
Denis is a Cauliflower and Leek grower, based in Dublin.
We grow 200 acres of vegetables – mainly cauliflower, broccoli, leeks, spinach, beetroot and celeriac. Good soil is key to a good crop, so before we plant any of our crops we test the soil to see what nutrients it contains.We then add any nutrients to the soil that it is lacking in, in order to ensure our crops get all the nutrients they require. After all, a happy crop is a healthy crop and as a farmer, there is no better feeling than to produce
a good quality crop that people enjoy eating. I’m very proud of the produce we grow and we work endlessly to ensure we provide our customers with the freshest produce we can, as quick as we can, from the field to your plate. That’s about as fresh as it gets!
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Working with Total Produce is very beneficial for our business. Having a partner like them allows us to continuously plan ahead. We can focus on the production of the crop, which in turn leads to a better quality product for our customers.
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It truly is a family business here at G.D. L Harford. I’m one of three brothers who are involved in the business. Ger looks after the logistics, Lorcan’s role involves planning the planting and the harvesting of the crops and I’m the Operations Manager. We are all third generation farmers so it’s something which we have all grown up with and loved.
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Jim O’Rourke
I am situated in the heart of North County Dublin in Swords. I am located only 20 minutes from Dublin City Centre and 5 minutes from the nearest Total Produce depot.
II’ve been growing tomatoes since I was 16 years old. I started off growing tomatoes in Haggardstown nursery outside Dundalk and after developing a real love for growing, I attended horticultural college where I learned my trade. In 1978, I moved to Swords and the business has expanded from there. We now grow four different varieties of tomato – cocktail, cherry, sunstream and piccolo. We’re one of only two growers in Ireland to have a licence to grow piccolo and one of only a handful of growers in Europe, so we are very proud of this particular tomato. Piccolo is a distinctive variety because of the way it looks and the way it tastes and that’s what makes it so special. In the greenhouse, we use the latest technologies and nutritional analysis systems in order to
ensure the plant has the correct amount of nutrients to grow healthy. If you give the plant what it wants, it grows happy and this leads to a better quality product. We’re only 5 minutes from our local depot and because we’re so close to our markets, we can allow the tomatoes ripen on the vine. This improves the flavour of the crop and that’s really what it’s all about. If you grow a product that the customer wants, with a superior quality and taste, then the business end of things looks after itself and that’s my simple philosophy!
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Total Produce is very supportive, I have the expertise in growing and they give me the space to do what I do best. Total Produce is a genuine company who want this business to succeed and we work together to grow top quality produce that’s local.
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Jim is a Piccolo, Sunstream and Cocktail Tomato grower, in Dublin.
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Tom O’Hanlon
I am situated in Glenealy, co. Wicklow. I am located only 45 minutes from Dublin City Centre and 50 minutes from the nearest Total Produce depot.
Tom is a Herb grower, based in Wicklow. It all started in my back garden and packing herbs in the kitchen!
At O’ Hanlon’s, our aim is to get the product in and dispatched as quickly as we can, in order to provide our customers with the freshest produce possible. As we are feeding peoples senses, it is enormously satisfying to see people using and enjoying our produce. Herbs are after all an
adornment to food and we take great pride in producing a product which people take pride in cooking with. It’s as simple as that!
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Total Produce as a group are extremely customer and market focused which is very important to us. We work to ensure our herbs are of the highest quality so it is integral for our business to have a partner who share our values.
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The business has grown over the last number of years and last year we celebrated 25 years. We now grow all the culinary herbs with our most popular being coriander, basil, parsley, mint and rosemary. Everybody wants fresh ingredients and over the last ten to fifteen years people have become accustomed to using natural flavourings.
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TJ O’Shea
I am situated in Piltown, Co. Kilkenny. I am located 35 minutes from Kilkenny City Centre and 5 minutes from the nearest Total Produce depot.
TJ is a potato and carrot grower, based in Piltown, Co. Kilkenny.
We start harvesting at 5.30am each morning, to ensure we have fresh carrots daily. The carrots are then washed, cooled, packed and dispatched that very same day. We have over 150 people employed between growing, washing, packing and distributing our
produce. We are therefore, very passionate about supporting “local” where and when possible. I’m very proud of the produce we grow and we work to ensure we provide the freshest and tastiest produce we can. After all, taste really is king!
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Working with Total Produce is very important to us. Our partnership, allows us to focus on producing top quality produce that’s local. It is reassuring to have a reliable partner like them who are committed to supporting Irish growers.
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From an early age, I was brought out to the fields to check on the progress of our crops and I learned a great deal about the business from my father. We’re currently farming approximately 1800 acres, with potatoes and carrots being the main crops planted on the land. We are blessed here in the Suir Valley; we are farming on clay loam soil, which produces very high yields of very good quality crops. The main variety of carrot we grow is called Nairobi which is a very sweet variety and one which people really enjoy eating.
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Alan Taylor Alan is a Turnip grower, based in Dublin.
Mark and I have our own separate roles on the farm, I am responsible for planning the planting and harvesting of the crop and Mark looks after packing the produce and delivering it out to our customers. We harvest turnips twice a week in order to ensure that our turnips are as fresh as possible. Once harvested, the produce arrives into the pack-house where it is chilled, washed, trimmed and readied for dispatch. Our aim is to get the produce in and out to the
customer as quickly as we can. In 2010, we trialled growing turnips under netting and this has made a huge difference to the growing of the crop. As a result, the positive dividend has been in producing a more consistent crop when it reaches maturity. I take pride in growing turnips and every day brings a new challenge but I guess, that’s what makes it interesting!
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Working with Total Produce is great for our business. It is reassuring for us to have a partner like them who we can rely on to promote our produce. We work together in rain or shine to deliver the best produce we can to our customers.
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My brother Mark and I are third generation farmers and we have been growing produce here in North County Dublin for as long as we can remember! We started off growing cereals, potatoes and a variety of vegetables but we now specialise in two main crops – turnips and broccoli
I am situated in the heart of North County Dublin in Lusk. I am located 30 minutes from Dublin City Centre and only 5 minutes from the nearest Total Produce Depot.
Robert is a Carrot grower, based in Wexford.
I am situated in the New Ross, Co. Wexford.I am located only 25 minutes from Waterford City Centre and 30 minutes from the nearest Total Produce depot.
I’m Operations Manager here at South East Veg. Carrots are the main crop we specialise in and we have been growing them in New Ross, since 1999. The company has grown hugely over the last fifteen years and we now employ over twentyfive people. The biggest challenge we face with growing carrots is getting the ground conditions right as the weather plays a big factor in our growing season. In order to protect the crop from the elements we cover our early season carrots under plastic. This helps to keep the soil temperature warmer which aids in the growing process.
Once the carrots are harvested, they must be washed, cleaned, graded and hydro cooled before they are ready to be packed and dispatched. We use the latest technology, machinery and knowhow, to ensure that our produce is handled with the greatest care and attention before it is sent out to our customers. After all, the proof is in the eating and our aim is to grow and produce the best crop we can so that our customers enjoy it as much as we do!
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Having a reliable partner like Total Produce allows us to focus on the production of the crop. We appreciate the marketing and agronomic support that Total Produce provides, which leads to a better quality product for our customers.
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Robert Rowe
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down to the vision of one man.
Pat Clarke
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Pat is a strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and blueberry grower.
Pat Clarke was the man who introduced the Elsanta variety of strawberries to Ireland in 1983 and the highly sought after berries were first auctioned in the Dublin Market on July 25th of that year, at record prices.With their excellent flavour, firm texture and lengthy shelf-life, approximately 80% of the strawberries grown in Ireland today are Pat’s Elsanta variety. That is
More than half a century on, the family farm is now a commercial growing facility, employing over 140 people. Pat is ably assisted by his brother James, family members and a highly skilled workforce to produce tons of superior berries. The fruit is freshly picked, packed and dispatched daily from April to November in a fleet of refrigerated trucks and vans.
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I’ve been selling into Total Produce for close to 30 years, they are a great firm to deal with.
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The experience gained while picking fruit for pocket money cultivated Pat’s keen interest in strawberry growing from a young age. He received some plants as a gift from a neighbour and produced his first crop from 10 drills on the family farm in 1960. The ‘fruitful’ gift yielded choice berries and the seed of today’s complex business was sown. The enterprise grew steadily and the luscious produce was soon claiming top prices in the Dublin Market.
I am situated in the heart of Stamullen, County Meath I am located only 15 minutes from the nearest Total Produce depot.
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The Codd Family The Codd family have been growing mushrooms in Co. Carlow since 1989
Back in 1989 we started with just 2 staff, a small growing shed and loads of enthusiasm, now we are a family of 250 staff and still growing.” Quality and Technology are at the core of our business and help us achieve and maintain the highest quality standards. All our staff are trained in strict hygiene and harvesting techniques so as to produce the best product for our customers. The passion and dedication of our staff has been
integral to the growth and success of our business, helping us ensure that we meet customer demands at all times. We strive to be one of the most innovative and environmentally friendly mushroom production facilities in Europe.
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Pride and commitment to growing the best mushrooms is at the heart of our family values.
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The Codd Family have been growing the finest quality mushrooms from their farm located in Tullow, Co. Carlow since 1989. Starting from a small growing shed, we now have progressed to a modern, purpose built mushroom production and packing facility.
We are located on the banks of the River Slaney in Tullow, Co. Carlow
For more information, please visit www.totalproducefoodservice.ie Scan the QR code to take a 3 minute tour of the Total Produce group.