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The north of Ireland is renowned for its abundance of wonderful produce, whether from land or sea. In each issue of Flavour we will be highlighting the people and businesses behind the scenes who produce the food we often take for granted on our trips to the supermarket. Rebecca Kincade kicks off with a visit to Gilfresh Produce.
rowing up in the very beautiful village of Loughgall, County Armagh, I lived in a very closeknit community, where everyone knew everyone else. So it came as quite a surprise to me at the age of 27 to learn that right on the doorstep to the village is one of Northern Irelands largest vegetable producers. Gilfresh Produce is a family run business and all year round they grow, wash, pack and distribute vegetables for retailers large and small throughout Ireland. With 40 partner growers and over 130 employees, Gilfresh takes pride in having total control over each of its products, from soil to boil. If you are anything like me, when you reach for your five a day in a local supermarket it is easy to forget the effort that goes on behind the scenes to make sure that each product has reached the shelves in the attractive and colourful way that we find it.
Today, Gilfreshs diverse portfolio of products covers brassicas, such as various types of cabbage, cauliflower, brocolli, leafy greens and kale; root veg like carrots, parsnips, swedes, beetroot and celeriac; as well as iceberg lettuce, leeks, celery, broad beans, fennel, spinach, pak choi and, of course, the ever-popular scallions. By working in partnership with a network of growers in Ireland and abroad, Gilfresh Produce is able to maintain a small model of vegetable growing in the belief that this model ensures each product is able to reach its best
quality in the hands of family managed farms. I dont think there is anything that can beat the small model of vegetable growing. Our growers know their crops, they have many years experience and are able to operate the best standard of quality control as they are picking, explained Thomas. With this well-developed system, all Gilfresh products go from the field to the shelf in 36 hours or less.
As Thomas took me for a tour of the packing factory I was struck by how much was happening at any one time. Boxes and crates were arriving and leaving on zippy forklifts, vegetables were being washed and trimmed
Year-round supply
In fact, as I found out from Gilfresh Produce owner Thomas Gilpin, each vegetable has been almost a full year in the making,
At the time I started out we were washing our carrots in a cement mixer, using three buckets of water for every one bag of carrots. One thing just seemed to lead to another and now we are able to wash around 30 tonnes of vegetables every hour - you certainly wouldnt do that in a cement mixer!
Thomas Gilpin, Gilfresh Produce FLAVOUR August/September 2011 August/September 2011 FLAVOUR
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Environmentallyfriendly farming
Thomass son William is now the General Manager of the company, taking responsibility for the day-to-day organisation. He joined the business straight from school, starting on the farm working with the harvesting gangs cutting cabbages, broccoli and other vegetables. Thomas is still very much hands on with all the growers across the country. We pride ourselves on having excellent working relationships with all of our growers. Having been a grower myself I understand all the challenges they face and I work with them to overcome these, he told me.
Each issue of Flavour we will take one key ingredient and show you its versatility for use in a variety of tasty recipes, some quick and easy to make for a mid-week meal, others taking a little more time for a special treat, but all definitely delicious!
Ireland, added Paul. We are always looking at ways to adapt and grow in line with consumer trends and in Ireland there is a strong preference for locally sourced food. We also recognise that consumers are demanding healthy food that is quick to cook to suit todays busy lifestyles, which is why we have developed both fresh and convenience products under the Moy Park brand all made with 100% locally sourced chicken. For more information and to view Moy Parks full range of tasty chicken recipes please visit www.moypark.ie.
We are delighted to see that the results really speak for themselves! said Paul Burch of Moy Park. Chicken is Northern Irelands favourite meat. Chicken is versatile and convenient and is also good value for money, which is why it is always a popular choice. Whilst sales of chicken breast fillets remain very strong, we are also seeing growth in dark meat - legs, drumsticks and thighs thanks to the barbecue season and growing demand for foodie ingredients. At the same time, some consumers are buying bigger fresh birds, which provide even better value for money and see a household through a Sunday dinner and mid-week meals. Moy Park has just launched a new range of breaded and fresh chicken and ready to cook meals, which are available throughout the north of
August/September 2011 FLAVOUR