Jimmy Kearns of Kearns Fruit Farm near Enniscorthy has been growing fresh, delicious and premium quality Wexford strawberries for over 50 years. He is joined in the family-run business by his wife Susan, son Noel, son-in-law and former Wexford hurling goalkeeping great Damien Fitzhenry, sales manager Peter Donnellan – who is the new joint-chair of the Horticulture Industry Forum – and up to 80 staff at peak times.
One of Ireland’s leading strawberry growers, Jimmy was in his early teens when he lost both of his parents, Margaret and Pat, within the space of 10 months. Pat had started the business in the early 1950s and a young Jimmy was left to take up the reins. More than half a century later, Jimmy is still going strong, growing strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and barley in the shadow of Mount Leinster. The fresh strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are supplied to multiples such as Dunnes Stores, Musgraves and Lidl, while the barley goes to Boortmalt in Enniscorthy for malt production.
“Strawberries account for about 98% of our business,” Jimmy says.
“We also produce raspberries and a small amount of blackberries and barley, which we grow with the help of the strawberry compost. We used to grow more barley and wheat, but you need volume to survive and that is why we concentrate on growing fruit now.
“Like many growers in the area at the time, my father initially grew strawberries for jam production. The likes of Chivers and Robinsons had factories in the area who all the local growers supplied their strawberries to. But since they closed, the number of growers has fallen dramatically.
“We have stayed going, thank God, and grow about 70% of our own produce. We produce 35 tonnes of strawberries a week at the height of the season. The other 30% comes from Philip Somers, John Greene and John Mernagh, who were colleagues of mine in the old Wexford Fruit Producers group, and six or seven smaller growers.
“We take great pride in everything we produce and are members of both the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme and the Good Food Ireland Initiative.”
Strawberries are grown for seven months of the year, while raspberries have a shorter time frame of three months. The process begins in December when strawberries are planted in heated glass tunnels. The first of the 60-day crops are planted in April for July picking when the main crop also arrives. Raspberries and blackberries are planted at the end of March and are harvested 10 weeks later. Kearns Fruit Farm plants strawberries every two weeks from March onwards. In total, about one million strawberry plants are planted each year in Curraghgraigue.
When we spoke to Jimmy in May, production was running behind schedule after a wet spring.
“We would normally expect to be in full production at this time of year, but are only at about 30%,” he lamented.
“Whereas 2022 was a good growing year, the weather has gone downhill since February. The ‘light levels’ weather has been poor. We can compensate for heat by turning it up in the glasshouses, but not for light levels. We have demand, but can’t fulfil it which is very frustrating.
“Growing isn’t manufacturing – you just can’t press a button. We’re at the mercy of the weather and that’s just the way it is.”
Matters are compounded by the reluctance of retailers to pay growers a fair and sustainable price for their products. Many fresh produce growers are in a weak position to bargain for a fair price as they are competing with each other and often only have the capacity to supply one of the supermarket chains.
Peter Donnellan is joint-chair of the Horticulture Industry Forum (HIF) which was formed as an umbrella organisation for Irish Fresh Produce Growers to address serious challenges facing the industry. The HIF currently has representatives from five sectors – Vegetables, Mushrooms, Soft Fruit, Top Fruit and Protected Crops. Teagasc, Bord Bia and the IFA are associate members of the Forum.
Along with Minister of State Pippa Hackett, Peter plans to meet with all major retailers to discuss the issues facing growers. He is also encouraging all growers to contribute to a new draft National Strategy for Horticulture which is currently open for public consultation.
“Growers are facing unique challenges at this time,” he explains.
“The main ones relate to the supply chain and how it works, and how retailers are driving a hard bargain. There is a real need to engage with the retailers on their long-term intention to support local horticulture producers through sustainable pricing to ensure the viability and growth of the sector.
“The focus also needs to be on educating consumers on how there is a home market and producers, but at a cost. We need to get more money for our produce – that’s the bottom line. Consumers have enjoyed low prices for the last 25-30 years. They’re going to have to pay a little more for their food going forward.
“There have been massive increases in production costs across the board which haven’t been reflected in shop prices. Everyone wants cheap food, but it can’t be produced. The fragility of the food chain was shown up by the extreme weather in Spain earlier this year which led to a shortage of salad foods such as tomatoes and cucumbers.”
The Kearns Fruit Farm sales manager continues: “We’ve had to deal with Brexit, Covid and the war in Ukraine which has seen fertiliser and chemical costs skyrocket. Labour shortages and succession are other issues facing the industry. Increasingly, young people don’t see it as a viable career. There are lots of other career options out there with better pay.”
Kearns Fruit Farm employs 25 full-time staff and up to 80 at peak times. The Farm houses numerous tunnels and glasshouses as well as a state-of-the-art packhouse. There is also an array of machinery to carry out the various tasks, and vehicles to undertake deliveries.
“We’re constantly investing in our people, equipment and facilities. We currently have one hectare of heated glass to give early production, one hectare of cold glass and have plans to build another hectare of heated glass. You can’t stand still in this business,” Peter stresses.
Regardless of what the future holds, quality and freshness will continue to be the number one goal of Jimmy and the Kearns Fruit Farm team. Buying Irish strawberries means that, as well as supporting a locally grown product and local industry, consumers also benefit from the nutritional and health benefits of this delicious fruit. Strawberries are a versatile fruit which are naturally high in Vitamins C and K, and are also an excellent source of fibre, folic acid and phytonutrients known as anthocyanins, which give them their vibrant red colour.
Jimmy would like to take this opportunity to thank his customers and suppliers for their continued support as well as his staff for their hard work, dedication and skill.
Kearns Fruit Farm
Curraghgraigue,
Enniscorthy,
Co. Wexford.
Telephone: 053 9255495
Email: [email protected]
First published in Grocery & Retail Ireland magazine Vol 2 No 1, Summer 2023
