Castlecor Potatoes is a successful family-run enterprise near Mallow, Co. Cork renowned for producing premium potatoes, onions and cereals.
From the rich and fertile soil of North Cork, the English family have been growing fresh, tasty, high-quality produce since 1974. From humble beginnings, they have become one of the largest crop growers in the Munster region. Their expertise in growing potatoes, grading and packing them at their state-of-the-art packing facility is unrivalled and is why their retail, wholesale and foodservice customers have confidence in them to consistently meet their requirements.
In addition, Castlecor Potatoes takes its responsibility to the land and the environment very seriously, recycling and reusing where it can and setting high targets in energy conservation. To illustrate this, it is investing €500,000 in a 1MW PV solar system that will produce enough green energy to cater for its needs and support a sustainable, lower-carbon future.
Castlecor Potatoes’ dedication to quality and customer service is reflected in its enduring relationship with Lidl Ireland. Since 2010, the Co. Cork concern has been supplying up to 90% of its produce to the retail giant. In that time, the two have grown hand-in-hand, with Castlecor Potatoes’ highly-skilled team having jumped from three to 55.
Ned English, who set up the Castlecor Potatoes along with his wife Mary over 50 years ago, is joined by his son Edward and daughter in the day-to-day running of the exceptional second-generation business.
Their commitment to quality begins in the field where they grow and harvest their premium potatoes and onions. The care taken in storing and packing their fresh produce is proven right through from farm to fork. They pride themselves in bringing the best quality, nutritious, convenient and delicious produce to the consumer in a sustainable and responsible manner.
“We’ve been in business a long time and have been through good and bad times,” Edward explains.
“My father is in his seventies now and is still very much involved. It was his drive and vision that laid the groundwork and we have continued to build on that. We have a real passion for growing and I like to think that shows. We’re genuinely passionate about creating good-quality produce and we have built a top-class team around us.
“Seven years ago, our passion for growing good quality Irish crops led us to reintroducing Irish onions for the first time in many years. A lot of onions eaten here are grown outside of Ireland, but we have shown that we can grow quality produce locally in a more sustainable way.
“In any business, building relationships is key and our relationship with Lidl has been very important to us. Large multinationals set very high standards and they expect every aspect of the business to be managed professionally and properly. They won’t accept anything less than perfect quality and we are acutely aware that we are only as good as our last delivery – so we have to maintain those high standards at all times. We place a huge emphasis on quality and service, and this is backed up by having a great team to deliver these qualities.”
This year, Castlecor is growing 1,500 acres of cereal (wheat, barley and oats), 500 acres of potatoes and 200 acres of onions. The cereals are supplied to Dairygold and McDonnell Brothers (Feeds) for use as animal feed. The company grows both set and seed onions which, like the potatoes, are predominantly supplied to Lidl.
“We produce 4,000 tonnes of onions for Lidl every year,” Edward reveals.
“We grow 150 acres in set and 50 acres in seed. We’re growing seed onions for the first time in years thanks to our investment in a new eco-robotic camera-guided hoe. This precision-guided hoe offers multiple advantages for both the soil and the seed onions, and helps us fulfil our responsibility for ecological farming. It reduces the use of chemicals and allows us to spray weeds without damaging the crop.
“Seed onions are a harder, firmer onion. We’re also investing in another onion drying store to complement the two we have already. Growing cereals is a necessary part of the business for crop rotation.”
The main potato varieties grown by Castlecor are Rooster and Maris Piper. Rooster is a red-skinned potato with a light, floury texture. They are uniformly roundish in shape with shallow eyes, making them easy to peel. They can be boiled, mashed, chipped, roasted, steamed or baked, and a firm favourite with Irish consumers. Maris Piper’s golden skin with cream-white flesh lends itself perfectly to mashing.
Once harvested, the potatoes are weighed, cleaned, graded and packed in a recently-revamped packhouse that includes two new washing and packing lines, and a second Newtec optical sorting machine. There are also cold stores on-site. The North Cork company has an array of machinery to sow, maintain and harvest the crops, including 18 John Deere tractors and GRIMME harvesters, planters and destoners.
“We deal with Farm Power for John Deere and GRIMME for nearly everything else. We get great back-up from both dealers,” Edward adds.
“Investment in the business is constant because you have to keep up with the newest technology and the most efficient way of doing things. For some of the crops, innovative equipment can make you less dependent on labour.”
As ever, the industry is faced with many challenges, not least rising fuel, electricity and labour costs. However, Castlecor Potatoes are determined to meet them head on.
“The war in the Middle East has doubled fuel costs. It’s not ideal heading into the planting season,” Edwards acknowledges.
“Planting is slightly delayed this year due to an exceptionally wet winter. All going according to plan, the first crop of winter onions will be harvested in late July. The wheat, barley, oats, early potatoes and main crop onions will be harvested in late August / early September. That will be followed by the main crop of potatoes in September / October.
“We are trying to operate a sustainable and conscientious business that is profitable and that can stay relevant and successful.”
As Castlecor Potatoes continues to go from strength to strength, the English family would like to take this opportunity to thank their customers and suppliers for their unwavering support, and also their employees for their hard work, dedication and expertise.
Castlecor Potatoes,
Castlecor,
Mallow,
Co. Cork.
Telephone: 022 48228 / 086 6077010 (Edward)
Email: [email protected]
Web: castlecorpotatoes.ie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/castlecorpotatoes
First published in Grocery & Retail Ireland magazine Vol 5 No 2, Summer 2026
