Begley’s Fresh Food Produce Group is a market leading fresh produce partner for Irish retailers operating from a purpose-built, temperature-controlled depot at Kilshane Cross, Co. Dublin.
Passionate about fruits, vegetables, organic and exotic produce, the family-run business grows 1,000 acres of the finest Irish produce on farms in North Dublin and Wexford, including a wide range of vegetables such as carrots, courgettes, pumpkins, squash, sprouts, cabbages, cucumbers, little gem lettuce, romaine lettuce, pak choi and cauliflower.
The close relationship established with growers across Ireland since 1983 remains strong, providing a route to market for a high volume of Irish grown produce. This model has been expanded to establish similarly close relationships with growers of organic, conventional and exotic produce across the globe.
Begleys employs a highly-skilled team of 120 which increases to 150 at peak times. As both growers and packers, the company has all the required harvesters, tractors, trailers, sorting, grading, packing and labelling machines to meet all their customers’ requirements across their business.
“We grow and distribute Irish fresh produce to our customers and are very fortunate to have a great team of people across our business sites who are focused on delivering the highest quality and meeting our customers needs on an ongoing basis,” Begley’s Fresh Produce commercial director James O’Regan explains.
“We are very fortunate to have long-term partnerships with most of the leading retailers, independents and food service providers in Ireland. Our headquarters are in Kilshane Cross, Co. Dublin and we also manage sites in North Dublin and in Co. Wexford. We look after everything from the raw material to the finished product on all three sites.
“Having partnered with Lidl Ireland since 2001, we aim to have Irish-grown produce from our farms on their shelves 52 weeks a year.”
Elaborating on that successful partnership, James says: “We have been working with Lidl since they opened their first Irish store. In that time, our business has grown with theirs as one complements the other.
“It started with one item – carrots – and we have since expanded to supplying them with many other produce items. Lidl plays a key role in our business direction and that of our farming operations. Lidl challenge us to maximise the amount of Irish produce available on their shelves, but also offer an array of supports to enable us to achieve their targets and without their support, trust and backing, we for sure wouldn’t grow the volume of Irish produce we do.”
“Lidl are an excellent customer to work and partner with, they are very approachable and responsive on all matters which is a big help in such a fast-moving business sector. We’re delighted with the continued commitment, support and enthusiasm that Lidl shows towards having as much Irish produce on the shelves for their customers.”
As one of Ireland’s leading primary producers, Begleys has full control and visibility right the way through the supply chain, from field to fork. At a time when food security is a growing concern, the long-established family business can offer their customers peace of mind in this regard.
“Having full visibility of the supply chain enables us to better plan, act or make proactive decisions to maximise opportunities or navigate against challenges as they arise,” James continues.
“As well as being growers ourselves, we are fortunate to work with many of Ireland’s leading vegetable and salad growers over many years. Their range, quality, skills and volumes complement what we do as a business and what we offer the customer.”
Begley’s Fresh Food Produce is committed to sustainability. To this end, it is a proud member of Bord Bia’s Origin Green, AIPP (All-Ireland Pollinator Plan) and Biodiversity Ireland. As members of Origin Green, the producer has high sustainability standards, using precision agriculture to carefully manage water and inputs while minimising field waste.
“Furthermore, our farming site in Wexford recently completed a water upgrade which has reduced water usage significantly in the site.
“Of the 1,000 acres we grow, approximately 600-660 acres of that in the last few years has directly led to saving thousands of tonnes of produce that were being imported from across Europe that are now Irish. This ties in really well and enables us to continue to meet new and achieve our ambitious sustainability targets ongoing” James says.
“We’ve partnered with FoodCloud for several years, giving weekly donations to their hub. Our total impact to date has resulted in 140,000 meals and 170 tonnes of CO2 being saved.”
In addition, the business is accredited by BRC AA, Organic Trust, Bord Bia, Global Gap (farming site) and is a member of the Unigreen producers’ organisation. Unigreen goals are about working together to improve the economic future and environmental sustainability of each of its members.
Begleys has also won a number of prestigious awards down through the years. At the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards last year, the company took Bronze for its Lidl Irish Courgettes tray.
Begleys Fresh Produce
Kilshane Cross,
Co. Dublin.
Telephone: +353 (0)1 885 5588
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.begleys.ie
Begleys Fresh Produce, featured
