Ireland: Family firm sees off cheap imports and keeps mushrooming
C&L Mushrooms produces the highest quality white mushrooms, with more than 95% exported to UK multiples annually.
Mary said: "The mushroom growing business was started just under 30 years ago when Gerard and I were only 18 years old.
"When the farm was first started it employed just two mushroom pickers."
Along with nearly 600 other mushroom growers in Northern Ireland, the Mayobridge company added mushroom growing to its other farming enterprises.
The mushroom farm grew steadily and by 2006 it was producing 700 tonnes of mushrooms.
"During 2005/06 the mushroom industry was under pressure due to cheap imports from Holland and Poland. Hundreds of mushroom growers went out of business, and those left had to invest heavily to become very efficient to compete with the quality and price of Dutch and Polish imports," Mary said.
Mary and Gerard's main customer was one of those victims so in 2007 they started selling their mushrooms to Hughes Mushrooms and also joined mushroom producer organisation, Northway Mushrooms, which proved a turning point for the business.
Being a member of Northway PO allows C&L to work very closely with fellow Irish growers to benchmark and share information to improve performance on their farm.
Being in a producer organisation is unique within Ireland, with only two recognised in the horticulture sector.
Mary said: "Northway Mushrooms took responsibility for marketing C&L Mushrooms from 2007. This provided the farm with an opportunity to invest in expanding and improving growing facilities."
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The couple invested in a Dutch growing system which allowed them to produce top quality mushrooms as efficiently as their competitors.
In 2010 C&L Mushrooms further expanded thanks to Gerard's growing skills and Mary's picking management techniques, leading them to become a supplier of Waitrose.
Source: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
