By all accounts, Meade Potato Company is an extraordinary operation, having evolved dramatically since Philip Meade Snr. started out as a potato merchant in 1977. Today, the pioneering company boasts over 100 product lines, generates employment for more than 240 people and is widely recognised as one of Ireland’s largest growers, packers and distributors of fresh produce to the retail market nationwide. We popped into their Lobinstown, County Meath base to find out more…
The scenic rural environs of Lobinstown on the Meath / Louth border provide an unlikely setting for one of the largest and most-progressive enterprises in the North East – if not on the island as a whole. Yet, this is the home to Meade Potato Company, a magnificent, forward-thinking family business that has grown and developed beyond all expectation over the past four decades.
This has been a truly astonishing and impressive success story, but one that wasn’t written by accident. The Meade family has evolved the business strategically: embracing modern technology and efficiencies; identifying and tapping into new markets; providing fresh produce and service levels of the highest possible standard.
Philip Meade Snr. began trading in 1977 and by 1982 had officially incorporated Meade Potato Company at his home farm in Braystown, Lobinstown, County Meath. While potatoes formed the core business in the early years, he quickly branched out sourcing all fresh produce required by the supermarkets he supplied. This adaptability, allied with complete dedication to quality and service, enabled the company to grow rapidly.
By 2009, such was the volume of Meade lorries on the small roads around Braystown, that the company privately funded a new road to facilitate transport of the manifold lines of produce the company supplied to retailers nationwide.
With the next generation of the Meade family now at the helm and the original offices and warehouses at full capacity, the company’s growth led to further expansion, including the construction of a new office building and a state-of-the-art purpose built warehouse in 2012. The following year, a wind turbine was erected to allow for more sustainable energy usage, while new production lines were added to increase capacity and efficiency.
Reflecting on the customer-driven diversification of the early 1990s, business operations manager Eleanor Meade – daughter of founder Philip Snr. – notes: “We were already supplying our customers with potatoes and we decided to diversify and offer a full range of products. Today, we have over one hundred different product lines between potatoes, fruits, vegetables, salads and organics.”
“Potatoes are still very much our main product,” continues farm manager Conor O’Malley. “We also grow our own carrots and turnips on a large scale along with a selection of other field vegetables on a smaller scale. As well as our own farm, we work in conjunction with a network of carefully-chosen local growers from the general Meath / Louth / North Dublin hinterland.
“We run a mixed farm here in Lobinstown. As well as the potatoes and vegetables, we also have a beef and suckler enterprise which runs in tandem. It provides good rotation to put some of the land into grass and out of intensive potato growth every now and then. All told, between our own farm and outside growers, we grow approximately 2,000 acres of potatoes and 1,000 acres of veg.”
Considering that Meade Potato Company is located in the heart of rural Ireland, the employment figures are staggering. In the last five years alone, 150 new jobs have been created. This brings total direct employment up to 240 at the time of writing, with an additional 300 jobs generated indirectly, at a modest estimation. “Considering that Lobinstown is a small rural area, we are proud of the employment we create,” Eleanor continues. “We have strong links with DkIT and DIT and we take on a lot of graduates as well as providing work placements for students. We try to provide local employment as much as we can.
“We also run a substantial Quality Control department made up of highly-skilled as well as an R&D department, who are always looking for something new to bring to market.”
An extensive Quality Control programme ensures that produce meets rigorous standards, while a flawless audit rate demonstrates that food safety is never compromised upon when meeting the company’s 24 hour farm-to-shelf standard.
Is further growth possible? “We will look to maintain what we have first and foremost but naturally you will always strive to grow your business. We’re constantly looking at ways of diversifying and progressing the business and, to that end, we are looking very strongly at healthy convenience foods at the minute. We are regularly attending trade shows and fairs around Europe to see what’s out there and whether there’s something new we can bring to the fresh food market. We’re currently researching the prepared food market and we’ll see where that takes us.”
To ensure the most punctual and cost-effective distribution possible, Meade Potato Company operates a fleet of 20 tractors units (a mixture of Volvo, Scania, Renault and DAF) as well as 30 fully-maintained and -calibrated Thermo King refrigerated units.
Regarding the on-farm fleet, Conor states: “We have a fleet of tractors in operation, predominantly John Deere 6930s and 7930s, but we also hire machines in and use local contractors as well. We’d have six-eight extremely busy weeks on the farm in Spring and again in Autumn and that’s when we rely on the help of the local contractors.”
Also in the fleet are 15 forklifts and 40 pallet trucks, all Toyota. Meade Potato Company have their own workshop and servicing department, with eight mechanics / technicians employed in-house to look after preventative maintenance / repairs etc.
Fresh and frozen produce is supplied to a veritable Who’s Who of the Irish retail market – Tesco, Lidl, Aldi, Dunnes Stores, Super Valu, Centra, Spar, Iceland etc. MPC also supply the wholesale and food service markets. Sponsorship and charity work is an important part of the company ethos. To this end, they sponsor a number of local sports clubs and events, including Meath GAA, and also donate produce to the Crosscare charity on a weekly basis.
Looking to the future, Eleanor comments: “We are always looking at new markets. At the moment, we are looking at healthy and convenience products. We conducted a feasibility study of the market and were shocked to discover that there was no home grown Irish frozen chips available. This was amazing for a nation renowned for potatoes.
“So we developed Meade Irish Rooster Chips, which were brought to the market in June 2014. These are unique in that not only are they Irish but they also have only two ingredients: 96% potato and 4% healthy sunflower oil. They are also gluten-free and they are a four-way chip in that they can be either oven baked, grilled, deep fried or air fried.”
Meade Potato Company’s Quality Control and safety regime is meticulous. “Quality is our No.1 concern,” Eleanor confirms. “We have rigorous Quality Control checks at intake, packing and dispatch. We are BRC-approved and have had Grade A ratings each and every year. Obviously a huge amount of work goes into sustaining those standards.”
General Manager Robert Devlin adds: “On site, we also have 45,000 sq ft of cold storage space, and that plays a key part in keeping our produce fresh.” The use of numerous chilled cold stores means any incoming produce that requires chilling before packing is kept at the ideal 3° C. Meanwhile, cleaning, grading and weighing machines are continually serviced and upgraded to ensure maximum efficiency.
According to the farm manager: “The quest for top quality starts at the beginning by using the highest-quality seed and approved products only and by working closely with your growers. We insist upon high quality at farm level and across every aspect of the business.”
Patrick Meade is commercial director. To what does he attribute the resounding success enjoyed by Meade Potato Company over the decades? “Customer relations are important. We have had good relations with our customers for over 35 years and we continue to provide them with the products they want. Quality is king and we make sure to provide a very high-quality product.
“We also have an excellent team from the ground floor to Quality Control and a strong, driven management team as well. Reliability and service levels are also paramount. We have never missed a delivery and the consistency of your service is important.”
Sustainability is also at the heart of the operation. Meade Potato Company endeavours to make a difference by reducing energy inputs, minimising the overall carbon footprint, managing materials responsibly and lessening its environmental impact. The addition of a wind turbine has increased sustainability, while extensive recycling systems are in place to help pursue a zero waste status.
“Sustainability is now a key part of the business model,” Robert Devlin concludes. “The wind turbine was installed in 2013 and produces 40% of our electricity. We are the only company in Ireland supplying potatoes, fruit and vegetables that is Origin Green approved.”
Clearly,Meade Potato Company is the benchmark in all aspects of quality and service. They have been setting the bar for years and continue to do so.
Meade Potato Company,
Lobinstown,
Navan,
County Meath.
Tel: 046 9053198
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 7, August 2015
