The business of growing mushrooms has been ongoing in Ireland for many, many years and they are used extensively in cooking, in various cuisines.
Mushrooms are a low-calorie food eaten cooked or raw and as garnish to a meal. Dietary mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins, while when exposed to ultraviolet light, vitamin D2 is produced in mushrooms, a process now exploited for the functional food retail market. Most mushrooms sold in supermarkets have been commercially grown on mushroom farms.
The most popular of these, is considered safe for most people to eat because it is grown in controlled, sterilized environments. In recent years, increasing affluence in developing countries has led to a considerable growth in interest in mushroom cultivation, which is now seen as a potentially important economic activity for small farmers.
For the past 25 years, Kildorough Mushrooms have been supplying a wide range of mushrooms to the food retail market and for this month’s edition of Irish Tractor and Agri, we profile the Cavan based business and speak to owner Pat Kiernan and Financial Director Niall Thornton about the day to day running of the company.
Established in 1999, Kildorough Mushrooms is part of a family business that is one of three outlets that are a satellite firm for Breffni Mushrooms. The company has grown from being a small concern to one of the main mushroom producers in Ireland.
Hailing from a farming background, Pat revealed that his interest in mushroom growing was enhanced when he working for a company in the mid-eighties.
“I worked in a compost yard for Foxfield Mushrooms and that is where I learned a lot about the business,” said Pat. “I was farming at the same time and we started the mushroom business on a small scale at first.”
However, in 2001, an unwelcome twist of fate saw Pat diversify totally into the mushroom business. “My herd of cattle were struck down by tuberculosis and although it was a very turbulent time, I decided to focus on the mushrooms even more and I teamed up with my brother Thomas to form Kildorough Mushrooms.”
During the early days, there were 18,000 lbs of mushrooms produced by Kildorough, but that has increased to 200,000 lbs per week these days, a staggering increase by any stretch of the imagination.
“Two thirds of the mushrooms we produce would go to the U.K market where Aldi retails them in their outlets. We have 25 growing rooms at the moment, but we are looking to increase that number in the future.”
The production of mushrooms is a six-week cycle and it is a complicated process that sees the staff receive intensive training for the same period.
“It’s a six-week training process for any new employees. There is a lot to learn as there are so many different types of mushrooms,” added Financial Controller Niall Thornton.
“There are around 120 people working here and we are part of the Commercial Mushroom Producers since the business was first set up 25 years ago.”
CMP was established in 1999 as a horticultural producers organisation under European Union legislation. In the 1990s the Irish mushroom industry rapidly expanded and by 1996 the number of mushroom growers peaked at almost 600. CMP was established as a co-operative by mushroom growers for mushroom growers, and to deliver stability to the market by improving quality of mushrooms, maintaining the consistency of supply and getting a sustainable margin for producers.
Over the last few years CMP has consistently invested in technology at Kildorough Mushrooms. “On a practical level CMP have provided OFI for shelving units in the tunnels, and 75 automated picking trolleys, which increased efficiency by 20%,” Niall says.
Training of staff has also been very important for our development. “Over the last few years we’ve availed of CMP’s training programme to get all of our pickers FETAC trained. This adds a level of skill and expertise to the job that didn’t exist before and hugely adds to the quality of our mushrooms.”
CMP place a massive emphasis on reducing its carbon footprint and they work closely with all their members to do so.
“Anything that reduces energy costs is very well received, and we are continuously looking at ways of doing this,” stressed Niall.
CMP run checks every month to ensure everything is running smoothly and Pat had the final say when he stated that the aim was to continue working closely with them and expand for the future.
“This has been possible thanks to drive, constant innovation and in no small way the help support and marketing strength of a strong producer organisation in CMP. We have steadily grown during the time we have been in business and hopefully we can continue to do that and break into other markets.”
Kildorough Mushrooms
Address:
Kildorough Glebe
Ballyjamesduff,
Cavan.
Phone: 0498545760
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 2 No 2, June/July 2014
