Did you ever hear the one about the apple orchard consisting of 5,000 trees being uprooted and moved to a different location?
No this is not the opening line to a Tommy Tiernan joke, it’s a true story that took place in Churchtown in North Cork to Kilfinane in Co Limerick in 2014.
Ballyhoura Apple Farm was established in 2004 by Maurice Gilbert and Gerry Murphy. Specialising in the development of top quality food made from apples that are grown on their premises.
What began as a hobby has established itself as a major market player where Ballyhoura products are supplied to leading food retailer Super Valu as well as a number of independent stores and health shops all over the country.
“I was involved in the construction industry for many years. I first started growing apples as a hobby and started juicing a bit from there,” said Maurice who is the company’s CEO and mixologist.
“When the recession hit and the construction industry virtually came to a standstill, I had to look at something else to do and I decided to make a go of producing apple juices.
“I use to bring the juices to farmers’ markets in the area and they got a good reception, so we decided to produce juices from other fruits and vegetables.”
The Ballyhoura brand was already beginning to grow when in 2010, their products were recognised when Ballyhoura Original Mulled Apple Juice was a Silver Award winner at the 2010 Blas na hÉireann National Irish Food Awards which were held in Dingle.
Blas is aimed at bringing increased attention to the high quality of Irish foods, especially to the Irish public.
“It was great honour to have received our first award for our Original Mulled Apple Juice and it was a huge boost to get our name out their like that.”
Some of the products produced by the team at Ballyhoura include Apple & Beetroot juice, Froot juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, Apple Chai, Apple & Blackcurrant juice and that’s just naming a few of the 20 products they have on offer.
“We have continued to develop more products over the years and we’re delighted with the reaction we have had to the majority of them.”
Following their success in 2010, more awards followed including one at the BBC Good Food Show, while representing Cork at the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham (at the Failte Ireland Stand).
Then in 2013, Ballyhoura entered ten of its products at a prestigious show in London and received seven gold awards for their efforts.
As the demand for their products grew, so too did the need to grow more trees.
“We found some land in Kilfinane, which was near to where we were already based and we decided to uproot the trees and move there.
“There was almost 5,000 trees to be moved and we were told that if we could keep about 65 to 70 per cent of them alive, we would be doing well. In the end, we managed to save 95% of the trees so we were delighted with that. It took eight weeks to move, but it was worth it in the end.
“Our headquarters are located 1km from our orchard in the centre of Kilfinane town at Ballyhoura Artisan Food Park.”
Aside from the apples grown at their orchard, Maurice and Gerry source all their vegetables and other fruits locally which sees them support other food producers, while creating employment in the community.
The benefits of these products are very much to the fore as it is Ballyhoura’s belief that the blending of their juices must contribute to the overall wellness of our customers. This is evident in the choice of blends already developed.
Supplying their products to over 100 Super Valus across the country as well as other independent stores means that Ballyhoura’s products are within touching distance for anybody in the country.
Through their staff of seven people, the output of their products has increased considerably over the years and further expansion is planned for the future.
“We are always looking to expand our range of products, once the market is there for them. We have trialled our products abroad and have got some excellent feedback from that. The opportunities are endless really and there are a number of different avenues that we have to explore yet.
The Irish climate helps produce top quality apples as the trees need plenty of water (which we have in abundance) and with an efficient drainage system in place, the trees get all the nourishment they need.
“The climate is perfect here, the only thing that really affects us is the frost which can kill the blossoms, but we’ve been fortunate in the last few years to have mild winters.”
Ballyhoura is an historical place that many tourists like to visit, while their food markets are known throughout the country and Maurice is looking forward to the future.
“Tourism is an area that we need to focus more on. There is a lot of history attached to the area and we have already given talks on the business and the history of the locality. We’re happy with the direction of the business and are looking forward to the future.”
Contact Details:
Ballyhoura Apple Farm
Ballyhoura Artisan Food Park,
Kilfinane,
Co Limerick.
Telephone: 353 (0)63 91413
E-mail: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 2, March 2017
