Mention the word strawberry in Ireland and what immediately springs to mind only the sunny south east and Wexford in particular. The Model County is synonymous with the delicious fruit and is without doubt the leading area in the country to produce such a succulent fruit.
It is a well known fact that Wexford and surrounding counties get more sunshine than the rest of the country, hence the phrase ‘sunny south east’ and this is one of the main reasons that they are mass producers of strawberries.
The majority of strawberry growers are family run businesses that go back a generation or more and for this month’s edition of Irish Tractor, we profile one such company.
Established over 50 years ago was Kearns Fruit Farm. Located on the foothills of Mount Leinster, just outside Enniscorthy, Pat Kearns started the business and initially the fruit was grown for jam production.
These days, the family run business has grown into one of Ireland’s leading suppliers of strawberries and raspberries to a variety of retailers throughout the country.
Jimmy Kearns took over from his father Pat and along with his wife Susan, son Noel and son-in-law Damien Fitzhenry (Former Wexford All-Ireland winning hurler) they have worked hard to ensure that their customers receive some of the finest strawberries and raspberries that are produced.
Jimmy revealed that strawberries are grown for seven months of the year, while raspberries have a smaller time frame of three months.
“The process begins in early April when we would plant strawberries in heated glass tunnels, then by the end of that month, they would be picking in cold glass tunnels,” said Jimmy.
“The main crop season comes in July and 60-day crops would be planted from April for July picking and May for August picking. Raspberries and blackberries are usually planted at the end of May and then are harvested ten weeks later.”
Kearns Fruit Farm would plant strawberries every two weeks from April onwards and throughout the season, there would be in the region of one million strawberry plants planted.
“We produce about 25 tonnes of strawberries each week. There is massive time constraints in this industry so from when they are picked, they go through the process of reaching the customers’ shelves in a short space of time.”
The Enniscorthy based business supply a wide range of customers including the likes of Super Valu, Dunnes Stores, LIDL, ALDI as well as a host of wholesalers and independent shops.
“We have been supplying Super Value and Dunnes Stores since the mid-nineties and we would have a very good business relationship with them. We have been supplying LIDL and ALDI in more recent years and we also would have a good relationship with them.
Their core values define the way they operate their business. They take their responsibility to the environment, their employees and customers as paramount.
“We are members of the Bord Bia quality assurance scheme and we would be audited on an annual basis. We are also members of the Good Food Ireland Initiative. We take great pride in what we produce and everything is 100% Irish.”
As Jimmy stated, he takes great pride in his work and his passion for it has seen him hold various representative positions for fruit growers.
He is a founding member of Wexford Fruit Producers ltd, and is currently the Chairman of the I.F.A Fruit Horticulture Committee and the vice-chairman of the Irish Soft Fruit Growers Association.
“It is important to do your part for the industry and my aim is to try to ensure a constant presence for home produced berries on the supermarket shelves for most of the year.
“We would meet on a regular basis to discuss any issues within the industry and it has certainly helped that we work together and not as individuals. It really is for everyone’s benefit.”
Jimmy stressed that to operate in this industry you have to have total dedication which means during the busy period, it is almost a 24/7 process.
“I would be working seven days a week during the season, sometimes 12 and 14 hours a day. Some people might think I’m mad, but I’m passionate about what I do and you just get sucked into this type of work. Like I said, the time constraints are very tight, so you have a small window of opportunity to get the work done.”
The advancement of technology means that the process of growing fruit has changed dramatically over the years as Jimmy revealed to us.
“These days, there is nothing left to nature only the sun. It is a labour intense operation. We would have 70 employed here. It has hard to get experienced labour, but we’re fortunate enough to have some people that are with us years.
“This can be a stressful business to be in, if something is ready to be done, it has to be done now and can’t be put off until tomorrow. As I said earlier, the time constraints are huge, but we have a good team and we get through the work accordingly.
“Most Irish strawberries are of the Elsanta variety – a nice, fleshy berry. They are hard to grow but people love it. We are relatively happy with the way the business is going and as long as our customers are happy then so are we.
“To our loyal long-time customers, we would like to say a special thank you for all the years of support and friendship. In the meantime, we look forward to meeting our new customers and continuing to produce the finest quality fruit for your needs.”
Kearns Fruit Farm
Curraghgraigue,
Enniscorthy,
Co. Wexford.
Tel: Jimmy Kearns 087 824 1978 –
Susan Kearns 087 663 0347
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 6, September 2017
