For nearly 60 years, Annalitten Foods Ltd has been synonymous with the Irish egg industry. Run by the O’Reilly family near Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan, this thriving egg production, packing and distribution company has undergone major expansion in the past two decades to become one of the country’s leading egg producers.
Annalitten Foods, which also trades as Annalitten Farm Eggs, was established in 1955 in the townland of Annalitten, which is three miles from Castleblayney. Its founder, Patrick O’Reilly Snr, started out buying and collecting eggs from local farmers. These eggs were then graded, packed and sold on to a small network of grocery shops in Dublin. Patrick’s first delivery to the capital was a mere eight boxes of eggs!
From these humble beginnings, Annalitten Foods has grown into a major producer. In 1966, the company built its first poultry unit. Following Patrick’s Snr’s death in 1978, his sons Michael and PJ took over the business. The third generations of O’Reillys are now involved, namely Michael’s sons Keith and Matthew, and PJ’s son Damien.
With the help of funding from the Department of Agriculture, Annalitten Foods experienced significant growth in the 1990s and 2000s. A new packing centre was developed in 1994, doubling in size eight years later following further investment. In 2011, the company upgraded its hen houses to comply with EU legislation on the welfare of laying hens, which came into effect in 2012.
Last July, a new Moba 330 egg grading machine was installed. This state-of-the-art machine has the capacity to pack 120,000 eggs per hour.
“It has been a big investment, but we’re very happy with it. It graded its first eggs on July 23 and has been going flat out ever since!” Michael O’Reilly explains.
Annalitten Foods’ growth has been boosted by contracts to supply leading retailers as well as independent retailers and wholesalers. The company also exports to the UK from time to time. If you shop in some of the big retail chains, there’s a good chance you’ve had some of Annalitten’s delicious eggs with your full Irish!
Employing 20 staff at its production facility, Annalitten Foods sources many of its eggs from a growing number of farmers. Currently, there are 300,000 laying birds (evenly divided between free range and colony) producing eggs for the company.
“As demand for our eggs increases, so too does our bird numbers. We source all our free range eggs from farmers, mainly in the Cavan and Monaghan area, but also in Meath, Offaly, Laois and Kilkenny. We have about 20 different farmers supplying us at present,” Michael says.
“Our free range hens have the freedom to net, roam and forage over fresh green pastures. They are kept in small flocks and are carefully managed by experienced farming families.”
All of Annalitten’s organic eggs are sourced from Malachy and Olive Todd in Emyvale, Co. Monaghan. Their organic flock is fed on a premium vegetarian diet. The free range and organic egg market combined account for over 40 per cent of the Irish egg market and Annalitten is committed to meeting the growing appetite for these eggs.
Annalitten Foods has earned a reputation for being one of the most experienced and trusted egg producers in the country by bringing you the best in quality and service. The company is continually audited by Bord Bia, the Department of Agriculture and the quality department of all the main multiples.
The family-run concern carries out farm audits on all its producers each month. This is to ensure that they meet the highest standards for welfare. The Department of Agriculture also carry out quality inspections on the packing centre and the producers at regular intervals throughout the year.
In addition to being a member of the Bord Bia Egg Quality Assurance Scheme, Annalitten Foods is accredited by Organic Trust and BRC’s Global Standard for Food Safety. Annalitten is also a member of the Irish Egg Marketing Board which represents the interests of the main egg packing companies in Ireland, who account for over 95 per cent of Irish table egg production.
Together, these producers pool their resources to promote Bord Bia eggs. The O’Reillys are proud to say they have been supplying Bord Bia free range eggs for over 15 years.
The introduction of new EU legislation means it has never been easier for consumers to identify exactly where each egg they buy comes from and how it was produced. Every egg is now individually stamped with a code which makes it fully traceable back to the farm where it was produced.
Annalitten Farms’ production facility is busier than it has ever been and Michael attributes this to increased egg consumption in Ireland.
“The consumption of eggs is on the rise,” he says.
“More and more people are turning to eggs for health reasons and also because they represent good value for money. They are also an extremely versatile food source. Eggs are high in nutrition, containing essential vitamins, minerals, protein and antioxidants.
“Research shows that the average Irish person consumes 160 table eggs per year. This figure is small compared to some European countries where 300 eggs per year are consumed. But all the signs are that egg consumption among the Irish is on the up and that’s obviously good news for producers like us.”
Annalitten Foods Ltd
Annalitten,
Castleblayney,
Co. Monaghan.
Telephone: 042 9743623
Fax: 042 97443722
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.annalitteneggs.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 2 No 5, October 2014
