Codd Mushrooms is responsible for 55 per cent of all mushrooms consumed in Ireland every year. The development of a €5.5 million environmentally-friendly production and packing unit on the family farm in Tullow, Co. Carlow in recent years has been central to the company’s continued growth.
The growing facility is 17,712sq/m and is divided up into 38 units (six were added two years ago). Alongside the growing rooms is a packaging and cooling plant capable of between 250,000 and 300,000lbs of mushrooms per week. The plant also boasts an eco-friendly one-megawatt Uniconfort wood pellet heating system which produces a significant amount of its power supply.
“Our biomass boiler burns 1.7 tonnes of wood pellet every day,” Codd Mushrooms’ production manager Raymond Codd explains.
“It is a vital cog in the whole operation, producing steam which is used for disinfecting and to create the heat temperature needed to grow mushrooms. The boiler can burn anything with up to 35 per cent moisture which means it can also burn woodchip and elephant grass. It’s an environmentally-friendly system which is far cheaper than oil to run. It has more than paid its way since its installation in 2008.”
A reduction in heating costs and carbon footprint were key factors in the company’s decision to invest in their biomass boiler. Substantial savings in annual fuel bills can be realised as biofuels are considerably cheaper than fossil fuels. Biomass systems are also carbon neutral and do not contribute to global warming.
In 2010, Codd Mushrooms also invested in a 160-killowatt wind turbine that had a hub height of 31 metres and a blade diameter of 24 metres. Combined with the biomass boiler, it generated 20 per cent of the facility’s energy needs before the turbine recently fell victim to storm damage. A decision on whether to repair or replace it has yet to be made.
“Our facility is based on the Dutch model,” managing director Leslie Codd points out.
“We can provide mushrooms that are produced with the lowest possible carbon count and our cost of production has been greatly reduced. Clean energy is the way forward. By using the vacuum cooling method of taking the field heat out of the product, we can ensure an extra two days’ shelf-life for all our mushrooms.”
Codd Mushrooms has grown year-on-year since its formation in 1989 to become the largest seller of mushrooms to the Irish marketplace. Driving this success and growth have been brothers Leslie and Raymond Codd along with their sister Hazel Corrigan, father Willie and Raymond’s wife Stephanie.
As well as supplying retail chains, including Dunnes Stores, Tesco and Aldi, the family-run concern supplies to the food service / catering industry through distributors such as the Keelings Group, Total Produce and Caterway.
In addition, the mushroom producer packs more than half of all mushrooms sold in Ireland. A recipient of the Bord Bia Best Grower in Ireland award, Codd Mushrooms grows white mushrooms, chestnuts and breakfast flats. Compost, which provides the nutrients needed to grow mushrooms, is supplied by Custom Compost in Gorey, Co. Wexford. The company employs 225 in harvesting and general labour roles.
Currently, Codd Mushrooms is selling up to 300,000lbs of mushrooms per week. This has been achieved through extensive marketing campaigns, by selling directly to the supermarkets and hard work. The company is targeting a 50 per cent increase in production by the end of the decade and has identified the UK as a growth market. Indeed, it recently agreed a deal with J Rothwell & Son Ltd in Lancashire that will involve the existing owner of the business remaining with the company and co-investing in a new £6 million plant that Codd Mushrooms plans to build to expand its capacity.
“We plan to open another growing facility in the UK in the near future. If we’re to break into the UK market, we feel this is a necessity because consumers want to buy something that’s local and fresh. You have to be close to your market in this business. Mushrooms are a versatile and healthy vegetable that need to be delivered fresh.”
Codd Mushrooms is a member of the Northway Mushrooms producer group, which has 29 members, 24 in Northern Ireland and five in the Republic. Established in 2000, the group demonstrates the benefits of farmers working together. It supports its members to make the most of their own businesses, with a focus on quality, cost reduction and stability of supply. Through that work, Northway Mushrooms are improving the quality of the product grown for its customers and ensuring prices remain competitive. This collaborative approach delivers benefits at every stage of the supply chain.
Codd Mushrooms Ltd
Downings,
Tullow,
Co. Carlow.
Telephone: +353 (0)59 9163031
Fax: +353 (0)59 9163035
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.coddmushrooms.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 8, October 2016
