Boyne Grove Fruit Farm near Drogheda has been growing apples since 1962, continuing a family tradition which began in the Orchard County of Armagh well over a century ago. Olan McNeece explains more about the family-run business which hand-picks about six million apples per year and produces Dan Kelly’s Irish Cider.
The McNeece name has been synonymous with apple growing since the late 1880s when Olan’s great grandfather, Michael McNeece, planted a Bramley orchard as part of his small farm. One of his sons, Patrick, went on to buy a farm of his own in Annaghmore, Co. Armagh and once again planted Bramley’s in 1933.
In 1962, one of his sons, Gerard, now 76, bought a farm on the Co. Meath side of Drogheda and planted Bramley’s just like his father and grandfather before him. Stameen Farm is still family run by his sons Olan, JP and daughter Fiona. Olan’s children Brody and Amaia help out during school holidays. There is three full-time staff, including Henry Mallon who has been employed for the past 35 years. In fact Henry has seen four generations of the McNeece family work on this farm.
“My father was going to a match in Croke Park one Sunday when he saw the ‘For Sale’ sign,” Olan explains.
“Having played on the Armagh team that lost the 1957 All-Ireland minor final to Meath, he decided to exact retribution on the Royals by buying the farm! He was only 23 at the time and planted the first blocks by spade with help from his father. The rest of the orchard was planted by machine.
“The farm is about 200 acres in total, with 80 of that in orchard. The rest is divided between tillage and woodland. The pack house is really the heart of the whole operation. It has been upgraded over the years and houses a fully automated grading system and controlled atmosphere storage facility, which allows us to store apples for up to 12 months.
“Growing, storing and packing – that’s what we’re all about.”
While Bramley is the principal crop grown on Boyne Grove Fruit Farm, as many as 20 other varieties of dessert (eating) and culinary (cooking) apples are grown, including Grenadier, Howgate, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Ida Red, Discovery, Katy, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Braeburn, Elstar and Jonogold. The apples are supplied to fruit markets and multiples as well as to pack houses and processors throughout Ireland. Boyne Grove Fruit Farm also produces a range of apple-based products, including cider, juices and vinegar.
During harvesting, which typically runs from mid-August to early December, up to 50 additional staff are taken on to help with the painstaking task of hand-picking around six million apples.
The orchard operations are based around a minimum of interference with nature’s way. A weather station is even located in the orchard to ensure that the apples are protected from disease. The McNeece’s also follow integrated pest management to allow natural predators to do away with harmful pests. Their controlled atmosphere storage is among the most advanced in the country, allowing them to store fruit better for longer using the ultra-low oxygen regime for fruit storage.
Boyne Grove Fruit Farm is involved in the Bord Bia Horticultural Quality Assurance and have a HACCP system in place. The company’s staff is fully trained in all areas relevant to its operations. The company insists on using only recyclable material for its packaging needs.
Stameen Farm provides a wonderful habitat for all sorts of wild animals and flower to thrive. On a stroll around the farm, you’re likely to encounter rabbits, hares, badgers, squirrels, foxes, pheasants, ducks, buzzards, cranes and many more animals, birds and insects as well as lots of different species of wildflower.
Boyne Grove Fruit Farm operates its farm shop on open days and during the Boyne Valley Food Series. There are millions of flowers, lots of wildlife, bees and bumble-bees for visitors to experience on open days. The Boyne Valley Food Series is an innovative food tourism initiative involving about 50 food and hospitalities in the Meath and Louth region hosting a calendar of around 45 events each summer celebrating all that the Boyne Valley has to offer in terms of great farming and food production, cooking and good old-fashioned hospitality.
The McNeece’s introduced Dan Kelly’s Irish Cider to the market in 2013. Currently available in bars and off-licences nationwide and exported to 6 different countries, the craft cider is named after Olan’s great grandfather, Dan Kelly, who drove a train for the Great Northern Railway. The main Dublin-Belfast line runs through Stameen Farm, and Dan would have passed regularly driving ‘The Enterprise’ express train. He lived to the ripe old age of 91, and the McNeece’s think of him every time the current express passes through.
“We just had to do it,” Olan says of bringing Dan Kelly’s Irish Cider to the marketplace.
“We have, along with our staff, always made some cider for personal consumption. We have the apples and we love cider, so it made perfect sense.”
Blended with Bramley and dessert fruit grown and hand-picked on Stameen Farm, Dan Kelly’s Irish Cider is a refreshing and natural drink that is perfect for any occasion. The cider is free of acid, artificial colours and sweetners. The McNeece’s simply press the apples and let wild yeasts do their thing. They then add some juice before pasteurising to allow the crisp, fresh and refreshing flavour to develop.
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 11, December 2015
