Grantstown Nurseries Ltd has been growing tomatoes in Waterford for nearly 40 years. Managing director David Currid, who is also chairman of the Quality Green Producer Organisation Ltd, explains more.
Guaranteeing a superior freshness, quality and taste, Grantstown Nurseries is one of the leading commercial tomato producers in Ireland. During every growing season, about 350 tonnes of the tomatoes are produced in the one hectare or 10,000 square metres of glasshouse area and supplied to the main multiples. Grantstown Nurseries grows eight specialist varieties which are selected for their intense flavour.
Under David’s guidance, the Ballygunner nursery is at the forefront of developing new varieties with different strains on trial every year. The latest technologies and nutrition are used on the nursery to ensure each plant receives the correct amount of water and nutrient to help maximise production. The tomatoes are ripened naturally on the vine, picked and on the shop shelves in a matter of hours.
“We grow speciality tomatoes as opposed to standard tomatoes,” David points out.
“We have eight different varieties ranging from beef tomatoes, which each weigh about 250 grams to mini plums, which weigh about 10 grams. We are always looking to bring new varieties to the market such as the yellow, black, orange and lemon coloured varieties which we supply to Dunnes Stores in a mixed colour pack. We wouldn’t be able to grow the business without being innovative.”
David inherited his passion for tomato growing from his father Pat, who has been in the business since the 1960s. A well-respected figure in the tomato and glasshouse sector, the Sligo native was employed by ACOT (which came under the Teagasc banner in 1988) at both the Kinsealy Research Centre and the College of Amenity Horticulture at the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin before moving to Dundalk to manage one of the McCann family’s nurseries. At the time, the McCanns operated two nurseries in Dundalk as well as one each in Swords, Causeway (Kerry) and Ballygunner.
As their interest in Fyffes and banana production and importing grew, they decided to sell some of the nurseries. Pat Currid purchased the Ballygunner nursery in 1978 which has been trading as Grantstown Nurseries ever since. David joined the family business on a full-time basis in 1989, having obtained a diploma in Commercial Horticulture from Kildalton Agricultural & Horticultural College and furthered his knowledge of the industry in the US prior to that.
On taking over the business in the early 2000s, he decided to specialise in speciality tomatoes and upped production by increasing the glasshouse area to one hectare or two and-a-half acres by investing in the construction of new glasshouse’s in 2005 and 2011. The glasshouse facility at Grantstown Nurseries is recognised as one of the most modern and sophisticated of its kind in the country. The nursery is currently growing about 47,000 plants which are delivered from a propagator in Holland each January when they are one foot tall. Sown in two batches, the plants will eventually grow to 10 metres.
The Irish tomato harvesting season runs from early April until mid-November. This is a particularly busy time at the nursery which employs up to 10 staff at peak times. The rest of the year is spent managing and analysing the crop, and ensuring it is disease and pest free.
“Dunnes Stores and SuperValu are our main customers. We also supply a smaller number of tomatoes to Tesco. Because we are so close to our market, we are able to allow the tomatoes to ripen fully in our greenhouse which gives them a better flavour. We can have them delivered to the supermarket within 24 hours of picking,” David explains.
All of Grantstown Nurseries’ products are marketed through Quality Green Producer Organisation, which David has been chairman of since 2013 and which represents the majority of commercial tomato growers in Ireland. The other members are Matt Wallace, Kevin Connolly, David Butterly, Jim O’Rourke, Martin Flynn and Thomas and William Butterly. Between them, they grow 7.5 hectares of tomatoes, 1.1 hectares of cucumbers and 1.0 hectare of peppers in glasshouses.
“There are 12 hectares of tomatoes grown under glass in Ireland every year and the majority of the growers are in our Producer Organisation,” continues David.
“Our numbers have dwindled over the years, yet production levels have held up well. This can be put down to the remaining growers investing in modern glasshouses, with state-of-the-art computers and production technology.
“Along with the Commercial Mushroom Producers (CPM), we are the only producer organisation (PO) operating in the country which is concerning as the benefits of being in a PO are considerable notwithstanding the significant administrative burden placed on PO’s to achieve recognition from the EU. Being a member of a PO strengthens our position in the market and gives us greater buying power which helps to manage our costs of production. The EU also makes a substantial funding contribution to recognised PO’s for costs ranging from marketing to reducing our carbon footprint.”
David admits Irish tomato growers face constant competition from overseas. “Low-cost selling has made things tougher. We are fighting continuously against cheap imports from Holland and Spain. Costs have to be kept to a minimum and this can be done by rainwater harvesting and other means. You need to be innovative to survive in this business and most importantly listen to what your customers want.”
Grantstown Nurseries Ltd
Ballygunner,
Co. Waterford.
Telephone: 086 8267602
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 9, November/December 2016
