Manna Organic Farm and Store in the Dingle peninsula is a true labour of love for husband-and-wife team Thomas and Claire O’Connor. We took a trip to County Kerry for a closer look at this exceptional enterprise.
Located in the lush Gleann na Galt Valley near Camp, Manna Organic Farm is a 25-acre smallholding, which has been transformed into a working mixed farm, with 13 acres of native woodland, an orchard, poultry and pigs, and fruit & vegetables.
Meanwhile, Manna Organic Store – the only certified organic store in County Kerry – can be found at the Island of Geese, Strand Street, Tralee – selling a wide range of delicious organic fruit, vegetables and wholefoods. Stocking produce from the O’Connors’ own farm and other local organic farms, Manna is certainly a shop with a difference.
The genesis of the family business took place eight years ago, when Thomas and Claire bought the farm. The business had existed on a very modest scale previously, but it has been completely transformed and taken to the next level since 2007.
“The land was basically four empty fields but we put in extensive hedges, forestry, orchards, poultry (hens, ducks, geese) and pigs, soft fruit, polytunnels, bees and outdoor veg,” Claire notes.
“We had always been very interested in foods and cooking, and we decided that we needed to be more involved,” the Kerry woman continues. “We attended The Organic College in Dromcollogher to study for a year prior to set-up and it was amazing. We met a lot of organic farmers and talked to them at length and that experience saved us years of mistakes.”
Tomas O’Connor is chairman of the Irish Organic Farmers & Growers Association (IOFGA), while his wife has been on the board for the past three years. Claire points out that there are 1,500 certified organic farmers in the country.
While running an organic farm and store is a very commendable occupation, something many of us might aspire towards, how difficult was it to get the business up and running as a viable commercial entity? “We pretty much both work seven days a week and have done for years – that’s how we make it work. We really do love what we do and we don’t see it as work. Of course, I miss having the weekends off and five weeks’ annual holidays, but when you wake up every morning on one of the most beautiful places on the planet, it more than compensates.”
The work is split down the middle: Thomas runs the farm (a self-sufficient and innovative enterprise in its own right); Clare looks after the store. Taste is of paramount importance in every product produced and sold. “There’s a huge amount of biodiversity on the farm and we believe that’s one of the reasons why our produce tastes so different.”
The organic eggs are a case in point. The hens can wander from field to field as they please. With so many different natural variants in the grasses, a rich diversity of wildlife and fauna, they have an extremely varied diet. As a result, customers rave about the eggs. Furthermore, the biodiversity present also strengthens all the plants on the farm and renders them more powerful to fight off an invasion of pests or disease than a monoculture set-up would be.
On the fruit and veg front, Manna Organic Farm produces 15 different types of lettuce alone as well as assorted spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, celery, chillies, garlics, leaks and onions. The O’Connors also grow their own potatoes and carrots for personal consumption.
We also buy in from other organic farmers,” Claire explains. “Tony Garahy from Lough Boora Farm, for example, is highly recommended. He does beef, lamb and vegetables and we sell a lot of his stuff, including courgettes, onions, potatoes and carrots. We also sell a lot of Irish organic cheese.”
Wheatgrass is another big seller and Manna Organic has just launched its own sweetgrass (eight shots of wheatgrass juice, frozen and packaged for convenience of use). This is a very convenient way to consume wheatgrass, which can be bought several weeks in advance. People are driving from as far away as Donegal, Galway and Dublin to buy this innovative product, which can also be packaged and delivered nationwide.
“We also have 1.5 acres of orchard – all native Irish variants – as well as growing our own soft fruits – raspberries, strawberries, currents and berries. We have cherry trees and plum trees but because the farm is so young we don’t expect any fruit from those for a few more years. Eventually, we hope to displace up to 80% of what we’re importing.
“We also keep Tamworth pigs and produce organic rashers, sausages, pork chops, ham etc., all of which is sold exclusively in Manna Organic Store. We don’t sell through anybody else – everything we produce is sold to a huge diversity of customers from our own store.”
Looking to the future, Claire sees potential for further growth. “We currently have plenty to be getting on with but there is certainly room for growth, within our own land,” she concludes.
Manna Organic Store
Island of Geese,
Strand Street,
Tralee,
County Kerry.
Tel: 066 7125699
Email: [email protected]
www.mannaorganicstore.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 9, October 2015
