The upcoming silage-cutting season is going to see Irish farmers being given a chance to support CMRF Crumlin, the principal fundraising body for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin and The National Children’s Research Centre through purchasing a special Purple Balewrap and Purple Bale Net from a nationwide network of Co-ops. The promotion is the work of Irish Packaging company, Zeus Packaging, who have already rolled out a similar donation programme in the UK, New Zealand, Spain and Portugal that has seen substantial sums finding their way to local children’s hospitals and foundations.
Zeus Packaging has combined with the Associated Trading Co-ops, “Co-op Source” brand to offer the Purple Balewrap and Purple Bale Net to their farmer customers and members with the 18 member Co-ops undertaking to donate €10,000 to support CMRF Crumlin’s treatment of their little patients and support for the families. Farmers buying wrap for this season’s silage will be able to order the Purple packaging to show their support with the brightly coloured wraps demonstrating farmer solidarity with the work being carried out in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin. Participating farmers are also being encouraged to support the initiative by sharing their bale wrapped pictures on social media with the hashtag #Purple4Crumlin.
Speaking about the partnership CMRF Crumlin’s CEO, Joe Quinsey, said, “We are delighted to partner with Zeus Packaging and the ATC. I hope that farmers across the country get behind the venture by ‘buying purple’ and getting involved on social media, sharing photos of the Purple Wraps and Bales using the hashtag #Purple4Crumlin.”
ATC Co-op Group is comprised of 18 proudly independent co-ops all over the country with Arrabawn, Ballyjamesduff, Bandon, Barryroe, Boherbue, Callan, Centenary Thurles, Drinagh, Drombane, Fealesbridge & Headleys Bridge, Inishowen, Lakelands, Lee Strand/Brownes, Lisavaird, Mullinahone, Newtownsandes, North Cork and Tipperary all participating and enthusiastically stocking the Purple Packaging for their farmer-members to buy and use. John Heaphy of ATC Co-op Source said the co-ops are fully committed to the project and want to see “purple bales wrapped throughout Ireland”.
Zeus Packaging, the designers and creators of the Purplewrap project, were founded in Ireland in 1998 and have now grown into an exciting, transnational, packaging company with sites in the UK, Spain, Poland and China and a workforce of 300. The company remains committed to its Irish roots and see the Purplewrap project as a significant opportunity to demonstrate that commitment to a superb cause in CMRF Crumlin and work with Irish farmers and their co-ops to donate and support in a way that’s imaginative and meaningful.
European Product Manager, Gavin McCarthy, said that Purple Packaging promotion had been carefully designed and assembled in a manner that allows all the participants (corporate, Co-op and farmers) to show the staff and patients of CMRF Crumlin how much support and goodwill existed for them – “We’re honoured and delighted to be able to help in any modest way we can and I know that ATC Co-op Source and their farmer members feel exactly the same. I’d just ask people to support the Purple Promotion in any way they can – through social media and word-of-mouth – but especially by buying it in their local co-op stores and giving the purple bales it a nice prominent spot in the fields where people can see them and keep the promotion driving forward.”
