For over a century, Gilligan Meats have reared high-quality, award-winning beef on the family farm in County Roscommon. Twenty-five years ago, they began butchering and selling their own succulent produce, thereby providing a complete service from farm to fork. We travelled to their base in Four Mile House on the outskirts of Roscommon town and met up with managing director Padraic Gilligan to find out more about this exceptional operation.
Gilligan Meats is one of the few family-owned, run farming-and-butcher operations in Ireland. As such, they are in a unique position to control and maximise quality and consistency of their meat as well as providing customers with assurance and full traceability of all products.
During the summer of 2015, Gilligan’s celebrated the 100th anniversary of their superb family farm, based on Derrane Road, Four Mile House – an area renowned for its limestone-enriched soil, providing scientifically-proven added benefits to the animals reared there.
In 2000, Padraic Gilligan – who possesses an extensive background in agriculture and livestock – invested in a purpose-built meat processing facility adjacent to the family farm, a move which has taken the business to the next level as they now provide a completely self-sufficient supply of premium beef and lamb.
Padraic’s knowledge and experience of farming allows him to ensure absolute integrity through every link in this supply chain, from feedstuffs and raw material right through to the selection, maturation, refrigeration and presentation of the beef and lamb.
Meanwhile, his son Alan has also grown up with the business and is qualified in every aspect of the company’s operation including livestock rearing, slaughtering, boning, butchery and business management. In keeping with tradition, farm manager Chris is also a key player on the team, with direction from internationally-renowned dietician Gerry Giggins.
Gilligan Meats have a massive passion for producing quality beef and, as such, maintain full control over every aspect of beef production, i.e. environment, animal husbandry, diet, slaughtering and packaging. They keep a consistent supply of top quality beef seven days per week, 52 weeks of the year.
Gilligans’ meat is known for its colour. “Tender & Tasty” is their motto and all of their beef is guaranteed all-Heifer beef, which is vastly superior to steer or bull beef. They are renowned innovators in the field of low carbon footprint meat production, maintaining their farming and processing facilities to the highest standards. This – in conjunction with growing their own feed – ensures a highly-contained and carbon-efficient process.
As a result of their fully self-contained practice, they can guarantee the traceability and quality of all meat.
Reflecting on the genesis of the business, Padraic Gilligan notes: “My father came here to Derrane one hundred years ago and started farming and producing beef. We went into the meat business in ’91 when we bought a shop in Roscommon and also started a small abattoir. After a few years, we found that we were restricted size-wise so we got planning permission and built the new processing facility in ’99, which was opened in 2000.
“We extended that factory in 2004 and again in ’08 and we are currently in the process of extending it for the third time. We’ve come through the recession and now that we are out the other end of it, we find that people have more interest in good food.”
Self-sufficiency has given Gilligan Meats a distinctive edge on the competition. “We grow the cereals, harvest them and feed the cattle with our own feedstuffs,” he confirms. “We do our own silage and do all our own work around the farm. We operate all our own machinery and do literally everything ourselves, which gives us complete control over every part of the production process.
“The feeding of the cattle is without doubt the most scientific aspect of the whole enterprise,” he continues. “We have regular trials carried out on our farms of innovative new feeds. At the moment, we are doing one with seaweed-based minerals.” “Also to guarantee a superior quality product, we ensure that all our livestock is reared and handled humanely in strictly-controlled, stress-free conditions.”
Unsurprisingly, Gilligan Meats regularly pick up the top awards on offer in the industry. This year alone they have picked up the European Angus Society award for their fillet, striploin and ribeye steaks as well as being voted overall Supreme Champion.
They also collected the Great Taste award for both their steak and their new ribeye steak burger, which was launched this year. The ribeye burger also picked up a silver medal at the Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards, where Gilligan’s consistently gain national recognition. “There was no good quality steak burger on the market and we wanted to offer one that wasn’t made from scraps,” Padraic reveals. “It’s a different type of burger – 4% fat-based and you can cook it in the oven. We felt that there was a market there for that type of product and the response so far suggests that we were right.”
As well as their own shop, Gilligan Meats also sell their premium beef and lamb through all five Joyces Supermarkets in Galway as well as Fresh Opportunities in Dublin and up to 25 high-class restaurants in the capital.
“Quality is what we are all about,” Padraic stresses. “Our attention to detail with the cattle is different to any other farm. First of all, we like to have them very comfortable and this includes playing music to them so that they are not under any stress, even when they are going to be slaughtered. They are always in the same relaxed environment and this results in a higher-quality meat.
“All the research that has been conducted in this area shows that music has a big part to play in the animals’ happiness. And the bottom line is that if the animals aren’t happy then you won’t produce good beef.”
A family-run enterprise, Gilligan Meats currently provide gainful employment to a team of 19, including Padraic’s wife Grainne and son Alan. “Alan is the main link in the chain now,” Padraic states. “He runs the business; he has the energy for it. He has devoted all his life to this business and has helped to build it up to where it is today. He will now drive it forward to ensure that we stay at the top, which requires a lot of effort and energy and attention to detail.
“We’re very lucky to have great staff here. We have good people in every department, from the office to the floor, and without them we wouldn’t have a business.”
Looking to the future, Padraic reassures us that there will be no let-up in the continuous quest to keep producing the highest-quality beef and lamb.
“We are always going to new, higher levels and that’s where it is at,” he concludes. “There are always new developments. New innovations and new products are the way forward. We are toying with some new ideas at the minute and we’ll see how they go when we take them to market.”
If Gilligan Meats’ exemplary track record for producing superb, mouth-watering products is anything to go by, these will be extremely well received!
Gilligan Meats,
Derrane Road,
Four Mile House,
County Roscommon.
Tel: 090 6629788
Mobile: 086 8323199
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 1, January 2016
