In this modern world, where a couple are both working during the day, there has been a huge increase in the demand for convenient foods.
Very few want to be standing over the cooker for an hour or so when they return home from a hard day’s work and ready-made meals have proven to be a popular choice for many.
However, there is a genuine feeling that ready-made meals equal a bland taste as more emphasis is placed on the marketing of the product that the quality of the food.
That cannot be said about one of the UK and Ireland’s leading food manufacturers Mash Direct who supply products whose ingredients are grown locally and cooked fresh.
For this month’s edition of Irish Tractor & Agri, we profile this Co Down family run business and speak to Jack Hamilton about their success over the past 10 years.
The Hamilton family has been farming close to the shores of Strangford Lough, Co Down for six generations, but it was a chat between Martin Hamilton and a friend that the genesis of the company was formed as Jack explains.
“It was an innovative idea that came about from a chat about convenient foods between my father and a friend of his over a drink and that was the catalyst for Mash Direct,” said Jack.
“Our first product was Champ which is a famous dish of mash and onion in Ireland, but first we had to look into what it would take to get set up. Food manufacturers all have a great knowledge of the marketing and business end of the scale, but we were coming from a different angle as our knowledge was in the growing of potatoes and vegetables.
“We wanted to produce a product that maintained its taste and flavour and move away from the reputation that ready-made meals already had. So we decided to develop our own bespoke machinery.
That was ten years ago in 2004 when Mash Direct first hit the shelves as Managing Directors Martin and his wife Tracy along with their sons Jack (Director of Marketing and Exporting) and Lance (Director of Sales begun an adventure that has stretched beyond their wildest dreams.
“We are the market leader in quality, convenient vegetable and potato dishes ranging from traditional accompaniments of mashed potato and champ to complete ready-meals. Our innovative range is steam cooked to perfection for the delicious taste and texture of homemade food. These are suitable for microwave and oven heating, free from artificial flavourings, preservatives and colourings and low in salt.
“Once we found that we could keep the texture, we always placed great emphasis on taste and I think that is one of the main reasons for the success we have had over the years.”
From humble beginnings, Mash Direct’s growth has been staggering to say the least and this family run business now supplies its wide range of products to all the major retailers both north and south of the border as well as mainland U.K, while Mash Direct can also be found on the shelves of far-away places such as the Middle East.
To meet with the demand, the company now employs a staggering 140 people. Seventy per cent of the potatoes and vegetables are grown by themselves, while the other 30% is bought from local growers.
“We support the local community and to be fair they supported us when we first started the business. To meet the demand, we needed to buy in some of the produce as we just couldn’t keep up with the demand farming our own land.
“The produce we buy in is from local farmers and they have helped us build a brand that we are proud of and that they can be proud of also.”
Mash Direct products include Everyday Mash, Family Favourites, BBQ Favourites, Make it a Meal, Easy Lunch (Mash Pots), Seasonal, Croquettes and Vegetable Burgers. Each category has a wide range of dishes within them and so the range is vast.
“We have continuously added products to our range and it is essential that we keep growing and expanding the business in the coming years.”
Of course, being involved in the food industry means that they are certain standards to be met and Mash Direct have received the highest standard possible for their line of work.
“We are perfectionists when it comes to the sourcing of ingredients and traceability of our products. Our emphasis on food quality and standards is reflected in our achievement of retaining their sixth A+ grade in a row from BRC Global Standard for Food Safety following four consecutive years of unannounced audits. Mash Direct is the only ready meal company in Ireland to have achieved this and only one of three ready meal companies in the UK as a whole to receive this accolade.
“Having the A+ means that we can be audited at any time without notice, so it is essential that we keep our standards up, but it is something that we strive to do anyway.”
Mash Direct
81 Ballyrainey Road,
Comber,
Co. Down,
BT23 5JU
Tel: +44 (0) 28 9187 8316
Fax: +44 (0) 28 9187 0628
Web: www.mashdirect.com
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 2 No 6, November 2014
