Rush in Co. Dublin is synonymous with being the main production area for produce in Ireland. The area has been renowned for generations for producing quality produce, mainly attributed to, by the fertile soil.
With 70% of all vegetables produced in North Dublin, and Rush being the main production area, it has been referred to as the ‘Market Garden of Ireland’.
There are a wide variety of fruit and veg grown in the area, but for D. McNamara & Sons Ltd, the main focus is on being specialised lettuce growers.
Established in the late 1950’s by Dermot McNamara, this family run business has continued to grow over the years and is one of the leading lettuce producers in Ireland.
Irish Tractor & Agri caught up with Dermot’s daughter Ann McCrudden and she spoke to us about the service that they provide.
“The family has been growing lettuce since the late fifties. Initially, lettuce and tomatoes were grown, but in the seventies, we concentrated solely on lettuce, while we also grown seasonal crops of Fennel and Celery,” said Ann.
“My father and mother Angela, worked very hard to build up the business. My father had great vision and was certainly ahead of his time. Quality was always very prominent and everything had to be done right and that is something that he instilled in all of his children and we carry that on in the business today.”
These days Anne and her husband Des, her brother Brian and brother in law Gary Byrne look after the day to day running of the business. There are many varieties of lettuce, but Butterhead ,Lolla Rossa, Lolla Bondi, Frizzy , Oak and Cos are the main varieties produced by D McNamara & Sons Ltd.
“We supply all the major supermarkets including Super Valu and Aldi as well as wholesalers and other retail outlets. Lettuce is produced all year round and we’re fortunate to be located in an area where the soil is ideal for growing this produce. The soil is light and sandy as we are so close to the sea, while we have natural spring water too, which helps produce good quality lettuce withy additional nutrients.
“The lettuce produce here is of the highest quality and standard. There is 15 employed here and all are highly trained to carry out their duties to the best of their abilities. Time is of the essence in this business and we have to move quickly to get the produce cut and onto the shelves. We have our own fleet delivering the lettuce and it is essential to have them there on time,” stressed Ann.
D McNamara & Sons Ltd harvests in the region of 10 acres of lettuce all year round and the hard work and endeavour placed in the business has played a major part in their success.
“We have always strived to produce quality lettuce and as I said our father instilled that into us. That is one of the reasons why we are still in business after so many years.”
Lettuce could be classed as one of the ‘forgotten’ vegetables. It has a low profile when one thinks of vegetable for nutrition. Many people remain unaware of the amazing nutrients that are abundant in a single head of fresh lettuce. Depending on the variety; lettuce is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin K and potassium, with higher concentrations of vitamin A found in darker green lettuces. It also provides dietary fibre (concentrated in the spine and ribs), carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of fat. With the exception of the iceberg type, lettuce also provides vitamin C, calcium, iron and copper, with vitamins and minerals largely found in the leaf. Lettuce naturally absorbs and concentrates lithium.
“Lettuce is very good for you!. There are nutritional benefits, with an extremely high content of folic acid which is essential for pregnant women and women considering becoming pregnant.
Healthy eating has become more of a focal point for people in recent times and lettuce certainly has its ole to play in our daily diet.”
Ann does feel that they are not getting the recognition and support from Bord Bia that she feels they should be.
“There is nothing for vegetable growers in terms of support. We’ve been consolidating our position in the market for the last few years, but it’s gone to the stage now where local growers are been forced to produce more for less”.
“Government intervention is essential if the Horticultural Industry is to remain part of our national economy, and Supermarket buyers need to understand that prices cannot be reduced below the cost of production. This is not sustainable for any grower or manufacturer. The Government need to introduce price protection policies for growers as has been done globally for other such growers, take for example the coffee growers across the world who are price protected by FAIR TRADE POLICIES. Fair Trade needs to become part of Irish Government policy for Irish growers. Irish people are aware of Fair Trade and respect the policy; it would be equally respected and accepted for our own Irish produce. Local growers are diminishing annually due to low price pressures from buyers.”
D McNamara & Sons
Channel Road,
Rush,
Co Dublin.
Tel: 01-8437241
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 2 No 5, October 2014
