Company
Meade Potato Company
Sector
Horticulture
Chief products
The full range of fresh produce including potatoes, fruit, vegetables, salads and
organics, as well as Ireland’s only home grown frozen chips, Meade Irish Rooster
Chips.
Sustainability headlines
· 50% of the company’s energy needs to be provided through clean
renewable wind energy on site.
· 30% reduction in use of well water by the end of 2015.
· 5% reduction in energy used per kg
produced by 2016.
Background
Philip Meade Sr. began selling Queen potatoes
in Meath and Louth in 1977 and by 1982, the
business was officially incorporated into
Meade Potato Company at the family’s home
farm in Lobinstown, Co. Meath. While they
initially specialized in potatoes, they
diversified and now grow, pack and distribute
a full range of fresh produce.
Who we are
For over 30 years the Meade family have been growing and supplying premium
quality potatoes and other fresh produce to retailers nationwide from their
family farm. Meade’s commitment to growing and sourcing only the best quality
produce, as well as their efficiency in delivering produce from farm to fork, has
resulted in their rise to become one of Ireland’s leading growers, packers and
distributors of fresh produce to the retail sector.
Currently employing some 240 staff directly and over 300 indirectly, Meade
Potato Company offer over 100 different lines of premium quality potatoes, fruit,
vegetables, salads and organic produce. With the next generation of the Meade
family now running the business, the company's growth led to further expansion
into a new office building and state-of-the-art food production facility in 2012.
The company, as part of its commitment to innovation and to the Irish potato
industry, recently introduced the only home grown frozen chip to Irish
consumers, Meade Irish Rooster Chips.
Our sustainability credentials
The Meade Potato Company has always sought to
be environmentally responsible but began to
formally implement sustainability measures in
2011. It holds an ‘A’ audit rate in all BRC audits
as well as a 100% pass rate on Bord Bia quality
and food safety certification levels.
Sourcing locally where possible has always been
a priority of the company, which they believe is
sustaining the economy and the environment by
using Irish produce with a low carbon footprint.
The company employs sound agricultural
practice on its own farmland and that of its
growers to keep crop interventions at a minimum. It also recycles as extensively
as possible; and works with growers and retailers to encourage environmental
responsibility.
Origin Green in action
The Meade Potato Company has established short, medium and long-term
targets, which will be achieved over the period 2013-2016. The initial focus is on
plant production sustainability, eventually extending to targets for the farm.
· A range of energy initiatives will see operational improvements that
reduce energy by 5% per kg of product produced by 2016. Two new
energy efficient potato production lines will contribute to this.
· In addition to its initial stretch target for 2015 of installing a 300KW wind
turbine, the company intends to have heat exchangers plumbed by 2016,
to fully utilize all recovered heat.
· The site has a daily water requirement of 25 cubic metres, currently
fulfilled by two groundwater wells. With increased use of rainwater
harvesting, the goal is to reduce well consumption by 30% by the end of
2015.
· In the area of waste, the Meade Potato Company’s main objective is to
establish an accurate baseline of packaging waste/kg product produced
and reduce it by 5%. While recognising that control over end-product
packaging rests solely with the retailer, the company will seek to
introduce more sustainable packaging to growers and retailers for use in
the end product.
· They aim to have 100% of suppliers either sourced locally with
accreditation, or to have 100% of suppliers possessing recognised
certifications by the end of 2015.
While rationalising transport routes is not a formal target, routine monitoring of
food miles monthly will be undertaken as part of their Origin Green plan.
Social responsibility
Meade Potato Company has become a leader in waste prevention, participating
in ‘Feed the 5000’ and foodcloud (http://foodcloud.ie/ ) to raise awareness. Its
work with community food banks such as Crosscare (http://www.crosscare.ie/)
has been featured on numerous RTE (the national public service broadcaster of
Ireland) programmes. They are also committed to encouraging healthy eating,
especially in young people..
As part of Origin Green, the company aims to:
· Continue to promote waste prevention through special projects and social
media.
· Increase the value of sponsorship over a five-year period to support
sporting activities and young people by 10%.
· Continue the National Potato Day 5K Road Race and Fun Run, which
encourages a healthy lifestyle through healthy eating and exercise.
· Develop Student Summer
Internship Programme over a
five-year period.
What we’re doing better
Already members of the Bord Bia
Quality Assurance and IOFGA, the
Meade Potato Company employs
various other sustainable farming
methods in its beef and arable
operations. The company will
undertake a full audit of its home farm growing operations in 2015, specifically
looking at inputs, with a view to implementing Integrated Pest Management and
setting formal targets to be achieved in 2016.
The company is also investing in approximately 3,000 metres of tree and
hedgerow planting around its farm and factory premises.
For more information, contact [email protected]
Website: www.meadepotato.com/
Facebook: Meade Potato Company
Twitter: @MeadePotatoCom