SUSTAINABLY GROWN
Sustainably grown, enjoyed for over 40 years
As Ireland’s leading producer of baby salad leaves and herbs, we believe our unwashed ‘honest leaves’ ethos and sustainable farming methods are testament to our continued success.
Our mission is to provide the people of Ireland with quality, fresh salad leaves and herbs year-round. Each year we work hard to provide as much Irish-grown produce as possible from our own farm in Kiltale, Co. Meath. When we cannot, due to seasonality of produce and other factors such as challenging weather conditions, we work with a small handful of growers who share our ‘Honest Leaves’ ethos and meet our high standards in Ireland, Italy, Spain, UK, Germany, France, Sweden; with a very small proportion of mostly soft herbs coming from Kenya and Ethiopia. We are always transparent about this, and you will find the country of origin clearly labelled on each pack. You can read more about our sourcing here.
Our primary aim, when we established our family farm in 1984, was to replace produce typically imported in Ireland with home-grown goodness. In the last three years alone, we have increased our production by 30%, directly replacing the volume of imported produce. We have also been the first to grow newer varieties of produce in Ireland on a commercial scale, from iceberg lettuce in the 1980s to baby salad leaves in the late 1990s and more recently organic spinach, among others. We are not interested in competing with other Irish growers, but rather replacing market dependency on imports. We also embrace new challenges!
Find out more about our multi-year journey to growing organic Irish spinach here
Each year we work hard on extending our growing season so, unlike many of our competitors, we only import when necessary.
PROUD SUPPORTERS OF OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY
From providing good quality jobs to supporting local GAA clubs, community groups, charities and schools we’re delighted to support the community that has been our family home for over 40 years.
TRADITION MEETS TECHNOLOGY. NATURALLY
To deliver the best of both worlds, McCormack Family Farms combines traditional farming methods with the latest AgriTech innovations.
Sustainability, from the ground up
Through our work with some Irish initiatives, we have clear methods to guide our continued sustainable efforts, which you can learn more about below.
We’re constantly looking at new ways to reduce the amount of plastic we use in our packaging. We work hard to reduce on average 15-20% of plastic materials used each year which is no small feat when delivering the same quantities of fresh produce to our customers! In 2022, we removed 8.7 tonnes of plastic, which amounts to saving 17 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted.
At present, the packaging we use is the best available option in terms of its environmental impact and while it is recyclable, there is no biodegradable or compostable packaging that protects leafy vegetables. Leaf No Waste, which we are an industry partner of, has the sole aim to find a more sustainable packaging solution than currently available while maintaining the shelf life of products to reduce potential food waste.
Origin Green is the world’s only national food and drink sustainability programme that enables the Irish industry to set and achieve measurable sustainability targets that respect the environment and serve local communities more effectively. We became members in 2021, and were thrilled to receive Gold Membership in 2022 and 2023, which is the highest accolade a business can achieve.
In 2022, we installed the first phase of solar panels on our farm in Kiltale, Co. Meath. This phase will generate roughly 140,000 kWh per year, or nearly 3 million kWh over its life span. This translates to offsetting a total of approximately 1,000 tonnes of CO2 in its lifespan. We aim to introduce further phases of solar panels in 2024 and 2025.
We are Ireland’s largest grower of organic spinach, with 10ha in production and 14ha in conversion presently. We started growing organic spinach in 2022 and it has proven so successful that we’re adapting some of the methods used in organic farming in our conventional growing, too. Organic farming helps to maintain soil health, support pollinators, and preserve existing ecosystems. By encouraging biodiversity, we can positively impact the natural environment in our locality.