Food Academy

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Coole Farm

Mark and Helen both have a background in farming. As a child Helen’s Dad farmed and she often helped him with the fun jobs around the yard. Mark is a 4th generation farmer, so you could say it is in his blood! He returned to his agricultural studies in the past decade to re-educate himself on farming practices and is currently finishing up a Masters in Organic Farming via the University of Glasgow. His studies have provided a fresh perspective on how to farm better, with the goal of nourishing the soil and protecting the land, whilst harvesting excellent quality produce from it.

In 2019 the couple wanted to change how they farmed, away from traditional cattle production. They started to grow salad leaves, free from artificial fertilisers and pesticides in a small section of land right by their home. They harvest and deliver to the supermarket shelf within 24 hours, to ensure that their customers can enjoy some of the freshest leaves in Leinster!

The SuperValu Food Academy programme has provided Mark and Helen with great insight into what is required to be an excellent food producer. They have gained a greater understanding of the world of retail and know what it will take to succeed. The programme provides a wealth of expertise and training from food safety, financial planning, and marketing to name but a few of the topics covered. The experience has already been invaluable, and Coole Farm are excited to only be at the beginning of their journey with SuperValu.

We are a local producer growing chemical free food, contributing to the circular economy by purchasing everything that we can for our business, from other local producers.

We manage our land very carefully, taking care to ensure it is nourished well. How we treat our soil and our approach to farming contributes very positively to the quality of our land, the local biodiversity, and the quality of our produce. Our packaging is currently plastic, but we use a very robust bag, which we encourage our customers to wash and re-use (and we know many do just that!)

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