When walking down the fruit and veg aisle of our local supermarket, we tend to take for granted the fresh produce on our shelves.

Meade Potato Company – a Co. Meath family-run business – is one of the entities that works hard to ensure the Irish consumers’ trolleys are full of fresh fruit and veg each week.

Philip Meade Sr. first began selling potatoes in the northeast in 1977. From there Meade Potato Company was born.

Based on the family farm in Lobinstown, Co. Meath, Meade Potato Company has been growing, packing and distributing potatoes, fruit and vegetables for over 35 years.

Winning the Fruit and Vegetable Agribusiness of the Year award for the second year running in 2016, Meade Potato Company has become one of Ireland’s most successful businesses in its sector.

The company employs approximately 240 staff and reports an annual turnover of around €60 million.

Meade Potato Company brings a significant amount of potatoes to the Irish market every year. It also grows, packs and distributes over 100 separate lines of fruit, vegetables, salads and organic produce.

While the family farm in Co. Meath specialises in growing potatoes and carrots, the business has an expansive network of growers, who are an essential part of the company’s overall supply chain.

Ireland’s climate only allows for a small range of fruit: apples; rhubarb; strawberries; raspberries; blueberries; and gooseberries. Therefore, other varieties of fruit, such as citrus, avocados and grapes, must be sourced from more exotic climates, for example; the Kalahari region in South Africa and the San Francisco Valley in Brazil.

Most recently, Meade Potato Company has joined Bord Bia’s Origin Green Programme to formally commit to a sustainability plan.

The next generation of Meades – Patrick, Philip Jr. and Eleanor – are now in key roles and helping to drive the business forward.