Introduce yourself.
We are Meade Farm, founded in 1982, an Irish family farm business that grows, packs and distributes fresh produce for retailers nationwide. We have also recently begun to extract potato starch from our surplus potatoes. Evergreen will be the first retail outfit to stock our potato starch.
What inspired you to join the natural health sector?
We have a passion for potatoes and wanted to make the most sustainable use of our crops. Our potato starch came about as a result of wanting do this and wanting to cater for consumers who wanted a natural, gluten-free cooking and baking alternative. There is nothing in our potato starch but potato starch, so it is as wholesome as you get!
Where did you get the idea for your brand?
We decided to start Meade Farm Potato Starch because it was a sustainable way to use our potato crops and to give gluten-free consumers a versatile new ingredient; our potato starch can be used instead of corn starch which is usually shipped from America.
In the five years that we spent researching our potato starch project, we found that foodies have embraced potato starch as a great way to add crispiness to their frying, to add texture to their baking and to thicken their sauces, stews and soups.
What makes your brand unique?
We are the only farm in Ireland and the UK to extract and sell potato starch to manufacturers and consumers.
What are your company’s core values?
We want to bring healthy, sustainable products to consumers through teamwork and engagement with all our partners and stakeholders; we understand our responsibility to the environment and believe that through innovation and efficiency we can deliver on our sustainability commitments.
How do you support your community?
Our CSR programme seeks to promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles; to advocate for food waste prevention and to support and develop our team of employees. Our community sponsorships include numerous sports sponsorships, as well as healthy eating events and education programmes.
What has been the most rewarding part of your brands journey?
Without a doubt, producing a world class product – our potato starch won Irish Quality Foodservice Product of the Year – out of a desire to be more sustainable and make better use of our potato crop!
What in your opinion makes Irish brands unique?
Irish people are very agricultural in that most people can trace a family member who came from a farm. As such the Irish have a unique appreciation for good quality, wholesome ingredients and the nation has many people here who work to ensure that we constantly bring sustainable, healthy food to the world.
What is your favourite product from your brand?
Tell us about something that has shaped your brand?
Marrying sustainability with innovation often ends up leading us to develop a new products. Our founder Philip Meade Sr. always wanted to make the best use of the crops and he was never afraid to try new things to do this!
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
We would like to continue to grow and develop wholesome, healthy food and do it with net zero emissions in the near future!
Want to read more about our favourite Irish brands? Click here to see Nibbed 'Evergreen: Behind The Label' blog.
