Oliver Carty business helps bring home the bacon
Seldom has the importance of going the “quality” route in food production been better illustrated as the Oliver Carty Ltd business was gradually enhanced and expanded.
Today Oliver’s son, Ted Carty, presides over a business selling more than €30 million per year of specialist bacon products, produced from about 2,600 pigs processed each week in two adjoining factories at Monksland, Athlone, employing 90 people.
Their wide range of products continues to expand as the company’s researchers and innovators strive to keep pace with changing consumer trends.
For most food processors growing the market to boost sales from €792,000 in 1995 would have been mission impossible. The vital ingredient was a contract with the Musgrave Group to supply all their own- brand and serve-over rashers, and a large proportion of their branded and primal bacon products, in the 570 SuperValu and Centra supermarkets around the country.
According to Ted, “The Musgrave deal has been central to the growth of our business. The Musgrave deal is taking nearly 70% of total production, and is expected to be worth €22m in 2006. Without it, we could not have expanded at this scale. It is a relationship with a good company that has worked out very well for us.”
Ted “lives” the business, watching every detail, demanding quality and a continuous focus on innovation to keep a step ahead of consumer tastes.
Oliver Carty Ltd now breaks new ground with the launch of SuperValu Supreme rashers.
They carry the photograph of the farmer who produced the bacon — bringing a new dimension to traceability from farm to fork. Perhaps even more meaningful for consumers is the Animal Welfare Scheme which each producer farm must observe.
Carty Meats and SuperValu have teamed up with 11 pig farmers in their locality who observe exceptional levels of animal husbandry and welfare.
All pregnant sows, gilts and boars are housed loose, providing a more natural animal environment. No animal or avian protein or fat is allowed in their diets, with the exception of milk products; sows get a healthy high fibre diet and piglets are weaned at 28 days.
The farmers participating in the Animal Welfare Programme are subject to independent auditing under the European Food Safety Inspection Scheme, to ensure continued compliance.
Donal Horgan, Managing Director, Musgrave Group, said the group’s strong relationship with Carty Meats has proved very beneficial for both sides. It is part of a commitment by Musgrave, SuperValu and Centra to locally source €2.1bn per year of their supplies, 75% of their total purchases. As a result, 60% of what the group sells is directly produced in Ireland.
The benefits for Carty Meats are clear, growing nearly ten fold from sales of €3.4m in 1999.
In 2003 a factory was built at a cost of €6m.
Now, one plant concentrates exclusively on production of almost three million rashers per week, while the other is used for de-boning, curing pork, cooking and smoking hams, and consumer pack jointing.
Meanwhile, Musgrave SuperValu Centra (MSVC), the retail franchise division of the Cork based Musgrave Group, has grown into Ireland’s largest retail distributor, accounting for approximately quarter of the national grocery market. The group stocks 100% Irish fresh meat and poultry, 100% Irish milk, and practically all fresh produce is Irish grown or sourced.
