Michael Kelly's seed for an idea has blossomed into €1.45m food initiative

Not quite on the scale of the biblical Road to Damascus moment, Michael Kelly’s supermarket epiphany nonetheless sowed the seed for an idea that has blossomed into a €1.45m food initiative.

Confronted by a garlic bulb from China on the veggie rack, the Meath man was struck by the daftness of importing foodstuff easily produced here and decided there and then to grow his own.

“And so originally GIY (Grow It Yourself) was me and a group of like-minded people interested in growing our own food and eating it,” Michael said.