Lidl Ireland has announced a new, exclusive deal with Irish family farm, Carrick Farms, valued at more than €2 million. This new deal will bring their fresh Irish vegetables such as cucumbers, and cauliflower across the Lidl’s network of stores.
Carrick Farms was founded more than 100 years ago in the foothills of Rush, Co. Dublin. Having been involved in farming for 5 generations, three members of the Carrick family still continue their legacy today. Carrick Farms secured their first contract with Lidl Ireland in 2015, supplying lettuce to the retailer. Since then, the partnership has thrived. Their family-oriented values and dedication to providing a superior product to customers has resulted in the business flourishing, whilst still maintaining an authentically Irish establishment and product.
From solely family members working the land to now employing more than 40 employees, Carrick Farms continues to go from strength to strength, now farming over 120 acres of Irish produce annually. The success is further solidified through the new deal with Lidl Ireland.
Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage visited Carrick Farms and has commented: ‘I’m delighted to see such recognition and investment in local Irish farming from such a prominent retailer as Lidl. The current economic climate is presenting serious challenges for producers, retailers and consumers, however, deals such as this will go a long way to helping sustain our local farming communities enabling them to continue to develop and prosper for many years to come.’
Following the growing success of Carrick Farms with Lidl customers, the retailer confirmed the new deal worth more than €2 million. Brian Carrick, Managing Director at Carrick Farms has commented: ‘Lidl has been a long-standing partner of ours and through their continued investment we have seen our business grow and prosper. Their team have supported us immensely through the years and have facilitated the presence of our products on their shelves. We are dedicated to providing produce that is fresh and of high quality, ensuring our products arrive on the shelves of Lidl stores within 24 hours of harvest. We are delighted to be a part of Lidl’s commitment to suppling Irish products to their loyal customer base and we look forward to our continued work together.’
Commenting on the new deal, Gillian Jenner, Senior Buyer at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland said: ‘Bringing high quality, locally sourced products at affordable prices to our stores is at the forefront of what we do. This latest partnership is a pivotal point for us in terms of supplying local produce in our stores. We Have expanded our range with Carrick Farms to include Irish grown cucumbers on our shelves, further underscoring our commitment to supporting Irish suppliers. We are delighted to be a part of Carrick Farm’s journey to creating a premium, Irish product, and we are even more thrilled to have the opportunity to place their fresh produce in Lidl stores across Ireland.’
Lidl is proud to bring the best of Irish produce to its customers with its existing and ever-growing network of more than 400 Irish suppliers. Lidl has also invested more than €6 million to date in its dedicated Kickstart Supplier Development Programme, which gives small to medium Irish suppliers the chance to have their products sold in Lidl stores island wide.
