SuperValu has announced that from today, it will stock a new premium brand of free-range Farmers to Market Irish chicken with an estimated value of €1.3million in retail sales.
Farmers to Market comes from a partnership between Manor Farm Chicken processors (Carton Brothers) and twelve free-range chicken farmers from counties Cavan and Monaghan. The partnership incorporates chicken houses, feed and ventilation systems designed to ensure the highest standard of animal welfare, guaranteeing a consistent quality and superior taste produced in an environmentally friendly way. It is the first partnership of its kind in the Irish chicken industry.
Just last week, Farmers to Market were successful at the SuperValu Irish Food Producers Awards 2011 winning the Best Newcomer Category. SuperValu is committed to stocking only 100% Irish-produced poultry that contains the Bord Bia quality mark. The Farmers to Market free-range chicken range, which is available in all SuperValu stores nationwide, further enhances this commitment.
Martin Kelleher Managing Director SuperValu said, “SuperValu guarantees the provenance of all our poultry, all of which is born bred and reared in Ireland. This Farmers to Market partnership further enhances that policy and also serves as a boost to the Irish chicken industry. A commitment to Irish suppliers is at the heart of SuperValu’s business and we are delighted to support this initiative.”
He continued, “We are the only retailer to stock 100% Irish meat and poultry and our poultry sales alone were worth €65 million in 2010. Similar to a number of other initiatives such as our Supplier Development programme, we are delighted to assist small suppliers get their products onto shop shelves.”
Charles Smith of Farmers to Market said, “Farmers to Market is thrilled to have our products stocked on the shelves of one of Ireland’s leading retailers, Supervalu. To grow from a small industry in Cavan and Monaghan, to receiving the support of SuperValu is a great achievement. We are delighted that our products will reach such a wide audience, throughout SuperValu’s network.”
SuperValu is Ireland’s leading independent food retailer and the only retailer with a store in each county. SuperValu’s commitment to Irish based producers includes sales of over €1 billion worth of fresh Irish food every year. In 2010 the total purchases of Irish goods and services made by SuperValu, was worth over €1.6bn to the Irish economy, serving to both create and protect almost 30,000 Irish jobs in the farm, food and retail sector.
