Based in Kells, Co Meath, Kerrigan’s Mushrooms was the first mushroom grower and packer to become a verified member of Bord Bia’s sustainability programme Origin Green in August 2014.
Headed by John Kerrigan, Kerrigan’s Mushrooms is a family-run enterprise employing over 80 full-time staff and producing over 40 tonnes of mushrooms each week at its state-of-art eco-friendly facility. Marketing and quality manager Karen Kerrigan says sustainability and quality have always been two of the company’s most important business principles since it started over 30 years ago.
Full traceability on all produce is guaranteed by the company and, for its organic range, all products are certified by the Soil Association.
Around 96pc of waste generated through mushroom production is recycled by the company, with waste compost reused on surrounding farm lands, and 12 tonnes of cardboard and 13 tonnes of plastic recycled each year. An onsite bore well reduces reliance on mains water and as the company grows and water consumption increases, water management will be incorporated into sustainability planning.
The business operates as two companies – Athgaine Mushrooms, the growing division, and Goldshield Products (Foods), the packhouse and marketing company. Around 95pc of mushrooms are produced on site with the remainder sourced from approved facilities locally. There are plans to construct two new 48-metre mushroom houses in 2015 to increase productivity and reduce costs.
While the company has never compromised on its sustainability and quality values, Kerrigan says that thanks to Origin Green it now has a structured plan to work from and targets that have to be met.
These targets include a commitment to have 50pc of raw material suppliers providing sustainability certification by 2016.
“As part of this, all suppliers will have completed a sustainability questionnaire to assist them in establishing their own environmental baseline, and 20 key suppliers will participate in a best practice visit to inform their actions,” says Kerrigan.
Other targets are that total waste generated per pound of mushroom will be reduced by 20pc by 2016; with dry recycling rates increasing by 20pc in the same timeframe. Waste to landfill per pound of mushroom is targeted to fall by 60pc by 2016.
Kerrigan says the company is already noticing cost savings as a result of becoming an Origin Green verified member.
For example, its annual kerosene consumption has been reduced by almost 70pc from approximately 250,000 litres to 75,000 litres following the installation of a 900KW wood chip biomass boiler in 2013.
CO2 emissions fell by 528 tonnes per year as a result, representing a decrease, per pound of product, from 0.246 Kg CO2 to 0.109 Kg CO2. Meanwhile, the introduction of LED floodlights has reduced electricity consumption by 60pc per bulb.
“Our Origin Green targets have now become part of our business culture and means of operating. Not only are we being extremely conscious of our social responsibility, we are also constantly reducing our costs. We hope to be the blueprint for other mushroom companies to follow in this area.”
Source: EnvirocentreNews.ie – Kerrigan’s Mushrooms – An Origin Green Pioneer
