Food Matters meets the people who are trying to reconnect us with real, healthy and sustainable food. With our food system causing huge problems for the health...
S3 Ep15: Getting to the core of apple growing in Ireland with Con Traas
Did you know that Ireland is very well-suited for growing apples, but despite that, we import over 95% of the apples we eat? Irish apples can sometimes be difficult to buy, but when you do find them, there’s a good chance they were grown by Con Traas. Con has 40,000 apple trees on ‘The Apple Farm’ in Co Tipperary and he sells the fruit directly from his on-site farm shop and also produces apple juice, cider, crisps, vinegar, jams and jellies. In this episode of Food Matters, Con joins Mick Kelly of GIY to share the story of taking over the farm from his parents and how he has scaled and diversified the business since. They also talk about the challenges of fruit production in Ireland, Con’s positive experience with major retailers, and the impending threats of climate change.
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59:03
S3 Ep14: 20 years of The Happy Pear
In 2004, David and Stephen Flynn, aka The Happy Pear, opened a small fruit and veg shop in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, with a dream of helping people eat more veg. Now, two decades later, The Happy Pear is one of the best-known and loved brands in Ireland, and has scaled into a highly successful business comprising over 80 products, online courses, best-selling books, a coffee roastery, a farm and more. In this episode of Food Matters, Dave and Steve join Mick Kelly in Grow HQ to share the highs and lows of their 20-year journey building The Happy Pear. They talk about how it all started, how the business and their approach to life has evolved, navigating difficult times professionally and personally, our obsession with protein and neglect of fibre, and lots more.
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1:00:41
S3 Ep13: Charles Dowding - The ‘No-Dig’ Guru
So is it possible that digging your garden is a total waste of your time? According to our guest on this episode, it may be time to put down that shovel and spend those precious hours doing something way more productive. Charles Dowding is best known as the ‘No-Dig Guru. He trained as a horticulturalist and became very interested in the links between soil and nutrition. During his studies, he discovered that we can have healthier soil by leaving it undisturbed, and just feeding it with compost from above. On this episode of Food Matters Charles reveals the science behind his revolutionary approach to gardening and food production. It’s a wide-ranging conversation touching on topics like soil health, the nutritional density of fruit and veg and the global food system. And its packed full of practical knowledge and advice to help you to become the best version of your best home-grower self.
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1:05:37
S3 Ep12: How a passion for growing became a successful career
Lynsay Orton always had a passion for growing rare and exotic fruit and veg until unexpected family circumstances turned that passion into a very niche and successful business. Operating out of just six polytunnels on Ross Hazel Farm, Lynsay grows over 1500 plants exclusively for chefs that cook for some of the world’s biggest companies.On this episode of Food Matters, Lynsay Orton shares the story of how her love of growing suddenly became a full-time career. In conversation with Mick Kelly of GIY, Lynsay also talks about how she organises her growing year and some of the tips and tricks she has learned about successfully cultivating an array of rare and interesting produce, something that will be of interest to any home grower. Click here to catch a glimpse of what Lynsay and Mick were up to during the interview’
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S3 Ep11: Fighting for a Fairer Food System, with Pete Russell, Ooooby
Pete Russell was running a 12m dollar-a-year food company when, suddenly, he had a “road to Damascus” moment. Pete realised that he was a part of a broken food system that was loaded against small food producers, and he knew that he wanted to be part of the solution rather than the problem. So he launched Ooooby, a platform that connects small food producers directly with consumers, making it easier for people to access locally-grown produce while supporting sustainable farming practices. In this episode of Food Matters, Pete shares the story of leaving the world of mass food production to level the playing field for small scale family farms and artisan food producers.They also talk about: · How Pete built a $12m dollar-per-year business in Australia and what it taught him about the global food system.· The process of change – what drove him to leave it all behind and focus on a system build on fairness and food sustainability. · His first encounter with the iphone and why he knew it was to change how we shop forever.· Why understanding that price and convenience are what people want is key to really changing the food system.· The highs and lows of building Ooooby, and what the future holds. GIY are proud to align our mission, vision and impact with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In response to the urgency of the climate crisis, and in line with the UN Decade of Action, our ambition at GIY is to inspire 100 million people around the world to grow some of their own food by 2030.Join the GIY movement by following our social channels and signing up to our newsletter on GIY.ie
Food Matters meets the people who are trying to reconnect us with real, healthy and sustainable food. With our food system causing huge problems for the health of people and planet, there’s a quiet revolution happening driven by passionate people in communities and food businesses around the world who want to do things differently – producing nutritious food in a way that doesn’t cost the earth. Food Matters tells their story. Join Mick Kelly, founder of GIY as he dives in to proper conversations with the most fascinating food producers, chefs, farmers, scientists, activists and other stakeholders across the food system touching on everything from the pitfalls of ultra-processed foods, food waste and pollution; seasonality, eating more plants, regenerative farming and so much more.. Only by understanding the full panorama of our food's journey can we cultivate a healthier, more sustainable food-future. Join the GIY movement across all social channels and please follow or subscribe to this podcast to continue these important conversations about global food health and sustainability.
Ireland