Local finalists for rural business awards

Two North Clare groups are in the running for overall success in this year’s JFC Innovation Awards For Rural Business. They are among 13 farmers and rural-based finalists from all over the country who are in contention for the €40,000 prize fund.

The Clare finalists are dairy farmers Bríd and Roger Fahy, Linnalla, New Quay and farmer members of the Clare Farm Heritage Tours in the Burren area. They and the rest of the finalists are representing the best in rural innovation and entrepreneurship, including green energy, selling farm produce to the public and even bringing tourists to see the genuine ‘Fr Ted House’ owned by Patrick McCormack, Glenquin, Kilnaboy.
Bríd and Roger Fahy’s new business is selling home-pasteurised milk directly to the public through specialist ‘Latteria’ milk vending machines and will begin in Galway City next week. Roger first saw the concept work on the continent where milk dispensers are common at farmer’s markets. Recent low milk prices gave him the motivation to try it for himself. Consumers will bring their own containers (a half to five litres) to the Latteria dispenser, insert coins and leave with cool fresh farm milk. The Fahys will pasteurise the milk at home and keep the dispenser filled.
Roger believes that consumers are ready and willing to buy milk direct from the farmer and that they will see the benefits of this new approach, including supporting local business, reducing their carbon footprint, less packaging and getting fresh, whole milk.
The Latteria dispenser does much more than just dispense, it keeps the milk cool, monitors temperature and will even send a text to the farmer when the milk is running low. The Fahys are competing in the ‘Start Up’ category. They already have a successful Linnalla ice-cream business so they are no strangers to agri-diversification.

Heritage Tours
Clare Farm Heritage Tours is an entirely different way of pursuing on-farm diversification. This group of farmers recognised that the archaeological gems, geological and other heritage-linked features on their farms were of interest to tourists and are offering centrally booked tours of each individual farm.
Tours will be guided by the farmer himself and will include the wider history of the area as well as folklore and an introduction to geology and archaeology.
The eight members of Clare Farm Heritage Tours are Pat McCormack (Kilnaboy), Harry Jeuken (Kilnaboy), Michael Vaughan (Lahinch), Michael Killeen (Corofin), Frank O’Grady (Kilnaboy), Robert Cassidy (Carron), Michael Curtis (Kilnaboy) and Michael Davoren (Kilcorney).
Their North Clare farms contain a rich tapestry of early Christian stone forts, ring forts, souterrains, wedge tombs, an old forge, a famine village and vernacular farm buildings. Clare Farm Heritage Tours are in the ‘Tourism/Service’ category.
The winner of the fourth All-Ireland JFC Innovation Awards for Rural Business will be crowned in the Slieve Russell Hotel, Cavan on Monday, April 12. Appropriately, products from food producing finalists will be on the dinner menu.
The overall winner will be chosen from the four category winners and will walk away with a prize fund worth €15,000. This includes a cash prize of €5,000, mentoring and business support worth €5,000 and €5,000 worth of advertising space.
Entry to the competition was open to any rural-based business, either at set up or in the early stages of operating.
Finalists went through a rigorous Dragon’s Den style selection process with Higher Ground TV presenters Paul McCarthy of Teagasc and Peter Young of the Farmers Journal.
Three finalists come from north of the border, two from Clare, two from Meath and one each from Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick, Mayo and Wexford. Interestingly two finalists have honed in on the quality lamb trade, with groups of farmers selling directly to the public in their local areas and further afield.
The JFC Innovation Awards for Rural Business are sponsored by Tuam-based manufacturing company JFC in association with Teagasc, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development NI (DARD), LEADER and the Irish Farmers Journal.