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Case Study

Golden Mushrooms from Tipperary to every plate in Ireland

In 1998, Michael Bergin started in the Mushroom business after 17 years working as a butcher.

“I travelled all over Europe working in the meat industry, and ended up moving home to work in a local factory in Clonmel. I grew up on a small dairy farm and always wanted to run my own business,” he says.

“Back in the late nineties the mushroom business in Ireland was booming and I, and my wife Marian, took the plunge and invested in a site near the village of Golden in County Tipperary and Golden Mushrooms was born.”

From very humble beginnings Golden Mushrooms has become a very significant producer in the Irish market. “We started with five tunnels producing 4,000 lbs per week and have grown to 18 tunnels and over 100,000 lbs per week – enough to feed four our of every ten Irish consumers each week,” he says.

“Every year since we started we’ve got bigger and better, with the major expansion happing in the last 7 years with the addition of ten tunnels over that time,” he adds.

Bergin is very grateful to have the backing of a strong producer group in CMP. “When we started out we were part of a small producer group in Tipperary, and as we grew they did not meet or needs. We joined CMP in nnnn and haven’t looked back since.”

When asked what are the benefits, they are on the tip of his tongue. “They give us a very strong voice with the Department of Agriculture and the Government, and as a member we have access to the best training and technical advice available.”

“Because of the scale of their operation CMP, also have great muscle as a purchasing group, which means that packaging and compost is much cheaper for producers like us,” adds Bergin.

Bergin also believes that the hard work of Golden Mushrooms has been rewarded by CMP. “They are a very innovative organisation and have invested heavily in our success. Last year we benefitted from their investment programme when they installed the only compost burning heating system in a mushroom production facility in Europe. This system is particularly clever as it turns our waste, which is a major problem, into an energy source. As a result our fuel bills are down 50% and our waste disposal cost has reduced by thousands.”

In the thirteen years since it was founded Golden Mushrooms has grown from a pipe dream to one of the most powerful players in the Irish industry and Bergin is upbeat about the future. “quality products and innovation are what have kept us thriving all these years and I know if we keep that formula we will continue to be a success.