2010 hi and lo lights in organics

From an organic farming perspective, what were the big high and low points of 2010? Perhaps surprisingly, its possible to find plenty of highs.

First up, some strong organic brands did especially well. Both big players, Good Herdsman and Glenisk did so. The latter saw significant growth in domestic and export markets. In general, the organic dairy sector saw significant expansion in retail terms, with even ALDI and LIDI now brimming with affordable organic milk and yoghurt.

(Image: Highbank farm's stall at the Kilkenny Christmas Market just gone)

Smaller organic companies also did well. For example, Beal cheese (Kerry) and Dee's Burgers (Cork) both used the platform of the Dragon's Den to grow their business.

And grow their businesses they have. Both companies use social media, especially twitter and facebook, to great effect. Facebook ads are far more targeted than any other adverts: users of facebook list an incredible amount of personal information about themselves, and adverts can be targeted towards this information with striking accuracy.

Beyond ads however, both have used other aspects of facebook to draw potential customers over to their business including running competitions and regular updates.

Earlier this month Highbank farm (Kilkenny) was in the news. This long standing organic company, run by Rod and Julie Calder-Potts, won the top prize in a new Food Innovation awards scheme sponsored by Bord Bia in association with the South-East County and City Enterprise Boards.

Highbank Farm won significant development supports as part of their prize: �15,000 for consumer research and �10,000 for design, branding and packaging, as well as supports from the Enterprise Boards.

Omega Beef Direct (Tipperary) also won an innovation award at the same competition, for their organic Galloway steak burger.

Mossfield cheese's (Offaly) winning of the National Organic Awards was an undoubted highlight too. This year, the Awards made the TV news on RTE at 6 and 9PM, increasing the profile of both the competition and the winner significantly.

Mossfield's mature gouda-style cheese, now available in a vac pac, was the real standout product from the awards. Darren Grant of the Organic Supermarket (another successful company for 2010) had a real ah-ha! moment when he tasted this cheese, and he has tasted many products over the last three years of business.

He reminded me of the Food critic Anton Ego in the kids movie Ratatouille, when he tasted the dish that transported him back in time to a perfect dish of his childhood.

It wasn't all winning either though. The loss of Trevor Sargent as junior minister with responsibility for organic farming earlier on in the year was a major negative for the organic sector. His knowledge and workrate were second to none. While Ciaran Cuffe has done a good job in carrying on the work, his time is spread out over three ministries.

That said, avoiding budget cuts for either the Grant Aid or the overall organic farming budget was a major achievement in what is year three of a major recession .This makes it the third year of no cuts, which is remarkable.

Another loss was market value � down about 10% for Irish sales. While this is in line with other areas, it is nonetheless difficult for farmers and food businesses.

While there have been positive signs of increasing market share for organic meat, there is a major change coming downstream in 2011. The rules with regard to processing organic meat are changing: producer specific abattoirs/butchers will now be subject to inspections from organic certification bodies.

It is also the case that butchers or large scale processors will not be allowed use producer-specific abattoirs: they will only be allowed use certified organic abattoirs.

This represents a significant change for those organic farmers who up until now used local butchers. Primarily, this concerned those who direct sell. To ensure organic standards are maintained, organic animals were killed first thing in the morning.

Now this relationship is set to change. Will it be for better or for worse? Both sides of the argument will be presented over the next two postings here.

In the meantime, have a prosperous, peaceful and pleasant new year!

ITINERANT JOBS AND ADVERTS WITH CHEMISTRY: JUST ANOTHER ORGANIC WEEK

In any given week, there is an abundance of organic farming and food news, from the global to the local. Inevitably, many stories slip by. Usually, this column focuses on one main story. Instead, this week it will round up and analyze some of what's going on in the organic world.

Going global first, it turns out that for interesting reasons, independent business experts in Australia think that organic farming and food have a lot of potential.

Business information specialists IBISWorld rank growth in organic farming-related jobs as being the highest growth area for employment in Australia for 2010.

While some of these jobs are quaintly described as �itinerant� agricultural jobs, in other words transient fruit and vegetable farm hands, jobs across the spectrum are predicted, including at the business, promotion, and research ends.

Organic farming is also ranked second highest as a growth area overall, outscoring traditional big hitters like oil and gas production and health insurance.

IBISworld cite higher returns for farmers, increased ranges, increased consumer demand, and organic farming's resilience and adaptability in the face of extreme weather conditions as being positive signs for the industry.

Interesting lessons for Ireland?

At EU level, there are still a few days left to vote for what will be a mandatory EU organic logo. While this logo will be compulsory, private symbols will still be allowed after this logo is introduced.

Many have criticised the entire notion of a loosely regulated public on line vote for the organic logo.

After all, the Wolfe Tones' version of 'A Nation Once Again' topped a BBC poll for best song ever. Likewise, the recent UK Christmas number one was a song by Rage Against the Machine rather than the X factor winner. In both of these votes, committed campaigners changed the result.

More importantly perhaps, not engaging branding and copyright experts from the beginning of the logo choosing process has troubled many.

However, experts were at least engaged to whittle the entrants down to the last three: you can vote by going to either the Organic Trust or IOFGA (Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association) websites.

Speaking of which, back home, IOFGA, have launched a new, improved and very detailed website.

Along with a searchable database and a dedicated section for producers, there is also information on their school gardening initiatives and more generic information on organic food, such as news, events and links. So now, both IOFGA and Organic Trust have top notch websites.

At the organic food end of the spectrum, two little bits of history were made here in Ireland.

Ireland's first certified organic gastropub was opened in the Dundrum shopping centre. Ruairi Maguire's Bar and Organic Kitchen describes it itself as both a traditional Irish pub and a place that only serves 100% organic food.

Glenisk also made a bit of history lately, with their TV advert: surely an Irish organic company's first TV advert? This is a milestone for organic in Ireland, and the advert does look exceptionally well.

It also looks exceptionally warm, sunny and picture perfect in the advert: nice young family, lots of nature everywhere, windmills in the background � the kind of vista that looks especially appealing in the middle of a cold winter.

As a moment in time, during the clutter of a 2 minute ad break, this advert, which is called, ' it's only natural', stands out as an oasis of calm.

Explaining why they choose such a subtle approach for their first advert, Glenisk suggested that the advert encapsulates messages of family, future environmental sustainability, the soil, nature, and, yes even milk.

Interestingly, the location has been quite technologically adapted, as what you see was actually filmed, or perhaps more accurately created, in a cold Irish December.

And I couldn't help a wry smile when I noticed on the Glenisk facebook page who had made their organic ad: a company called Chemistry. That, you couldn't make up.

Bord Bia National Organic Awards 2009

The Overall winner this year is Moon Shine farm's organic milk.

This new retail product, which comes from Gerry and Mary Kelly's Westmeath farm, is a non homogenised milk, which retails for E2.39 for 2 litres.

It also won the best local product.

Well done to the Kelly's - they were up against some stiff and well financed companies, so thier acheivements are all the more spectacular.

(The Kelly's farm, right)

CATEGORY WINNERS NATIONAL ORGANIC AWARDS

Best Organic Retail Product

Organic Greek Style Natural Yoghurt,

Glenisk

Best Organic Export Product

St Tola Goats Log,

Inagh Farmhouse Cheese

Best Organic New Product:

Organic Gluten Free Real Wholegrain Bread Mix,

Sowan's Organic Bread mix

Best Organic Sustainable Product:

Happy Heart Oil Rapeseed Oil,

Drumeen Farm

Best Organic Local Product:

Moon Shine Farmhouse Milk,

Moon Shine Organic Farm

multiple retailers and the request for a 40% reduction in price from organic producers

Understanding the balance and flow of power is crucial to understanding what people say, what they don't say and what they imply.

Below is the original version of what appeared in the Irish Examiner yesterday, Thursday 28th May.

It was reported various places that multiple retailers are set to ask for a 40% price reduction from their suppliers of organic produce.

I have spoken to numerous well positioned people involved in production, distribution, processing and retailing of organic produce since then, and it seems the reality is more complex than was first reported.

The particular producer featured in the story on the 40% price reduction is uncertain at present whether the retailers were directly asking for a reduction. However he did receive strong signals that this was coming downstream.

Others, when queried, told me that there they have not been asked for this reduction directly.

According to Glenisk, �We have not had any 'demands' from retailers and we're on good terms with them all. Pricing is obviously a challenge right now; we're focused on the broader issue of value for money. For example, we're running 50% extra free promotions on all of our 4 packs and that has been very well received by consumers.�

Glenisk also claim that this cost will not be passed onto the farmer: �No, it's our cost. We find that consumers appreciate the extra value and consequently that has a positive effect on sales.�

Supermarket sources also told me, when queried, that they were not directly asking for a 40% reduction.

This raises interesting and important questions about whether producers, consumers or those in between - the retailers, processors, distributors - have the most power when it comes to the organic sector.

Whatever about direct requests for price reductions, the market share multiple retailers command defines the terrain within which their suppliers � Irish farmers - operate.

In mainland Europe, nowhere has the same level of multiple retailer penetration as do Ireland and the UK. Simply put; there are other routes to market, so those who supply into the agri-food system have options. They have more power.

So when Tescos announce a more international sourcing policy for Irish stores, or a change in store layout, Irish producers can start to feel the pressure.

While Tescos claim to send over 600 million euro of Irish product abroad annually, it is also the case that Irish agri-food companies have many more options when supplying the mainland EU market. This is clear from, for example, the various routes to market in European countries the Good Herdsman achieved at BioFach this year.

At the end of the day, does it actually matter if a supermarket directly asks a for a price reduction, if all the signals and pressure are pointing that way for sooner rather than later?

Will processors who supply supermarkets make price-reduction predictions and pass these on to producers? Or will they behave opportunistically?

Some of the facts of the retail situation for organic farmers at the moment make for stark reading.

While organic is sold through other routes, sometimes in a very high profile manner, it is still the case that the majority of organic produce is still sold through the multiple retailers: up to 85% according to Bord Bia.

Organic farmers make up about 1% of farmers. There are often hardly any alternative options for sourcing feed or processing units.

In general, consumers are cutting back. This can have unintended positive consequences � some consumers eat out less and eat organic food at home more, and still save money.

Organic is not due to suffer to the same extent as other areas, according to recent research into Irish consumer motivations. However, consumers cutting back by 1/3, as the research suggests, will inevitably have some negative consequences.

So we have a small number of producers, with few input or processing options and one main channel to an under pressure market. This main channel has enormous overall clout in the agri-food sector.

Along with this, there is a new version of an old issue: the Northern situation. It is to this we turn next posting.

Early April organic events: thinking, doing and no april foolin

Plato and Aristotle explore organic farming in Ireland

Plato looked to an ideal essence from which our understanding of reality is formed, Aristotle looked at things. Heaven and earth, the sky and the ground, the astral and terra firma.

From fundos to realos (see history here), the organic movement has alwys had both practical and philosophical dimensions. The beginning of April is a golden opportunity to engage in both.

The least apt day of the year for the now departed Merf � Dr. Charles Merfield � to give a talk in Ireland is April Fool's day, for he's far from a fool.

In fact, he's a classic brainbox, full of science, ideas, and inventions.

Merf, until recently an organic crop researcher with Teagasc and UCD, returns to Ireland to give a talk entitled 'Organics: Philosophy of Agriculture Science and Ethics' in UCD on April 1st at 1pm.

This talk is part of the UCD History and Philosophy of Science Lecture Series, and is being held in the Seminar Room of the Humanities Institute of Ireland at University College Dublin (UCD).

Merf's seminar will briefly review the history and context of organic agriculture from its beginnings in the early 1900s with its focus on soil nutrition and human health. It will then examine the 1960s anti synthetic biocide revolution and finally today's multiple organic systems will be considered.

This history will provide a foundation �to examine the fundamental differences between organic and industrial agriculture with a particular focus on ethics, and the role of science followed by and exploration of organic's critique of industrial agriculture� according to Merf.

The next day, April 2nd, features a perhaps more typical but nonetheless interesting organic farming day.

The Teagasc organic conference will be held in the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone. It begins at 9am, and features a host of important speakers and topics.

The first session deals with a topic close to every farmers heart. It is entitled, very straightforwardly, 'Making Money from Organic Farming'. Two Teagasc organic advisors James McDonnell and Dan Clavin will present on profitability of organic farms and financial planning for farmers undergoing conversion.

The next sessions deals with market opportunities for organic milk, meat and grain. Perhaps suprizingly, there is no place at the table for the newly formed Irish Organic Milk Producers Company.

However, Glenisk's Vincent Cleary will be one of the chairs, along with chair of the National Organic Steering Committee John Duggan.

A highlight in this session will be the presentation by Dr. Nic Lampkin ofthe Organic Research Centre, Elm Farm, Berkshire. Nic's 1990 book on organic farming is considered a bible while his work on developing the organic sector in wales has been considered integral to their strong recent growth. Nic' s presentation is on UK and EU markets.

Along with Nic, John Purcell of the Good Herdsman � the largest organic meat processor in either Ireland or the UK, John Flahavan of Flahavans who have capacity to talk in more Irish produce, and Anthony Murphy (Skettering Nutrition, Co. Mayo) will present.

The after lunch session gives a farmer's perspective.

Cavan's Richard Moeran has been described as a rare breed with a rare breed. He is chair of Cavan IFA, certified organic and stocks saddleback pigs. He also carries lamb and beef, and grows much of his own feed.

His produce is sold direct and through supermarkets, so he really can speak from and for a number of perspectives.

Also presenting the farmers' perspective is Noel Lynch of Macroom (beef, sheep, tillage)
and Fintan Rice, of Fethard, Co. Tipperary (dairying).

Following this, another session on profitabilty will be held. This time, the focus is on increasing profit margins outside the farm gate. This session is chaired by Peter Young, organic farmer and journalist.

His own Castlefarm enterprise is a great model for innovative ways to increase profitability. With his wife Jenny, they direct sell, make their own cheese, do school trips and a host range of courses. The next one is on making outdoor clay ovens.

Lorcan Burke (Bord Bia) will present on purchasing trends in the current climate, while Mark Winterbotham, (Gold River Farms, Co. Wicklow) will present on direct selling.

See here or ring 059 917 020

National Organic Awards: and the winners are

Mr. Trevor Sargent TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, presented the Overall National Organic Award 2008 to Glenisk Irish Organic Butter. This new product will be launched onto shop shelves in the coming weeks. The awards, organised by Bord Bia in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, attracted over 100 entries from organic companies nationwide.

The winners were announced on Monday at SHOP, the annual food and drink retail trade event taking place in the RDS, Dublin. The individual category award winners were as follows: best organic grocery product went to Solaris Botanicals Presentation Box of Teas; Lily O�Brien�s Organic Collection won best organic sweet, flour and chocolate confectionary; in addition to the overall award Glenisk Irish Organic Butter won best organic chilled/frozen product and a new category this year best organic meat product was awarded to Oliver Carty�s Organic Loin of Bacon with a Citrus Topping.

(Pictured above, John McCracken, a farmer who supplies Glenisk)

organic milk quota freed up: reactions

It has been a long time coming, but the granting of additional milk quota to organic dairy farmers has been welcomed by all involved in the sector.

On the 12th August, Minister of State Sargent announced that an additional 45,000 litres would be available to individual producers, which could facilitate the release of 750,000 more litres in the current milk quota year.

This has been facilitated by a 2% increase in the national quota as and from 1st April of this year.

Pat Mulrooney is the current chair of the newly formed Irish Organic Milk Producers Company.

Pat welcomed the move: �It will mean that the 20 quota starved farmers we have opportunity to play catch up�

Pat is also convinced that the formation of the new company in April was instrumental in achieving the increased quota:

�Since the company was formed, we�ve made our case far better� according to Pat. �There is no doubt about it. All of our efforts were with department previously. He points out that the company canvassed minister Sargent and the Taoiseach, as well as giving �oral and written presentations, highlighting our needs and entitlements�.

Organic dairy farmers have been asking for this of many years now. They have been hampered, in growth terms, for most of this decade by the quota regime. In early 2006, James Mulhall argued that he could actually operate at 450,000 litres, nearly twice his current 240,000 litre quota.

Another organic dairy farmer, Fintan Rice, told me this week that he will have no problem filling his new quota: Fintan has a quota of 227,000 and could easily hit 350,000 on the 40 hectares of his farm that is in permanent grassland.

Pat Mulrooney agrees �it�ll be adequate for this year. The availability of organic cows means that it�s fine for now - but we�ll be ready for more soon.�

There is one proviso, however. It is not the case that every organic dairy farmer is automatically entitled to 45,000 liitres. There was a top up scheme available upon entry into organics, so if a farmer availed of this then, this total will be taken from the 45,000 litres.

As an example: Fintan Rice received 3000 gallons when he joined up, which is just over 11,000 litres. So he can only apply for about c.33-34,000 litres.

Glenisk, who currently receive about 5 million litres of milk from the island of Ireland (50% of which comes from the republic) was understandably delighted. Vincent Cleary, MD of Glenisk: �This should lead to many smaller but progressive dairy farmers viewing organics as a viable option in the near future. From our perspective at Glenisk, it will lead to continued growth and development � enabling us to increase our existing portfolio of products and to access new markets.�

Farmers will now be able to consider becoming food businesses themselves. At present, 3-400,000 litres of organic milk produced in the republic is used for this function and according to Pat, dairy farmers will now also be able to consider various options.

Present examples include Kate Carmody in Kerry, IOFGA chair, with her Beal cheeses and the Kelly�s in Westmeath, who produce the Moonshine brand of soft cheese, yoghurts and smoothies.

IOFGA, the largest certification body in Ireland, agree that the move will �also allow for the expansion of the organic artisan food sector�.

Over the years, there were action plans, talk shops, statements, surveys upon surveys, and little real change for the organic sector. The market has been strong, at home and abroad, but the basic raw material, organic milk, has been in short supply.

An increase in quota availability was flagged in this column last April as being the highlight in this year�s 64 part Organic Action Plan. Its delivery was earmarked as being medium term, or 1-3 years. Getting this ahead of time is refreshing to say the least.

The minister responsible, Trevor Sargent, is understandably chuffed, claiming to be �pleased that we are able to deliver on this so soon."

So he should be.

To apply, contact the department of Agriculture�s milk policy division. Forms can be downloaded from the department�s website

organic milk in Ireland: news, issues and a new company

A new company has been established by a group of 16 organic dairy farmers. I spoke to Tipperary organic farmer Pat Mulrooney, of the newly formed Irish Organic Milk Producers (IOMP) Company about the company and also about issues facing the sector in general.

Quota, costs and prices, the need for joined up thinking about organics at Departmental level, and the remit and opportunities of the new company all emerged as key issues.

First off, Pat does see some growth potential: �We see development, and more farmers coming into it, if not in the short term them further down the line. Our production will double in the next 2 yrs, and it will probably double in Northern Ireland as well. Some of our 16 members haven�t come on stream into organic as of yet.�

However, according to Pat, this doubling will come about because of extra farmers, not because of quota increases:

�Its 2001 or 2002 since anyone has been able to get quota of any size. There is no-one retiring from our group, and we�re not able to get anything from the national pool�.

�There is a small amount of new quota for various new products, but none for our specific products. There is such a small pool of milk available to us, and none from any other source�

While the vast majority of organic milk will still be purchased by Glenisk, Pat suggests that freeing up some quota would allow for some product and brand development.

As with so many other farmers, feed costs are a major concern:

�We�d like to see more done with summer milk. Winter milk is a hefty commitment. The costs are gone crazy, with meal at �600 a tonne. It�s crippling and marginalising. Now, we�re all adapting to this as best we can, to develop systems where we�re less dependent on meal, such as growing our own crops, and growing more red clover. But we�ve no good alternative system in place - we�re making progress, but even growing our own feed puts more pressure on our available land�.

In this variable costs context, price inevitably becomes an issue. Because of the differences in production costs, every six months or so, there are discussions as to the price of summer and winter milk: �We got a reasonable price last winter, and we�re hopeful that we�ll come to a reasonable conclusion for this summer�.

Specifically, Pat states: �Really, you�d want 60c per litre for the winter and, at the very minimum, 47 to 48 cent for the summer�

Winter prices will be discussed again on the 1^st August, while summer prices are being finalised at the moment.

What is perhaps most frustrating is that the Department seems to be speaking with a forked tongue - promoting organics with one side, and holding it back with the other:

�Overall it�s a bit disjointed. While there are some good government schemes promoting organic farming, we�re very much left behind. We can�t improve like our neighbours, though we�re living in the same economy. Promotion and grant aid money are all fine, and we�re supportive of that. But there has to be something in the quota system to allow us to expand like our neighbours. Otherwise it won�t be viable.�

The current situation for organic dairy farmers with regard to costs, price and quota has provided an impetus for the formation of the IOMP company:

�At least we�ll have a more coherent voice. We�ll be giving different jobs to different people in the company. We�ll educate ourselves this first year.�

The company will have a business development dimension: Marketing and developing a better understanding of actual on-farm milk production costs are two areas Pat cites that the company will be focusing on.

Overall them, there are both opportunities and constraints on the organic dairy sector. The Irish Organic Milk Producers company will at least help the sector represent itself.

organic 2007 becoming organic 2008

Here is my review of key organic news 2007, with a look towards 2008. as often is the case, the emphasis is particularly on Ireland. No hyperlinks as of yet, but they are nearly all in the labels on the left in any case.

As a year turns over it is apt to look back on 2007 from an organic perspective. There were a mixture of highs and lows, with perhaps more of the former.

2007 saw a rise in both global and national organic food consumption: globally up to �30 billion, nationally up to �76 million. Production has also been rising: globally it now stands at over 31 million hectares. Nationally, there has been an increase since 2006, following the lean years of 2000-2005. Currently, there are about 1300 organic farmers in the republic of Ireland farming about 40,000 hectares.

One thing that might have a bearing on these figures, and a definite high of 2007, is of course the Ministry Trevor Sargent has taken on, which has organic under it�s remit. The Greens entering government was certainly a noteworthy event of 07, and their choice of ministries clever strategically. Minister Sargent�s aim to increase the organic acreage to 5% (from just under 1%) by 2012 is laudable. The first minor changes - the decoupling of organic from REPS, tillage and horticulture changes, and the establishment of the Organic Farming Scheme � are worthy enough. However we now need to see more targeted, timelined action in key areas.

Separate to policy issues, organic companies in Ireland seem to be lording it at present. St. Tola�s organic cheeses scooped top prize at the inaugural SHOP (organic) awards. Meanwhile, Glenisk dairies, Ireland�s biggest organic company won the �making a difference� award at the Food and Drink awards.

Glenisk seem unstoppable at present. They now export to the UK and have invested �8.5 million in their new production plant, where they process 5,300 tonnes of yoghurt annually.

They have also managed to maintain and develop their eco-credentials. These include converting their truck fleet to biodiesel, powering their plant with wind power through Airtricity and installing a reed bed system for waste.

One thing that was not a highlight however, was national organic week. If anything, this year�s week was weaker than last year�s week (which was weak anyway!). The supposed showcase does need considerable enlivening and, in particular, better funding. There are many causes of the week�s relative obscurity, which have been outlined here before. Organic producers themselves, retailers, Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food all share some of the blame. Next year�s will have to be better, but it will need co-operation, vision and hard work.

From the beginning to the end of 07, in the UK and in Ireland, people in authority have continued to deny the benefits of organic food. The then UK Environment minister, David Miliband was lambasted for calling organic food a lifestyle choice way back in January. Likewise, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland were criticised for also describing organic food as a lifestyle choice in November.

This position seems increasingly untenable in the face of mounting research into the nutritional benefits of organic food. Amongst other 2007 research into organics the QLIF project�s research was perhaps the most headline-grabbing.

This University of Newcastle-based study found that organic fruit and vegetables contained up to 40% more antioxidants than their conventional counterparts. Antioxidants are thought to play a role in the better cardiovascular health.

Another noteworthy piece of organic-related research from 2007 found that children who consume organic milk are less likely to develop eczema, asthma and related allergies. However the research referred not just to cow�s milk but to mother�s milk: it suggested that mothers who consumed organic dairy products passed on this beneficial effect to their babies. This research is also the first example of specific health benefits (as opposed to simple nutritional superiority) being revealed in an organic product and published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal.

2007 was also the year when food prices and climate change became centre-stage issues. Globalisation in all its nuances has begun to bite. Bali may have been a bit of a bail out for the industrial world, but if the approaching change in administration in the US is anything like that of Australia�s, there may be hope on that front too.

On both these fronts, and on so many more, organic farming has a role to play. Here�s to an organic 2008.

awards for irish organic companies

Two organic companies have recently won awards at major food events in Ireland. A smallish one and a bigger one. St. Tola's organic goat's cheese wins awards as regularly as buses come along. Along with winning a bronze at the British cheese awards this year, they also won best organic chilled/frozen product at the SHOP awards, a Bord Bia initiative. Considering that they produce a raw goat's cheese, and were up against industry stalwarts, this represents good going for the wee company from the west.

Interesting factoid: raw organic goats cheese is often cheaper than cheese strings! (cheese strings are actually about �25 a kilo!)

Meanwhile Glenisk have just won an award called "making a difference"; the strange name come from Bord Bia's research into what consumers are after, apparantely. I'll post a Glenisk article here soon.

I've written about St. Tola's before, for both Organic Matters and the Irish Examiner (fun game - find them amongst the clutter of labels on your left!). Below is an article I wrote in early 2006 for the Examiner on St. Tola's.

In a world where quality and taste are ever more important, farmhouse cheeses have a great image. They successfully create an impression of being small-scale, clean and green, made by committed gastroactivists who fight for local, authentic, environmentally-friendly produce.

In many cases this is indeed true. To take just one example; the makers of Gabriel and Desmond cheese, Sean Ferry and Bill Hogan of Scull, west Cork, have fought long and hard for the right to make raw milk cheese, in the face of stiff departmental opposition.

And many farmhouse cheeses have both a terroir, a location, and a persona, an individual maker. This is, in European terms, quite unusual.

Some of the bigger names in the game, however, now buy in milk. But with clever branding and, compared to certified organic, a looseness in technical requirements, the rustic image remains.

It may surprise readers to learn that there are only four fully certified organic farmhouse cheese producers in Ireland: Kate Carmony�s Beale, Ralph Haslan�s Mossfield, Harry Van der Zaden�s Derreenaclaurig and Siobhan Garvey�s St.Tolas.

Originally made by Meg and Derek Gordon 20 years ago, St.Tola�s derives its name from the French tradition of naming a cheese after a local saint.

The farm was in conversion to organic when Siobhan Garvey took it over in 2000. They achieved their full certification in 2001.

Along with Siobhan, there are a total of six staff, comprising fulltime, part time and seasonal.

Based in Inagh country Clare, the St.Tola's crew makes a range of certified organic goat milk cheeses. I spoke to Grainne Casey, who deals with marketing and sales, when I took a group of school kids out for a look last week.

�We farm 24 hectares, and have 220 goats here.160 are milkers and rest kids and pucks� according to Grainne. �The breeds we use are Saanen for volume of milk, and Toggenburg and British Alpine for the higher fat content�

I asked her how the year pans out regarding milking: �There is some staggering of the milking: most are milking from March to September or October, but some are also milking from October through to March. We get between 2-3 litres of milk per goat per day, and they are milked twice a day, 300 days a year per goat for milk�

It follows from this that the milkers kid in March, with a lesser number kidding in September and October for winter milk.

They sell their cheeses through wholesalers, who in turn sell it on to restaurants, delis and wholefood stores. They also sell direct to some delis and wholefood stores locally, while they also wholesale their produce to the UK, Europe and the US.

St.Tola is perhaps best known for their award-winning soft cheese log. This smooth and creamy cheese has a range of undertones: personally I taste a slight but distinctive citrus presence.

Kids (the human kind!) love it. What makes this all the better is that many parents use goat milk and cheese as a substitute for dairy produce, because they are worried about allergies.

Soft goat cheese is also great for baking. Many good eateries have baked St.Tola soft cheese as a starter on the menu. They also supply a Crottin, which is a smaller portion of the same cheese.

Along with these, they also have a Feta and a more seasonal Hard cheese; the latter sadly won�t be available for a few months.

Siobhan tells me how, even over the relatively short time she has been in operation, Irish consumer tastes have changed:

�When I started out doing tastings, I would offer people the milder cheese, the St.Tola log, and even then I�d only say it was a goat cheese afterwards. I�d just tell them it was a fresh, organic farmhouse cheese. People told me that they loved it, but if they�d known it was a goat cheese, they wouldn�t have tried it! But with travel and other things, people are now going for the more mature flavours�

For St.Tolas own site, click here (E) info@st-tola.ie (T) 065 6836633 (F) 065 6836757