Drumanilra
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AgroBRIDGES Good Practice Recording Template |
| Author(s) | Maeve Henchion, Teagasc |
| Insert photo or any visual image or diagram e.g. /Word or Image Collage | |
| Choose a primary theme that the Good Practice adheres to (three themes can be considered: | Mutual benefits between primary producers and consumers |
| If relevant choose a secondary theme that the Good Practice adheres to | Education and awareness raising practices |
| If relevant choose a tertiary theme that the Good Practice adheres to | |
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EIP Practice Abstract Format:
Short summary for practitioners in English on the (final or expected) outcomes (1000-1500 characters, word count – no spaces).This summary should be as interesting as possible for farmers/end-users, using a direct and easy understandable language and pointing out entrepreneurial elements which are particularly relevant for practitioners. Research oriented aspects which do not help the understanding of the practice itself should be avoided. |
Short description of the ‘Good Practice’: This good practice reflects Druminilra’s mission, which is “to reconnect people with local, organic, wholesome, sustainable food, rooted in place and assured provenance, grown by us and other like-minded producers”. Owner Liam Gavin and his wife Justina are conscious of consumers’ need for reassurance in relation to food thus they focus on the 3 Ts – truth, trust and transparency. They communicate everything they do on the farm through to the shop and kitchen via their attractive website, social media and daily face-to-face customer interaction. Organic certification and awards from competitions e.g. McKenna Food Guide Award, reinforce communications as does complementary communications relating to the importance of “family values” and wider corporate social responsibility principles as is evident from their website. In the future, they will build on education and awareness raising activities through making their farm open to the public. While the consumer base for the business is diverse, they are conscious of consumers’ need for convenience. Thus they supplement produce from their own farm with produce from other like-minded producers to offer a wide product range, and use such ingredients to provide a cooked meal or food that consumers can take away. Many customers who buy the cooked or prepared food come back to purchase ingredients from the shop subsequently. Their reputation as a source of good food resulted in an award from Trip Advisor; this has attracted new consumers, most often tourists from Europe and America. This is particularly valuable in an area that does not have a well-established reputation as a tourism destination. The open the shop 7 days per week and have plans to open three retail and food service outlets as soon as Covid19 restrictions will allow. |
| Main results/outcomes of the activity (expected or final): Through education and awareness activities focused on consumers’ need for reassurance about how food is produced and prepared, Drumanilra helps to reconnect consumers and producers. Sourcing food from other producers, and adding value to such ingredients through cooking, allows them to broaden their product range, simultaneously providing convenience to consumers and more income to local producers and the enterprise itself. Their plans to open three retail/food service outlets (delayed due to Covid19) will increase this impact. | |
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Short summary for practitioners in native language on the (final or expected) outcomes (1000-1500 characters, word count – no spaces).
This summary should be as interesting as possible for farmers/end-users, using a direct and easy understandable language and pointing out entrepreneurial elements which are particularly relevant for practitioners. Research oriented aspects which do not help the understanding of the practice itself should be avoided. |
Further information: https://www.drumanilra.ie/about-us/ |
| Pearls, Puzzles, Proposals? | Pearls: Benefits of providing high quality cooked/take-away options to attract customers who shop broader product range at their convenience in future. Benefits of customer reviews, particularly online reviews via Trip Advisor in this example, to reinforce trust, and attract new customers. Puzzles: Their relationship with local producers who augment their product range was not clear, e.g. is it transaction-based or contract-based. Proposals: They would like to communicate more information about their meat but do not yet have a good system to do so. An IT based solution, linking to their website could be an option. |
| What needs did the ‘good practice’ respond to? | This example highlights the importance of providing value to consumers through SFSCs. A higher price, based on higher costs of production, is not a barrier to consumers if the product purchased addresses a consumer need. In this instance, consumers’ needs to access high quality, trusted, local produce, conveniently, is met through the farm shop which sells a range of products from their own farm, supplemented by product from other local producers, with value added through cooking. Customer reviews, via trusted online channels, can help underpin communications about quality, and provide reassurance to consumers about the food they produce. |
| Methodology Used: | Website, 1:1 interview with owner Liam Gavin |
| Sector | Meat, fruit and vegetables, bakery, dairy |
| Actors/Stakeholders involved. Who are key actors in the supply chain AND who are key enablers of the process? | Local producers, Organic Trust, Trip Advisor, |
| Is the good practice supported by an IT application? If yes please describe and collect the TRL | Not beyond social media |
| Optional: What supports were provided by public sector bodies/policy instruments? | |
| Media attachment (e.g. video link) or other attachment describing/depicting the Good Pratice | Website https://www.drumanilra.ie |
| Key words | awards, trust, Online, social media, farmers, consumers, local, organic |
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101000788 |
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