Fresh ways to grow and thrive

Lifestyle – Based in Ballybrit, Galmere produce 13 million portions of food a year, many for retailers and well-known Irish brands. There are also four inhouse brands with products ranging from coleslaw to lentil dahl. Now Galmere are growing basil in Galway all year-round for their fresh pesto as John Casey of the company tells JUDY MURPHY.

It would take a brave person to suggest that growing basil all year round in Ireland might be a good idea.

Basil, the herb that’s normally used in pesto, is mostly associated with Italy, where the warmth and sunlight it loves exist in abundance. Even in summer, Irish weather can be a challenge for it.

But, under certain conditions, it is possible to grow basil year-round in this country. Galway company Galmere Foods started doing just that last year in a ‘vertical digital farm’ at their headquarters in Ballybrit, where it’s now the key ingredient in Pestle + Mortar, their award-winning brand of fresh pesto.

The decision to grow basil here followed extensive research by Galmere, who already make soups, meals and sauces for well-known Irish brands, retailers and private labels as well as for their own four labels.

It’s all done from a 33,000 square foot building in Ballybrit, where 70 people are employed – and a new recruitment drive is underway.

The basil is grown hydroponically under UV lighting, says John Casey who, with his business partner Peter Strange, heads up Galmere. Hydroponics allow crops to grow directly in nutrient-rich water and at Galmere, the temperature is also regulated for this sensitive herb.

“We had been looking at developments in digital farming and in controlling temperatures,” he explains. “It’s an evolution of growing under glass where, as well as providing heat and nutrients, you provide UV light. Light in the right colour is key to growing basil. You can tune it to optimise it for growing plants.”

Low-voltage lighting is used, making it energy-efficient, he adds. And since the basil is grown vertically, on trays which are stacked, “you can grow a lot in a small space”. This all happens in a sealed container with high level of hygiene, eliminating the need for pesticides.

The result is basil that’s fresher and more environmentally friendly than the imported herb.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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