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Recent Irish Country Living cover stars, The Merry Mill- run by Kevin Scully and his family in Vicarstown, Laois are making headlines again having been named as “best organic food processing small and medium sized enterprise” at the EU Organic Awards on 25 September.
The EU Organic Awards are organised by EU institutions and are designed to showcase and recognise entrepreneurial organic farmers and enterprises across Europe.
A family business
The Merry Mill is a family-run organic farm and mill that produces a range of organic gluten-free foods, including oats, flour and porridge. Their products test below 5pm for gluten and the family is committed to minimising their environmental impact.
On winning the award, Kevin said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award, it's a great endorsement for our family business. We put our success down to attention to detail and focusing on quality over quantity. Organic food has an important part to play in food security and our commitment to eco-friendly farming.”
CEO of the Irish Organic Association, Gillian Westbrook, said: “It is fantastic to see an Irish organic business like The Merry Mill winning such a prestigious EU organic award. Over the last number of years Kevin and his family and members of the Irish Organic Association, have worked hard to produce and develop a range of organic oat products from gluten-free porridge to flour sold nationally and internationally. The award also helps to strengthen the reputation of quality Irish organic products at a time when brand Ireland needs to increase and strengthen organic market offerings both at home and abroad”.
Gillian also added, “The stories of Kevin and these organic producers and stakeholders demonstrate several opportunities to better place Irish organic produce in the Irish and wider European consumers’ consciousness. This will also require Bord Bia, industry and the organic sector to develop the stories behind these products, taking advantage of regional branding to build Ireland’s green image for the future.”
About the EU Organic Awards
The EU Organic Awards recognise excellence across the organic value chain, rewarding the best and most innovative actors in organic production in the EU. They coincide with EU Organic Day, an annual event that takes place on 23 September, to raise awareness about organic production in Ireland and Europe.
The awards are jointly organised by the European Commission, the European Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee and IFOAM Organics Europe. This year, there were eight awards across seven categories, including best organic farmers, organic food processing SME, organic region and bio-district.
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