The farm: “With the help of my brothers Aaron and Cian, we keep 180 cows on 200 acres just outside Castlebellingham.”

Family: “After the passing of our father, Thomas, we made the decision to keep the farming tradition going. I have three sisters and four brothers and everyone helps out on farm when needed, along with my mother Josephine.”

Wholey Cow milk: “Last weekend, we launched our own brand of milk ‘Wholey Cow’. Everyone is welcome to drive on to our farm (Eircode A91 NA02) and pick up a glass bottle of milk from the vending machine.”

Getting started: “In total, it cost €50,000 to €60,000 to buy all the pasteurising equipment and the vending machine. All the equipment is made by DF Italia. The vending machine came from The Milk Station Company in England. Unison Engineering in Limerick is now a DF Italia dealer so you can get all your equipment there.”

Milk Shack: “I’m a joiner by trade and luckily with the help of my brothers we were able to do all the construction needed for the pasteurisation plant ourselves. We built the milk shack, which houses the vending machine, in one – albeit very long – day.”

First in the Republic: “We are the first farm in the south of the country to be selling straight to the consumer using the on-farm vending machine. Farmers from all around the country have been in touch with us asking for advice on how they can get started. With the way co-ops are going, I think we’ll see a lot of farmers going down this route.”

Better taste: “The feedback so far has been extremely positive. Everyone is saying our milk tastes better than what you buy in the shop. We add nothing to our milk and take nothing from it. The milk has more cream in it, which gives it the edge on the rest.”

No waste: “People love the glass bottles. It’s a very sustainable alternative to plastic and cardboard cartons. The one-litre reusable glass bottle costs €3.50 to buy and refills after that are €1.50/l.”

Parlour to kitchen: “It takes under two hours for the fresh milk to be taken from the parlour, fully pasteurised and in the vending machine ready for the farm visitors. I don’t think you could beat that for freshness.”