Limavady firm that 'knows its onions' part of Tesco NI's 10m portions of Christmas produce
Tesco stores across Northern Ireland are gearing up for bumper Christmas with more than 10,000,000 portions of local produce on the shelves – including Limavady’s finest onions!
According to Tesco around 2,500,000 potatoes, 6,000,000 sprouts, 1,500,00 carrots, 500,000 parsnips, 60,000 leeks, 500,000 onions, 20,000 swedes and 10,000 red cabbages will fly off the shelves in the run up to the big day.
And, the half a million onions are being supplied by Milgro of Limavady.
Known locally as “The Onion People”, the Miller family has been farming in Myroe, on the outskirts of Limavady for several generations. Milgro is the largest grower, packer and processor of onions in Northern Ireland for leading retailers across the country.
Milgro was established in response to a local press story highlighting Northern Ireland’s lack of onion producers. Following extensive fact-finding trips, Gerald Miller began trials of onions in 1989 to understand how to meet marketplace demands.
Thirty years on, Milgro continues to be a family run firm, with the second generation actively involved across all of the business operations.
Nigel Doherty, Produce Buying Manager at Tesco NI, said: “We plan to be ahead of last year, and have increased volumes to deliver even greater availability for our customers.”
“Customers want to shop local, and we’re proud to champion Northern Ireland’s growers by bringing their produce to tables across the country. Choosing locally supplied veg doesn’t just guarantee great freshness and flavour but also supports the farming families and communities who make our festive traditions possible - and makes every Christmas dinner mean that little bit more.”