The Mash Direct Mail

April 2007

Issue 7

Jamie Oliver Visit

VIP visits are a relatively new thing for Mash Direct, but on Wednesday 28th March, Jamie Oliver (accompanied by very important members of his Company ) came on a private visit with a team of buyers from Sainsbury’s. We showed Jamie around the factory and he saw the vegetables arriving from the nearby fields. No visit would be complete without a product tasting, which was very much enjoyed. After an hour and a half the team headed off to their next appointment and we were left in the warm glow of such a prestigious visit just 3 years after the first product left the factory.

Spring on the Farm
An unusually wet start to the month, held us back on some of our planting but we have caught up over the last few weeks. We have been busy planting our potatoes and spring cabbages. It has been very hectic with a few very long days, particularly when it has been dry. We are busy at the moment sowing carrots, parsnips, turnips, beetroot and spring onions which will get us ready for next season.

From Field to Tray in 8 hours
In these days of food miles and product traceability we think we have a unique offering. Over a couple of days last week we traced the process of the vegetables and found that over 80% of our products were harvested and packed within 8 hours. The product that travelled the furthest was the green cabbage that had journeyed the princely total of 1.3 miles. We fundamentally believe that this is why our products taste so good.

Changes afoot in Sales
After nearly 2½ years with the business, Mary Mullin has decided to work with her husband in his property business. We are very sad to see Mary go and wish her well in her new endeavours. In the interim Joanne will be covering her accounts. We are currently in the final selection process for a new sales manager and will communicate contact details to you shortly. Jennifer Shaw, who had been working with us on a student placement, will also be returning to college, we wish her well in her studies.

New Factory
Over the last few months we have been constructing and equipping our new facility here on the farm. The new building is more than three times the size of the old building and includes a state of the art production facility. The extra space has allowed us to improve the layout of the lines and automate part of our process. We have also upgraded our despatch bay so that our produce can be loaded under cover during inclement weather. One thing that won’t be changing, however, is our unique cooking and mashing process that makes what we produce so desirable.

Mash Direct hits London
We attended the International Food Exhibition (IFE) in London in mid March with excellent results. Our Red cabbage and Beetroot was the ‘Fresh Ideas’ Winner, the only product to get an award from Northern Ireland. As Tracy Hamilton, Director said, “ This is a wonderful accolade awarded for our product innovation and the creation of distinct new products.” During the show thousands of people visited the stand and we were widely complemented for both our display and the wholesomeness of our products.