STORY
INTRO
I continue the tradition of four generations of my family, farming at Blackcastle Farm. Our special herd of Piedmontese cattle naturally produce a very healthy beef. On the farm, we have developed a food unit so that I can bring this great quality meat and my signature beef products like 1% fat beef sausages, Pastrami and Blackcastle cured beef to our loyal customers. Have a look at our recipes and our products – once you try our beef once you will be converted. It is tasty and tender, has less than 2% fat, its high in protein and omegas and its just so nice to eat.
AWARDS
Blackcastle Farm beef has won a great taste award and a Blas na hEireann award– it has great flavour, has only 1% fat, and is high in protein and omega 3.
OUR PRINCIPLES
Blackcastle
farm is a Bord Bia approved farm with an abundance of biodiversity and wildlife.
I love my farm and I am committed to the environment, biodiversity, and
sustainable farming management. I have
left hedgerows uncut for 10 years to allow birds and other wildlife to flourish
on the farm. There is an ancient ring fort on the farm that has been untouched
for generations. No pesticides are used on Blackcastle farm and as a result we
have lots of wildflowers and dandelions. This year we have planted an acre of wildflowers which we also hope will help
the bees thrive on our farm.
OUR CATTLE
I
have been breeding a beautiful herd of
Piedmontese cattle since 2005. I farm in harmony with the environment and our
winter feed is mostly based on meadow hay which is better for the cattle and
the late cut of hay gives the hare and the pheasant a chance to rear their
young. Our calves are reared by their mother until they are ten months old. They
graze outdoors for 9 months a year and
they go indoors for the 3 coldest months. Animal welfare and animal husbandry are
a huge priority. I put a lot of time and effort into my cattle to make sure
they have the best of feed and comfort.
OUR PROCESS
On our farm, we recently restored 200 year old stables into a food unit where we develop our beef products. We have great facilities now and are working on developing a new range of beef charcuterie products.
OUR PEOPLE
This is a family business and even the kids help during the holidays. I look after the cattle and oversee our food unit. Ann, my wife is great at marketing and promotion We employ two people, Vincent our master organiser and John our master butcher. They are very committed to ensuring our customers get a really good quality beef product. We have two Food scientists trained in UCC in our family, Johnie and Avril who help with our new product development.
OUR NETWORK AND SUPPORTS
We have got great support from The Tipperary Local Enterprise Office, The Tipperary County Council and North Tipperary Leader Development. We are members of Tipperary Food Producers and get lots of support from our fellow food producers.
We committed to creating local employment and bringing a healthy, locally produced sustainable food product – our Blackcastle Beef to our customers. We invite you to try our range of traditional beef cuts and our new range of products including our 1 % beef sausage and our cooked Pastrami.
OUR PRODUCTS
Our special herd of Piedmontese cattle naturally produce a very healthy beef. From our website you can purchase this great quality meat in traditional cuts like steaks, roasts, mince, burgers and other cuts like diced beef. Our signature beef products like the Blackcastle 1% fat beef sausages, Pastrami and cured beef have also become very popular and are great served with local cheeses and chutneys. Over the next few months, we will be developing other charcuterie beef products so keep an eye on our social media links and blog.
Our Products are also available on
- Neighbourfood - www.neighbourfood.ie - Two Mile Borris, Tullamore, Waterford, Clonmel
- Supervalu - Thurles & Rathdowney
- Ardkeen Stores - Waterford
- Costcutters - Thurles
- Grogan & Brown Butchers - Kilkenny
- Restaurants - Pucino Suffolk Street Dublin, Picolla Italia O'Connell St, Limerick, Cakeface Kilkenny
