“Our collaboration with FoodCloud has ensured that good food has been moved from processing lines to dinner plates where it belongs.”- Terence O’Neill,

With over 1,500 acres in the South East of Ireland, The O’Shea Family have been growing cereals, fruit and vegetables on the banks of the River Suir since the 1830s. Starting with 42 acres they now farm over 1500 acres of land producing cereals, carrots, potatoes as well as managing a herd of dairy cows. Iverk Produce was later established in 1980, working with O’Shea Farms to supply fresh produce to retailers, wholesalers and caterers throughout the country.

Since March 2019 the team at O’Shea Farms and Iverk Produce have contributed over 38 tonnes of food through their weekly donations. That’s the equivalent of over 90,000meals arriving at FoodCloud’s Cork Hub and continuing on to the tables and plates of our community group and the families and individuals that they support.

The O’Shea family are the beating heart of these businesses and with sustainability at the centre of every decision they make, their partnership with FoodCloud helped them to meet their sustainability goals.

“By working with FoodCloud we are able to convert food that doesn’t meet supermarket packing standards into nourishing meals while reducing CO2 emissions.” -Terence O’Neill,

This week’s kindness hero is Terence O’Neill, Potato Account Manager at O’Shea Farms, who has worked tirelessly with a team of dedicated staff to ensure that weekly donations reach our Cork Hub on time and in top condition. Their contributions to FoodCloud have become instrumental in supporting those throughout the region who have found it difficult to access fresh produce at a critical time for many.  

O’Shea Farms’ weekly donations of potatoes and carrots are central to the Cork Hub’s operations, becoming the Hub’s most consistent supply of fresh produce. This is an invaluable support to the network of charities and community groups who receive their food from the Cork Hub.

While Covid-19 has affected almost all aspects of food production, the teams at O’Shea Farms and Iverk Produce not only met the challenges within their own environments by rearranging their production areas but they also met the challenges faced by those affected most by Covid-19. They not only doubled their weekly donations to FoodCloud’s Cork Hub, but they increased their donations by an incredible 150%. They have also supplied FoodCloud with reusable bags, helping FoodCloud to store the food correctly and simplify food redistribution.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of our donors such as O’Shea Farms and Iverk Produce who met the challenges of Covid-19 and took the opportunity to ensure that those in need can regularly access nutritious healthy food during these difficult times. It’s thanks to partners like O’Shea Farms and Iverk Produce that FoodCloud are able to extend the reach of our service and continue to get good food to rural communities in the South of the country.

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