Louth farm to supply potatoes to M&S stores across Ireland
M&S has teamed up with a family-run grower in Louth
Marks & Spencer says it is proud to partner with Ballymakenny Farm, a family-run grower in Drogheda, Co Louth, to bring customers across Ireland a stunning range of locally grown heritage potato varieties.
Ballymakenny Farm is a fourth-generation farm run by husband-and-wife team David and Maria Flynn, with their son Daniel hoping to continue the family tradition into the future. David is a fourth-generation farmer, while Maria, originally from Drogheda, left for a finance career in London before returning home, meeting David and working in partnership on the farm.
The speciality and heritage Irish potatoes will be stocked on M&S shelves from Thursday 4 September, offering customers a colourful alternative to the traditional white potato – a venture inspired by Maria’s desire to try something different. Every bag is harvested, picked, packed on the farm – and even hand-stamped by David.
“Introducing specialist gourmet and heritage potatoes gave us purpose. For small independent farms to be sustainable, we have to do something a bit different, exciting, and niche. It’s wonderful to know our potato varieties will soon be on M&S shelves – it’s a proud moment for us.” says Maria.
Maria’s move into speciality and heritage varieties began after growing commercial Rooster potatoes on a large scale alongside David. “I started to fall out of love with conventional farming – it just wasn’t what I wanted to do anymore.” she explains.
That shift in perspective led Maria to experiment with distinctive varieties, starting with the striking purple Violetta potato. What began as a passion project quickly grew into a thriving business, winning over some of Ireland’s top chefs and carving out a niche in the hospitality sector.
As demand from restaurants soared, Ballymakenny scaled back commercial Rooster production to focus on their heritage range.
“We were often asked where people can buy our potatoes, but because we only supplied hospitality, the public simply couldn’t get them. When we met with M&S, it felt like a no-brainer – with M&S’s stores across Ireland, we can finally give our customers what they’ve been asking for.”
The M&S launch will begin with the Purple Rain potato, with other varieties – including Pink Fir Apple, Red Emmalie, Mayan Gold, and Lily Rose, Purple Rain – rotating throughout the season.
Shaun Doherty, Senior Agronomist at M&S, said: “We’re always looking to offer customers something special, and Ballymakenny speciality and heritage variety potatoes are exactly that. Working with Ballmakenny farms allows us to help in growing the future by preserving the past and introducing that bit of magic with speciality and heritage varieties that our customers expect.
"Maria and David’s commitment to quality and innovation impressed us immediately and their selection of unique potatoes varieties for taste and unique qualities over commercial yield. We’re excited to bring these unique varieties to our customers and encourage everyone to explore the rich flavours and stories behind each potato.”
The launch marks an exciting new milestone for Ballymakenny Farm, bringing their much-loved speciality and heritage potatoes to home cooks across Ireland. Customers can find the range in all 16 M&S stores across Ireland from September 4th - with all varieties grown, harvested, and packed in Co. Louth.