Our suppliers
Local Sourcing
Customer demand for locally sourced food has grown significantly in recent years. And we work closely with our suppliers to provide us with locally sourced produce which was previously imported. Examples include:
Growing Irish onions with Country Crest
We have reduced our carbon emissions and food miles by working with Country Crest to grow 3,500 tonnes of onions in north Dublin and Wexford this year, replacing produce that was previously imported from the UK, Holland and New Zealand.
Approximately 50% of all onions grown in Ireland are sold in Tesco Ireland stores.
Growing Irish peppers with Keelings
Ireland now has the capacity to grow its own peppers at a standard that can effectively compete with the best at international level. Between March and November 2007, all peppers sold in Tesco stores were Irish. These replaced imported peppers from Holland and New Zealand.
Case study: Supporting small producers around Kilrush |
We opened a new store in Kilrush last February and took on three new local suppliers – Wilde’s Irish Handmade Fairtrade Organic chocolates, Meeres Pork products and Considine’s Bakery – in addition to our existing local suppliers. |
Local supplier programme
Customers increasingly want products that contribute to the local economy and local suppliers.
Our Local Supplier Programme encourages local suppliers to provide high quality produce to Tesco stores in their locality. The programme is already active in counties Wexford, Tipperary, Offaly, Cork, Galway, Wicklow, Kildare, Limerick, Mayo, Waterford, and Clare.
We now give more shelf space at a local level to local suppliers, who are highlighted in store by their county colours displayed on hanging boards and dividers.
Over 100 local suppliers attended our Supplier Roadshows in Cork and Galway in 2007, giving prospective suppliers the chance to meet our Commercial Buying Team and discuss the opportunities for stocking their products in our stores.
Case study: Trudie’s Catering Kitchen |
Tesco Ireland has been working closely with Trudie’s Catering Kitchen, a local supplier of salads from Co Wexford, since 2005. The company now supplies our stores in New Ross, Gorey, Wexford and Arklow. "There’s a concept out there that you can’t get into Tesco. That needs to be broken down – every help and support has been given to me by Tesco," says Trudy Power, founder of Trudie’s Catering Kitchen. "Tesco’s strength and support has helped grow our business. We were able to secure loans from lending agencies and we were able to buy new equipment. Thanks to Tesco we’ve been able to move on to more efficient ways of managing our operations. "We have a great working relationship with the store people at Tesco, the guys on the shop floor – that can’t go unsaid. It’s very personable. We keep in regular contact sometimes on a daily basis – they let us know when our fresh product needs to go on the shelf and deal with it immediately. "The public are very loyal to local business. Our product is displayed with our county colours and our photo in the Tesco stores, and that helps people identify with us." |
Case study: Lir Chocolates |
Lir Chocolates has supplied Tesco since 1997, and Tesco Ireland and Tesco UK now account for 45% of its sales. When the company developed an exclusive 'Lir - Selected by Tesco' range for the Irish market, this led to Tesco UK listing its product range. And Lir Chocolates was one of the first Irish suppliers to be chosen by Tesco for the Tesco Finest range in the UK. In 2003, Lir launched seven new products with Tesco UK in the Finest category and these products are listed in 700 Tesco stores in the UK alongside the Lir branded range. Lir recently secured a licence agreement with Diageo Baileys to supply Baileys chocolates to the UK market. Tesco UK has supported this product’s launch in over 1,000 stores. The demand from Tesco gave Lir the confidence and impetus to move from a 9,000 sq ft plant to a new 27,000 sq ft plant in Navan three years ago. |
Irish Tomatoes