In the wilds of Co. Offaly is a small 5th generation family farm. Yes, it is small, the gates might not hang perfectly, the hedgerows are pretty wild, and grass grows in the middle of the lanes, unusual wild flowers spring up hither & thither as they wish to, but 5 generations in, we feel a deep connection with this land. Here is our startup story:
We have an old, sometimes reliable Leyland, 5 kids & a love for our little patch of Ireland.
Sons, father, his father & his father & his father before him have all walked this land, cared for it, loved it and struggled to make a living from such a small patch, but they all have strived to keep it in good stead for the next generation. Back in 2008, whilst out picking blackberries our youngest daughter Emily looked up in the hedge & asked ‘What is that?’, she didn't know what a Rosehip was! We were shocked as we had presumed that if we knew what it was then surely she knew too. How wrong we were to presume that this part of country living as we knew it was automatically being passed on. We picked some Rosehips that day & that night rooted out an old recipe and the first time she tasted Rosehip Syrup it was in a wee cup, still warm from the pot. Over the next few years we sourced old recipes for Elderberry Syrup and more and our interest grew and grew. Our passionate connection with this land had deepened even further. In April 2013 we decided to share our love for this land and its bounty and started a small business called The Wild Irish Foragers & Preservers. From the farm we personally hand harvest Wild Rosehips, Elderberries, Damsons, Elderflowers, Gorse, Rowanberries, Sloes, Spring Nettles, Blackberries, Honeysuckle, Goosegrass, Clovers to name but a few!. From these incredible, natural wild Irish ingredients we make Syrups, Sauces, Fruit Cheeses, Jellies, Pontack and our newest product, Shrubs. We strive to recreate a taste of the past, recipes that were used in a bygone era. Wild food used in this way is part of Irish Food Heritage, a simple taste that has been almost forgotten. When we started out, we went to Farmers Markets etc. and were amazed at the level of interest in our products and the amount of people who were so thrilled to taste a reminder of many of their childhoods.

www.wildirishforagers.ie