The bakery rises to the food miles challenge with Irish wheat

IRELAND: While a deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Russia may have eased fears of an international food crisis, a growing number of Irish producers argue that we need localised farming and food systems that work with the environment, not against it.

One such business is the Dún Artisan Bakery in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, which opened almost a year ago and has sustainability at its core.

Owners Caitriona Keating and Fergal Walsh use homegrown fruits and Irish grain to deliver a hyper-seasonal range of produce.

"The most important thing in the world is cutting down on food miles and knowing where your food is coming from," Fergal said. "Sustainability is the future of business and the future of food."

The bakery makes 13 different kinds of sourdough bread each day. They mill and grow more than 90% of the wheat they use in Ireland.

Currently, Ireland imports the majority of the wheat flour it uses to make bread from other countries.

The ideal is to achieve 100%, declared Caitriona. Some people continue to think that Ireland cannot produce high-quality wheat. That is simply untrue. One of our farmers and millers delivered Irish wheat today, and we received it. It was cultivated and milled 25 minutes away in Pilltown, and tests revealed that the flour had a protein content of 14%, which would make a fantastic sourdough.

"We're so fortunate because it's of excellent quality and has a lovely flavour. Because we must assist both them and us, it is crucial for bakers to promote Irish grain."

All of the fruit that Caitriona and Fergal utilise in their baked goods is grown on their tiny farm near Tramore.

They have 200 mature berry plants on their property, which they have grown over the last five years. These bushes produce everything from strawberries and blackcurrants to tayberries and gooseberries.

Despite the fact that we are currently enjoying our first successful harvest, Fergal added, "we are already planning for the following year, what we won't have, and how to fill those gaps so that we can be self-sufficient." "Our current key task is to attempt to consistently provide stuff during the summer season. There won't be constant availability of everything; it doesn't operate that way. The ideal situation would be to raise as many different kinds as we can, with no isolated periods of time when we have nothing."

Caitriona continued, "Every plant we raise has a purpose. Due to our commitment to reducing food waste overall, we won't store items in the bakery that we can't use. Our menu is developed around the goods. It is exclusively seasonal. To lessen our carbon footprint, we wanted to be able to choose what we farmed and used in the bakery."

The majority of the other local food producers are located in Waterford, so if the couple is unable to cultivate it themselves, they get it from them.

They use a "no dig" method to cultivate the things they do on their farm.

Fergal stated, "We never rotavate or dig up; everything that goes in is at the top of the earth. "We're making an effort to act as organically as possible. We collect rainwater in the winter to last us through the summer without electricity or running water. We produce comfrey and nettle soup to soak into the soil and only use seaweed fertiliser, which naturally contains high levels of potassium and nitrogen. These are expanding all over the field, and we use what is most organic and easily accessible."

"Up here, the ecology is everything. There are field mice, hedgehogs, and numerous bird species. Even the previous year, we worked in harmony with nature by letting part of our products grow to seed and leaving them for the honeybees.

We have a carbon shortage on the farm. Our bakery must strive to become carbon neutral, if at all possible. As we are so new, it may not be possible right now, therefore that is a long-term goal. However, that must be our commitment and objective.