Meet our Farmers
Con Traas – The Apple Farm
The Traas family moved from The Netherlands to Ireland in the late 1960’s to grow fruit. The Traas family had been growing fruit in Holland since the 1800’s, but because it was difficult to find new land there for fruit-growing, Willem and Ali decided to make a move to Ireland. They looked at a number of farms, and decided on the one where The Apple Farm is now situated, between Cahir and Clonmel on the main Limerick-Waterford road. There was an old orchard on the farm, and they judged by the good crop they saw on these trees, that apples could be grown in this area. For the first few years, as well as establishing new apple and plum orchards, the family grew tulips, dried peas, grain crops and strawberries.
Because there was no structure to enable them to sell their fruit locally, they opened a shop at the farm in the early 1970’s. It is the same barn that they use to this day to sell most of what they produce from 40 acres of fruit.
David Keane, Cappoquin Estates
David and his team manage over 100 acres of apple trees in the Blackwater valley, just up the road from where Daniel’s grandmother was born.
The orchards include apples ranging from the culinary Bramley, to Red Elstar and certain cider varieties. The orchadist’s fastidious approach is reflected in the well manicured appearance of the farm which makes it look almost like a field of vineyards rather than lush apple trees.
The fruit is excellent, some of which is stored in cold rooms once harvested which allows us to acquire apples well after the picking season has passed. This coupled with excellent fruits makes David and his team a great partner.
Jim Duggan of Rathdowney, Co. Laois
Jim has been managing 20 aces of cider bittersweet apples alongside his dairy activities for the last couple of decades.
The orchard is split 50/50 between Dabinett and Michelin varieties which provide us with a cider variety of apples which are the backbone of our dry cider and deliver lots of fantastic tannins to the taste of all our ciders.
Rather than using large open top 40 foot lorries, we send Jim potato crates which he carefully fills with the apples in order to ensure they arrive in in Cork in the best condition possible.
