The Kilkenny School of Food, a community initiative in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, has gained the support of its local SuperValu, which will now sell the crops grown by the group.
Opened in January 2015, the School of Food’s market garden, located at the site of a former national school and supported by Grow It Yourself (GIY), boasts a wide range of vegetables, fruits, and herbs.
Its fresh produce, which is used in its cooking classes for both professional and aspiring chefs, will now be on display on the shelves of SuperValu Thomastown.
The support from Supervalu also means that the School of Food can now boast a fully fitted training kitchen, classrooms and an incubation kitchen.
Commenting about the project, Ciara Humphreys, SuperValu Food Academy Project Support Manager, said, "As our stores are owned and operated by local entrepreneurs, we understand the importance of community and do more than any other grocery retailer to support local initiatives.
"We hope to see the Kilkenny School of Food go from strength to strength and help to produce the next success stories of the Irish food industry."
Head Gardener at the Kilkenny School of Food, John Kelly, added, "It is really exciting to see community food projects take off and it is our great hope that this new initiative will bring a range of benefits to Thomastown.
"We couldn’t have done it without the support of local businesses like SuperValu and we’re delighted that the first crop has been harvested and is already on sale in SuperValu."
© 2016 - Checkout Magazine by Jenny Whelan
