As her husband was already growing potatoes she decided to go for a speciality potato, a purple one, to maximise the impact. Maria contacted seed growers in Scotland and Andrew Skea from Skea Organics recommended the purple Violetta variety.
"I bought half a ton of seed to get started. The first yield was around 9 tonnes, a bit more than I expected," says Maria. But she was very pleased with the results and set up a twitter account and posted photos. She also got chatting to a local hotel chef who helped to promote her on twitter, before long a few chefs started to follow her, one of which is Keith Boyle from The Bay Tree Bistro, in Waterford.
Maria admits that she needed all the help she could get, her husband still thought she was mad and a lot of others were sceptical of the venture.
Maria and her husband attended the Bite Food Festival in the RDS and with the help of a local chef she did tastings for the the public and the response was amazing. Although some people did think they were massage stones!
"It is not the taste which is special although they do taste good, but the appearance that catches the attention. The chefs just love the colour as it is something different," explains Maria.The purple colour of the potato also means they are full of anti-oxidants and are very good for your, blood pressure and heart.
Odaios Foods sell the Ballymakenny Farm Heritage Potatoes exclusively supplying the Irish food service and speciality shops.
According to Maria there are quite a few restaurants in both Northern and Southern Ireland who are now using her potatoes. They are also being sold in high end speciality shops and she is trying to get a grant to buy equipment to make crisps and to package them.
"This year I will plant three different varieties, just to add to it a little to bit. These varieties will have slightly different colours. I'm only looking for around 5 or 6 tonnes of each variety, you need to be realistic, it is a very small market," admits Maria.
"It is never going to be the case where I will grow acres and acres of them. I want to keep them seasonal from Mid August till January. They are sold at a premium which will keep it a niche product."
She also wants to keep the whole process traditional, from planting to lifting to packaging. "We intend to lift this year's crop with a restored chain digger and a vintage tractor.
Needless to say her husband is now fully behind her!
For more information:
Maria Flynn
Ballymckenny Heritage Potatoes
Tel +353 863767334
Email: [email protected]