Egg-cellent work from Mullagh company

Patrice Brady

The old saying that 'you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs’ will have to be shelved after a Mullagh-based company has started selling bottled eggs.

After nine years in development Clonarn Clover have finally got their new egg-in-a-bottle’ venture 'O’ Egg’ liquid, pasteurised egg, on supermarket shelves.

The idea will save on waste for catering company, and equally as importantly will give Clonarn Clover an opportunity to profit from their less sought-after smaller eggs.

Growth

“In early 2000 we wanted to grow the company and its market percentage. As our eggs are free-range, customers wanted the medium-large size and the smaller eggs (below 60 grams) were not wanted. We brainstormed as what to do as we wanted to prevent not only food waste but package waste too,” explained Margaret Farrelly, who alongside her husband Leo owns Clonarn Clover.

“O’Egg is a liquid egg that has been pasteurised, it prevents any waste of eggs because of egg sizes. O’ Egg also stays in date for longer and can be bought as whole eggs or as egg whites.

“We came up with pasteurising of eggs as no other company in the 26 counties was doing it and there was a market for it, especially in catering, as caterers we’re importing pasteurised eggs.

“So we applied for Fusion programme, in EU Funding Cross Border company and we got linked with the University of Ulster in Coleraine. Food graduates taken in by the college for their knowledge as well as a food engineer Roberto [Macias], who still works with us today.

“We had had the idea from 2004 and we felt we had taken it as far as we could, we had no more resources to put in on our part.
Roberto and the other graduates did more focus groups as well as more research and on August 14, 2009 we were ready to get moving on the idea.”

Demand

Thankfully the admittedly “slow process” has all come together and at the end of May 2012, they got their licence to produce O’Egg at their Cootehill premises, and showcased it at this year’s Bloom.

Given that retail shelves in the United States and mainland Europe devotes huge space to liquid egg products, Clonarn Clover are confident that there is scope to grow their business.

“Our plans now is to grow our customer base, there is a demand for liquid eggs in catering as they had been previously importing them. They’re our main target.

“At the moment we’re working on the Irish market and supermarkets SuperValu and Centra now have it on their shelves. Later down the line we hope to export it.

Dream

“It’s really a dream come true nine years later from our first idea. The O’Egg won the new product award at the Taste of Cavan too.”

This is just the latest innovation from a company which has enjoyed huge success since they started out back in 1988 with 150 hens.

“We now have 160,000 hens, most of which are in Cavan, Monaghan, Longford and Meath, we also have a farm in Limerick.

“Our business built up over the years with small but solid steps, and now have 14 Cavan farmers supplying us as well.”