Country Crest
Country Crest is a fourth-generation family-owned Irish agri-business producing and distributing fresh potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, and prepared meals via Ballymaguire Foods, primarily serving major retailers such as Tesco Ireland and food service customers under private label, with a direct-to-consumer Farm Shop in Lusk, Co. Dublin.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Country Crest does
Country Crest is a fourth-generation family-owned Irish agri-business founded in 1993 by brothers Michael and Gabriel Hoey, building on Hoey family farming heritage in North County Dublin that dates to 1910. The company is headquartered in Lusk, Co. Dublin, and operates an integrated portfolio spanning over 3,000 acres of farmland, fresh produce processing (potatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes), prepared meals through its wholly-owned Ballymaguire Foods subsidiary, beef livestock, a temperature-controlled national distribution fleet, and a direct-to-consumer Country Crest Farm Shop in Lusk. Country Crest primarily serves B2B retail and food service customers under private label, with Tesco Ireland as its anchor customer under a 28-year supply partnership renewed in 2024 for nearly €100 million through September 2027.
The company employs approximately 500 people across its farming, fresh produce, prepared meals, distribution, and farm shop divisions, and sources from more than 50 Irish farming families. Its technology footprint is operational rather than platform-based, including dedicated potato washing, grading, and packing facilities (opened 1999), a €4 million onion processing facility (2005), state-of-the-art cattle finishing, an 800kW wind turbine installed in 2009, and a second wind turbine under construction in 2025 to support a stated goal of net-zero carbon and energy self-sufficiency by 2030. The business holds Bord Bia quality assurance and Origin Green sustainability programme membership (pilot company since 2011), and was awarded the 2011 Bord Bia Food & Drink Sustainability Award.
Country Crest's revenue model is transaction-based across four streams: long-term B2B fresh produce supply contracts (e.g., Tesco Ireland), private-label prepared meals via Ballymaguire Foods, temperature-controlled distribution services to retail and food service customers, and direct retail sales through the Farm Shop. Commercial activity is supported by multi-year contract renewals, dedicated account management, event-led brand marketing (Bord Bia Bloom sponsorship for 11+ years, Spud Fest), community programmes (Incredible Edibles with Agri Aware, FoodCloud donations), and sustainability-led PR.
Country Crest firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Country Crest
- Legal name
- Country Crest Ltd
- Website
- https://countrycrest.ie
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Country Crest is a fourth-generation family-owned Irish agri-business producing and distributing fresh potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, and prepared meals via Ballymaguire Foods, primarily serving major retailers such as Tesco Ireland and food service customers under private label, with a direct-to-consumer Farm Shop in Lusk, Co. Dublin.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Country Crest industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fresh Produce and Prepared Foods
- NAICS
- Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113), Food Manufacturing (311), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (445230)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Food And Kindred Products (2000), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Retail-Food Stores (5400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Produce Markets & Greengrocers (CRAHAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE)
Keywords
Where Country Crest is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Country Crest business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Fresh Produce B2B Sales: Growing, grading, storing, and packing fresh potatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes for retail and food service customers. Revenue is generated through long-term supply contracts with major retailers (e.g., Tesco Ireland). The company supplies over 35,000 tonnes of fresh produce annually under these contracts.
- Ballymaguire Foods Prepared Meals: Producing prepared meals, meal accompaniments, soups, and sauces under customer own brands (retail and food service private label). Revenue is generated through wholesale supply agreements with retail and food service partners. Products are marketed under customers' own brands across four main categories: main meals, meal accompaniments, soups and sauces.
- Farm Shop Retail: Direct-to-consumer retail sales through the Country Crest Farm Shop in Lusk, Co. Dublin. Offers craft meats from the butcher's counter, local seasonal produce, artisan foods, and prepared meals. Revenue is earned through in-store point-of-sale transactions with end consumers.
- Distribution Services: Temperature-controlled distribution of fresh produce and chilled meals to retail and food service customers nationwide. Managed internally through a dedicated fleet and team of drivers, ensuring timely delivery and product integrity.
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Country Crest product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Country Crest is a vertically integrated family agri-business that grows, grades, stores, packs and distributes fresh potatoes, onions and sweet potatoes. It also produces prepared meals, accompaniments, soups, sauces and meat products and sells food directly to consumers through the Country Crest Farm Shop.
Product overview
Country Crest is a fourth-generation family agri-business operating as a unified portfolio of interconnected food production and distribution divisions. The core offering centers on fresh produce (potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes) under the Country Crest brand, complemented by the Ballymaguire Foods prepared meals division, beef livestock operations, a Farm Shop retail outlet, and temperature-controlled distribution fleet. These divisions share integrated farming operations spanning over 3,000 acres, with products flowing from farm through production and packing facilities to retail and food service customers nationwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ballymaguire Foods: Prepared foods division offering main meals, meal accompaniments, soups and sauces, marketed under customers' own brands.
Products and services
- Country Crest Food Fayre Restaurant and event food-service offering at Bord Bia Bloom, serving meals made with Irish ingredients including beef from Country Crest's own farm.
- Ballymaguire Foods Prepared-foods division producing main meals, meal accompaniments, soups and sauces under customer own brands for retail and food-service customers.
- Fresh Potatoes Fresh potato supply including Rooster, Maris Piper, Queens, Kerr's Pinks, Golden Wonder, Premier, Cultra and organic varieties sourced from Irish growers and international partners for retail and food-service markets.
- Fresh Onions Fresh onion supply including brown, red, shallot and organic varieties, supported by dedicated grading, packing, drying and storage facilities.
- Sweet Potatoes Sweet potato supply including Covington and Beauregard varieties, sourced from the United States, Egypt, Africa and Spain and graded and packed in Ireland.
- Country Crest Farm Shop Physical retail store in Lusk, County Dublin, selling craft meats, local seasonal produce, artisan Irish foods, prepared meals, breads and cakes, with a pop-up presence at events.
- Beef Products Beef from Aberdeen Angus, Charolais, Limousin and Hereford cattle raised on Country Crest's own farm and supplied as Bord Bia-approved beef.
- Temperature-Controlled Distribution Dedicated temperature-controlled vehicle fleet and distribution team delivering fresh produce and chilled meals to retail and food-service customers nationwide.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 35,000 tonnes of fresh produce supplied annually to Tesco Ireland (2020 contract)
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Country Crest
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Country Crest technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Country Crest partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Keogh's FarmminorCountry Crest and Keogh's Farm co-host Spud Fest — an annual free family day celebrating National Potato Day. The event features cookery demos, baked potatoes, children's entertainment, live music, and vintage tractors, attracting approximately 5,000 attendees.
- Tesco IrelandcoreTesco Ireland is Country Crest's largest and longest-standing customer. The 20-year partnership (valued at €62.5M in 2020) covers supply of potatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes to all Tesco stores nationwide and online. Country Crest grows and packs all Tesco own-brand fresh produce. The 2024 renewal extended the partnership to nearly €100M through September 2027.
- Action Ireland TrustcoreCountry Crest partners with Action Ireland Trust to support schools in the Maseru region of Lesotho. The partnership advises on crop cultivation to provide nutritional food for students and teachers, with surplus sold at market for additional school income.
- VITAcoreCountry Crest works with VITA to help villages in Ethiopia and Eritrea grow and distribute quality potatoes — a vital hunger-busting food for the region. Activities include developing quality disease-free seed and distributing it to local villages, promoting food sustainability, educating farmers, and developing markets to sell produce.
- Agri Aware (Incredible Edibles)coreCountry Crest has been an active patron of the Incredible Edibles healthy eating and horticultural growing initiative since 2008. The programme educates primary school children across Ireland about growing fruit and vegetables, food origin, and the role of fresh Irish produce in a healthy balanced diet.
- FoodCloudminorFoodCloud is a social enterprise that redistributes surplus food to charity partners. Country Crest provides weekly food donations through FoodCloud, ensuring no good food goes to waste and supporting access to nutritious meals for those in need.
- St Michael's HouseminorSt Michael's House supports young people with learning difficulties. Country Crest hosts an annual Christmas party for young people from St Michael's House in Skerries, with Santa and gifts for everyone.
- TU DublinminorCountry Crest, along with Ballymaguire Foods, maintains a close relationship with Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), contributing to its learning environment and helping equip graduates with knowledge and business acumen required to pioneer innovative food products.
- RISE (Lesotho)minorBy partnering with RISE in Lesotho, Country Crest and Action Ireland Trust aim to spread learnings from school farming projects to other schools in the region, scaling the impact of agricultural education and food security.
- Make-A-Wish IrelandminorMake-A-Wish Ireland is the charitable beneficiary of Spud Fest events. Donations collected at the event support Make-A-Wish Ireland's mission to grant wishes to children with life-limiting medical conditions.
- Bord Bia BloomminorCountry Crest sponsors the 'Country Crest Food Fayre' restaurant at Bord Bia Bloom, a world-class horticulture, food, and drink festival. Country Crest has participated for 11+ years and advises Bloom on sustainability initiatives, including transitioning to HVO fuel and piloting an innovative biodigester.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves13 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Country Crest competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cuisine de France: Irish prepared baked goods and convenience foods producer supplying retail and food service. Comparable Ballymaguire Foods-style prepared foods model with similar private-label customer base and distribution channels.
- Green Isle Foods: Irish prepared foods producer supplying frozen vegetables, ready meals, and food service products under customer own brands. Direct comparable to Ballymaguire Foods' private-label prepared meals business.
- Albert Bartlett: UK-headquartered potato specialist producing fresh and processed potatoes for major retailers. Closest large-scale analogue to Country Crest's Tesco-exclusive supply model, with a broader branded product portfolio.
- Keogh's Farm: Irish potato and fresh produce grower with branded retail products and a strong consumer brand. Co-hosts Spud Fest with Country Crest and competes in the same Irish fresh produce market with comparable farming-to-retail positioning.
Broad incumbents
- McCain Foods: Global leader in frozen potato products and prepared foods with extensive food service and retail presence. Operates Ballymaguire Foods' adjacent category at scale, representing the upper bound of vertical integration in the space.
- Glanbia plc: Irish-headquartered global nutrition and agri-food group with dairy, plant-based ingredients, and consumer foods. Comparable in Irish agri-food vertical integration and sustainability credentials, though at much larger scale.
- Lamb Weston: World's largest frozen potato processor serving global food service and retail. Comparable in vertical integration from farming inputs through processed potato products, though at vastly larger scale.
- Total Produce (Dole plc): Irish-origin global fresh produce distributor and producer, now part of Dole plc. Comparable in fresh produce distribution to major retailers and food service operators, with comparable Irish/European heritage.
Regional players
- Meade Potato Company: One of Ireland's largest potato growers and packers supplying retail and food service. Comparable in scale of production and packing operations, with similar exposure to Irish retail supply contracts.
- Wilson's Country: Northern Ireland potato packer and supplier operating across the all-island market. Direct competitor in fresh potato supply to UK and Irish retailers, with similar private-label grocery focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Country Crest social profiles
Digital presenceCountry Crest compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Country Crest financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Country Crest leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Country Crest subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Country Crest funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Country Crest M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Country Crest
What does Country Crest do?
Country Crest is a vertically integrated family agri-business that grows, grades, stores, packs and distributes fresh potatoes, onions and sweet potatoes. It also produces prepared meals, accompaniments, soups, sauces and meat products and sells food directly to consumers through the Country Crest Farm Shop.
Is Country Crest a public or private company?
Country Crest is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Country Crest founded?
Country Crest was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Country Crest based?
Country Crest is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Country Crest make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Fresh Produce B2B Sales are the primary driver. The others are ballymaguire Foods Prepared Meals, farm Shop Retail and distribution Services.
Who are Country Crest's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cuisine de France, Green Isle Foods, Albert Bartlett and Keogh's Farm. Broad incumbents are McCain Foods, Glanbia plc, Lamb Weston and Total Produce (Dole plc). Regional players are Meade Potato Company and Wilson's Country.
Does Country Crest have an API?
No public API is recorded for Country Crest.
What industry is Country Crest in?
Country Crest's product category is Fresh Produce and Prepared Foods. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAHAA, Produce Markets & Greengrocers, with a secondary code of CRAHAHAE, Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food). Its NAICS code is 1113 and its SIC code is 100.