SECOND BITES: Paul Brophy, Ireland’s ‘Broccoli Baron’

The GIY team and I are taking a short summer break from recordings, but in the meantime, we’ll be bringing you a selection of our favourite episodes from the series so far. So whether you’re hearing them for the first time, or coming back for second helpings, I hope you enjoy!

- Mick Kelly

If you’ve ever bought a head of broccoli in an Irish supermarket, Paul Brophy probably grew it. Paul Brophy Produce grows almost 11 million broccoli plants annually on 600 acres of land, supplying 75% of all broccoli plants on supermarket shelves. Starting with just 5 acres in 1983, Paul has spent the last three decades building his edible empire, investing heavily in land, innovative technologies, and relationships with every major retailer in the country.

In this episode of Food Matters, Paul joins Mick Kelly of GIY to talk about his 30-year entrepreneurial journey, the highs and lows of building his market-leading company, and what needs to be done to solve the crisis in our food-growing industry.

· Why broccoli is known as the ‘diva’ of the vegetable world

· The unique machinery, technology and systems that Paul uses to grow his plants

· Why climate change, contrary to popular belief, presents an opportunity for Irish food producers

· The damage that below-cost selling is doing to the food industry and food sustainability

· What needs to happen to avoid empty supermarket shelves and even more food producers leaving the industry

-How broccoli is competing with ultra-processed foods

GIY are proud to align our mission, vision and impact with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In response to the urgency of the climate crisis, and in line with the UN Decade of Action, our ambition at GIY is to inspire 100 million people around the world to grow some of their own food by 2030.

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