Hand-pressed craft cider the apple of Drogheda family business’s eye

Drogheda-based cider producer, Dan Kelly's, has just landed a coveted listing with upmarket German retailer Manufactum.

What is special about your business? Dan Kelly's is a traditional, hand-pressed cider made from carefully selected apple varieties grown on our family farm. Our parents bought the farm in 1962 and it has been known as Boyne Grove Fruit Farm since then.

We specialise in growing apples and produce eating and cooking apples, apple juice and cider vinegar. We have always made cider for private consumption but have been making it commercially since 2013. Our farm manager, Henry Mallon, has worked with four generations of my family here.

What sets your business apart in your sector? Our cider is naturally fermented using wild yeasts and it contains no additives. We age the cider for a minimum of one year before bottling. Both the farm and the cider manufacturing operation are part of the Bord Bia Origin Green programme, which helps ensure that we do business in as sustainable a manner as possible.

What has been your biggest challenge? As a fruit-growing business for generations, it was a major challenge to enter the alcoholic beverages market in 2013. It is also a challenge to get the message out there that we make a natural product and, of course, it's an ongoing challenge to constantly improve our product's quality and sustainability.

What has been your biggest success? To get this far! Obviously we are particularly pleased with our new business in Germany, which I see as a validation of the quality of our cider. We also export to the United States and it's exciting as a small family business to see your product listed in far-flung places.

What key piece of advice would you give to someone starting a business? Think big. Identify long-term targets and the milestones in between. Set a plan and review your progress regularly and try to have fun along the way. Be open to participating in initiatives such as the Access 6 food and drink programme, which is run here by the Irish Exporters' Association. It helps SMEs in Border regions to enter the German market through a combination of mentoring, marketing assistance and logistical support. It was key to our success in breaking into the German market.

Who do you admire most in business and why? Generally I admire anyone who grows or creates a product and gets it out there. Whether that's Louise Phelan at PayPal or Michael O'Leary at Ryanair, they are great ambassadors for Ireland.

What two things could the Government do to help SMEs in the current environment? From Dan Kelly's Cider perspective, we would welcome the same duty rebate that our craft beer friends enjoy. This would help us compete better in the marketplace and would help create employment.

Programmes modelled on Bord Bia’s “Origin Green” could also be implemented across other SME sectors to promote sustainability. This should provide competitive advantages to the participants, environmental benefits to the nation and also help the Government reach its CO2 targets.

In your experience are the banks lending to SMEs currently? One side of our business is in favour with the banks and the other side is not. I could get money for the cider side but not for the orchard business.

What's the biggest mistake you've made in business? I have made lots of mistakes, too many to mention! Sometimes, consistently making smaller mistakes is worse. In the past I have not been good about committing targets and plans to paper and having set reviews. But I'm improving every day.

What is the most frustrating part of running a small business? Payment terms can be very frustrating. Every project seems to take longer than you thought . . . or is that just me?

What's your business worth and would you sell it? It's worth an awful lot . . . to me! Seriously, it's not for sale. I want to build the business and have it in a healthy position so that if my children chose to come into it they won't be fending off the banks! In conversation with Olive Keogh