Emerald Greens

Emerald Green Ltd was co-founded in 2019 by Brian O’Reilly, a former Irish mushroom farmer, along with his brother Aidan, to vertically grow greens using a hydroponic vertical farming system. As of October 2021, the company operates a vertical farming facility in Ballyporeen, Co. Tipperary, Ireland and claims to be the first and the largest vertical farm in Ireland. The facility has been developed by converting one of O'Reilly's eight mushroom-growing tunnels into a hydroponic facility using a Sanabio vertical farming system acquired from Farmony, a Dublin-based organization providing consultation for growers.

The hydroponic facility can grow herbs, mixed greens, Asian greens, and bay leaves. Emerald Green’s goal is to achieve higher margins with year-round crops while reducing the reliance on the UK for greens post-Brexit.

Funding and financials

In October 2021, Emerald Green secured a deal to supply Compass Ireland (global contract-based foodservice) with vertically grown leafy greens. The contract from Compass was expected to allow Emerald Green to further expand its vertical farming operations by developing a second tunnel through 2022 and increasing production capacity by 20%. The company’s other partnered customers include ready Chef and Happy Pear. Following Compass Ireland’s partnership, Emerald Green also partnered with Ross Hazel Farm (Ireland-based fruit and vegetable grower) to convert its existing mushroom growing tunnels into vertical farming units.