CONSIDER how the world of fresh food and its purchase both wholesale and retail has changed since 1947, when Con O’Donoghue Snr and his wife Margaret set up Limerick Fruit Suppliers.
Back then you bought your fruit, veg and dairy produce at the market and local shops and Limerick Fruit Suppliers supplied to trade along with direct to the consumer.
Today, Con and Margaret’s son Con O’Donoghue, heads up a workforce of 55 employees, has a fleet of 15 vehicles on the road and Limerick Fruit Suppliers has a 12,000 sq. ft. footprint in a modernised purpose built unit in Park road Rhebogue.
From casual shoppers to their retail shop to hotel groups, restaurants and state agencies supplied from their warehouse, all are welcome for business.
So competent, reliable and competitive are Limerick Fruit Suppliers that it services all 38 HSE outlets in Munster from Roscrea to Dingle to Castletownbere in Co. Cork.
They are also suppliers to the Defence Forces ration stores to their barracks throughout the 26 counties and have contracts with an estimated 70 per cent of Limerick’s restaurants.
“We are delighted at the support given to us by local business and appreciate it greatly.
“We also have customers from Westport to Wexford, from Donegal to Dublin,” Con tells the Limerick Post, “and Limerick Fruit Suppliers would not be where it is today without our excellent staff. I have people who have stood by us all the years with some staff, lads I grew up with, here with me for 20 years and more. We have a terrific team with a terrific work ethic.”
He certainly needs them. Even though the warehouse and retail shop are closed on Sundays staff still work the day to take in stock from Belgium, Holland, UK and other countries along with assembling orders for the following day.
“Our fruit and vegetables are the freshest available and our quality is excellent. We are competitive in price as we deal directly with local growers, some of whom cultivate stock for Limerick Fruit Suppliers only on a year-round basis. We try to keep business local as much as possible but also deal with Suppliers around the country and overseas for specific produce.”
As head of the business, Con has seen to it that Limerick Fruit Suppliers has another vital service giving them the edge in the market.
“We prepare vegetables on-site and offer a selection of cuts so our customer gets exactly what they want, be that extra chunky chips, chunky roasting vegetables or special mixes such as ratatouille. All are freshly prepared and vacuum packed in our on-site prep area.”
“You can place an order on our answering machine or by email at 11pm – which many restaurants and hotels do – and at 5am the next morning our staff are preparing and picking the order for same day delivery.”
Top that – but you won’t. Contact Limerick Fruit Suppliers on 061-415229.
