Our Story
Where it all started
The Parker family have been farming for generations and it all began in Fenit Island, County Kerry where my great grandfather Robert Parker began selling produce throughout Fenit and Tralee. My late father, Sean Parker, took over the running of the farm in 1955 and grew his business by purchasing a second farm in 1965 on mainland Fenit. The quality of the produce was always my Dad’s key priority. He had a keen eye for detail and his motto was ‘if you can’t do it right, then there is no point doing it at all’.
I was 17 when I asked my Dad if he would allow me to grow my own potatoes. He agreed and gave me 5 acres to set my very own first crop.
I guess it was his way of testing how much I had learned from him over the years!
The crop was incredibly fruitful – 75 tonnes of premium potatoes in one year! I was hooked and continued to work with my Dad until he retired.
Having studied Agricultural Science & Economics at college I always knew that my career would be in the agricultural business. However, little did I know then that I would diversify and grow the family farms into the successful business it is today.
Where we are now
Fenit Fruit & Veg is now recognised as a leading provider of prepared and non-prepared fresh fruit, vegetables and potatoes to the food service and retail markets throughout Kerry, Cork and Limerick regions. All our products are prepared freshly on site, prepped and packaged to order, and delivered to our clients in our fleet of modern refrigerated vans.
We employ a team of highly trained staff who can produce skilful hand-cut fruit and vegetables, whilst we also offer machine cut products for a more-cost effective solution. We are renowned for the quality and the taste of our locally grown fresh cut chip and potato products. Sourcing of our produce is from local growers where possible and we partner with farmers throughout Ireland to source produce that is not available locally. We also provide a comprehensive range of exotic fruit & veg, mushrooms, micro-herbs and edible flowers which we import directly from Holland and the UK.
Left to Right - Willie & Helen Parker with son Ivan
Our clientele include award winning restaurants and hotels, pubs, nursing homes and retail operators. We have a reputation for working closely with Chefs to develop bespoke hand cut products tailored to their specific requirements. In effect we are their Commis Chefs, using our expertise which saves time and money, reduces waste and enables Chefs to focus on the creative side of things.
Our strategy of continued investment enables us to further develop our facilities, expand our product range and increase our market share. Our success is not only due to our growth strategy but also our unrelenting commitment to quality and to the service level we provide to our customers.
-Willie Parker, Owner
