Ian Shirley

Mash Direct

Mash Direct is a unique, award-winning, family owned farming and food production enterprise. It is the market leader in quality, convenient vegetable and potato dishes ranging from traditional accompaniments to complete ready-meals. The innovative range is steam cooked and packaged on the farm using bespoke machinery to create the taste and texture of homemade food. Available to retail, food service and food manufacturers, Mash Direct products are chilled and suitable for microwave or oven heating. Mash Direct has just celebrated its tenth anniversary and in this time has achieved phenomenal success. From the initial dream of making traditional ‘Ulster' champ for convenience, the Hamilton family have grown Mash Direct into a £12million turnover company, employing 150 members of staff and supplying a range of over 40 high quality, chilled, quick-serve vegetable dishes to retail, food service and the food manufacturing sector. The company has a portfolio of three main sectors: retail, food service and food manufacturing. Overall growth continues at a rate of 20+% on average per year and in the last six years the business has grown by over 400%. In the last 12 months alone the company has expanded again, building a new 25,000 square foot manufacturing facility on the farm, increasing the team by over 20 people and achieving major new listings in the UK as well as in exports. The commercial success is built on a strong technical and engineering background. The company has engineered many of its key items of process equipment and has recently achieved it's fifth A+ grade BRC from the prestigious SAI Global Organisation. The company's growth and success has been well publicised. David Cameron has joined the list of VIP's who have toured the farm. He said " it's important we get more people to setup businesses like this".