EY Entrepreneur of the Year industry finalist: Kenneth Greene, Greene Farm Foods

Kenneth Greene is managing director of Greene Farm Foods, a private company he founded in 1991.

Greene’s entrepreneurship grew from rearing and selling poultry to schoolfriends. School was regularly cut short in order to spend more time on the family farm. There, new methods were sought to simplify chores or get one step ahead of his competitive set of brothers.

He studied for a number of years in Mellows College, examining the poultry industry in Ireland and UK, before founding Greene Farm Foods in 1991.

In 2011, a strong decision was made within the company to move all product recipes to natural ingredients.

All artificial flavours and preservatives were removed, to create a clean deck of ingredients and to provide consumers with a form of natural nutritious protein in a ready-to-eat format.

Today, Greene Farm is number one in the Irish market for cooked poultry and beef. Currently operating in Ireland and the UK, the company has enjoyed more than 25 per cent year-on-year growth since 2011 and have export opportunities in Holland, Germany, Denmark and UAE.

The company employs more than 160 people in Ireland and has grown it to an annual turnover of more than €30 million.

What vision/lightbulb moment prompted you to start up in business? I grew up on a family farm, working extremely hard, and I always had a desire to improve and simplify my workload.

My father always encouraged us to think outside the box and be true to ourselves. I always wanted to own my business; I loved the challenges of building up the business and innovating.

I enjoyed being in control of the potential success or failure of the business, it came naturally as I enjoyed what I was doing and knew the industry inside out.

What were the best and worst pieces of advice you received when starting out? My father told me: "Set yourself a target and go for it." A banker, after I presented my business plan, told me to go back to the drawing board.

To what extent does your business trade internationally and what are your plans? Export accounts for 26 per cent of our current sales, primarily into the UK. We also have opportunities in the pipeline into Holland, Germany and Denmark.

We have ambitious export plans over the coming years and see major opportunities for Greene Farm in growing international sales. We are currently planning to open new markets for existing and new individual market focused products.

What is the hardest thing you have done in business? Having to convene a site meeting to request all employees to take 10 per cent pay cut among other cost cutting measures.

How will your market look in three years? The market is constantly evolving; often old, forgotten ways come back on trend.

Health and nutrition will play a more important role in dictating consumer choice into the future.

Categories will expand further with products that offer distinct health benefits; natural, clean food and “free from” will become the norm for a premium product.

Portion size and calorie intake will also come to the fore, as consumers take more control of calorie intake to manage their diet in a fast-paced lifestyle.

Snack and single-portion indulgence will also grow as consumers seek out new trends and tastes.