Clones-based Harte Peat Ltd. is flying the Monaghan flag on the national and international stage. Two-thousand-and-eight saw the indigenous company - which supplies wet peat to the mushroom-growing industry - sign a major distribution deal to bring its product to South Africa. If ever there was an example of a worldwide Monaghan success story, then this is it Everyone loves a winner. Whether it's on the football field or in the business world, Monaghan people like to see their own succeed. The footballers have been doing pretty well of late and the good folk of the Oriel County have every reason to be optimistic about the team's chances in 2009. On the commercial front, few Monaghan companies have put our beloved county on the global map as consistently or impressively as Harte Peat Ltd., an undisputed industry leader providing gainful employment to 25 people from its hub in Clones. In 2008, to coincide with its 21st anniversary, Harte Peat Ltd. continued to consolidate its status on the international stage, breaking new boundaries and bringing its product to new markets. As part of an Irish trade mission to South Africa, the Monaghan company sealed a major distribution deal which will see its wet peat sold into a brand new market. Looking back on the successful alliances forged in 2008, and the South African deal in particular, sales manager David Austin told the Monaghan GAA Yearbook: "In recent years, we have been selling more and more into foreign markets. We've had great assistance from Enterprise Ireland in helping us identify and develop these new markets. We sent our first consignments to South Africa in 2008 and it's a market we're excited about developing. We had already been shipping quite a lot into Australia and the Middle East prior to this agreement. We've also sold our first consignment to Trinidad and are regularly shipping to Japan. "Every country in the world is growing mushrooms, but they need to be grown in deep-dug, wet peat, which is what we can provide. Ireland is unique in terms of our resources of this deep-dug, wet peat and Harte Peat Ltd. can blend this to perfection for use in the mushroom industry." As well as developing its burgeoning exports, Harte Peat remains very much the market leader in Ireland. Over 21 years, the company has developed an unparalleled reputation in its field, through hard work, vision and in-depth knowledge. When the agreement with a local agent in South Africa was signed, Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment Micheal Martin commented: "Harte have developed a quality, environmentally-friendly product which has been successfully launched in many markets since the company was established in 1987. I note that in South Africa, the company has set the ambitious target of supplying 35% of the mushroom industry within 18 months." Such confidence in its product typifies the company founded in 1987 by Tommy and Kay O'Harte to provide casing soil for the mushroom growing industry. Harte Peat Ltd. was quick to make an impression. By 1994, the company picked up RTE's Up and Running Business of the Year award; in 1995, a Forbairt Company of the Month gong was added. County Monaghan had a new winner on its hands! In 1997, as part of a major investment, Harte Peat Ltd. installed a computer-controlled blending, mixing and bagging line. Harte Peat was subsequently awarded ISO 9002 certification for its Quality System. In May 2000, the company made the finals of the prestigious DHL export awards. Harte Peat Ltd. is completely self sufficient. The company owns and operates over 400 acres of peat bog in Ireland, operating its peat extraction processes in line with best environmental and industry practice. The company's international ties go way back - since 1992, Harte Peat has provided peat to the potting soil and growing media industry in the Netherlands. Harte Peat supplies mushroom casing to all growing systems, whether for bag, block, tray or shelf growing. The state-of-the-art computerised mixing system ensures a consistent product for all customers. The north Monaghan company has been producing casing soil mixes since '87. The success of the business during the intervening years has been built on meeting customer expectations in relation to product quality, mix consistency and freedom from disease. Harte produces over 100,000m3 of casing soil each year and exports up to 85% of this to markets throughout the world. Harte Peat can provide a mix to meet all requirements. As well as providing an extensive range of casing soils, Harte also designs, develops and builds its own production equipment. This has given rise to a subsidiary operation - Harte Engineering - which specialises in excavator conversions, milled peat harrows, trailed milled peat ridgers, milled peat harvesters and tracked peat trailers. Having experienced extreme difficulty finding suitable peat harvesting and processing equipment, the directors decided to use their own initiative. This led the company to build peat processing equipment for its own use. Harte Peat Ltd. conducted a programme of Research & Development which resulted in the design and build of a range of efficient, reliable and cost effective peat processing machines. In 2005, the logical next step was taken when the company began supplying equipment to the mushroom growing industry in Ireland. Harte Professional is a range of peat-based growing media manufactured from blended screened peat to achieve the optimum nutrient, moisture content and AFP conditions for a range of growers from seed propagation, through bedding, pot plant and nursery stock production. The seeds for Harte Professional were sown in 2003 when the company carried out extensive product trials in Ireland looking at professional growing media specifically designed for the professional grower. Around the same time, a 22,000sq.ft. screening, mixing and production facility was built. The Harte Professional range of products was launched in 2004 (and is marketed throughout Ireland by JF.McKenna & Sons Ltd.). The company is extremely conscious of its responsibilities to the environment that sustains it. No peat used in the production of either Harte Peat Casing Soil, the Harte Professional range of professional growing media mixes or the Emerald Isle retail range is taken from a designated National Heritage Area (NHA). Harte Peat Ltd. manages its peat reserves in an environmentally-responsible manner. Company policy dictates that they retain a level of peat to allow site regeneration either as a nature reserve, wetland or forestry depending on the location, drainage or soil conditions. Harte Peat is a member of the Growing Media Association (GMA) for Ireland and the United Kingdom and the International Peat Society (IPS), subscribing to the principles and policies of both organisations in relation to the responsible development and use of peat. Harte Peat Ltd. also subscribes to and supports the International Peat Society's "Wise Use of Peat" principles. All in all, this is a phenomenal success story - the tale of a local, family-run business in Clones that has brought global credit and acclaim to Monaghan. Tweet

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