Northern Irish White's Oats puts growth in focus

White's Oats, Northern Ireland's leading porridge producer, is harnessing the latest digital technology in its pursuit of the very best varieties of oats for its award winning breakfast cereals.

The company, based at Tandragee in county Armagh, has installed a network of digital time-lapse cameras in an oat field of one of its principal growers.

The tiny cameras are monitoring the full growing cycle of the oats and providing additional data for the company's ongoing research into new crop varieties for its range of porridges, granola and snacks and also improve the return for its network of 30 growers.

"Our focus is on purchasing the best quality oats for our milling operation," Raymond Hillman, agronomist and head of the growing group at White's Oats, says. "As the only grain used to produce food for consumers, the sharpest focus on the highest standards from 'farm to fork' is crucially important. The ingredients in our products are also totally traceable," he adds.

"Data from the cameras will be used to shape our decisions on the varieties of oats we use across our wide range of products, which are based on the quality and provenance that comes from the strength of our partnerships with the local farmers who grow our oats," he says.

White's, which has won taste awards for its products and sells these to the US, many parts of Europe, China and the Arabian Gulf, processes the only grain crop in Northern Ireland used to produce food for consumers.

"Consumers probably don't appreciate the amount of research undertaken by White's on developing the best quality porridge and oat based snacks. We have access to the latest research from the Home Grown Cereals Authority and University College of Wales at Aberystwyth University, a centre of expertise in cereals, and work with our growers to help them to increase their yields, he says.

"This involves working alongside the growers in assessing the characteristics of new varieties and other areas such as nutrition, weed control, soil management, environmental issues, growing and drying techniques and how best to store the harvest."

White's invests readily in its processing operations and in the marketing of its portfolio of products. This included in a recent rebranding of the products to increase visibility on the shelves, an expensive operation that showcased the quality of the oats at the heart of the cereals.

What also sets the company and its products apart in a fiercely competitive marketplace is the production process itself in a traditional mill that has been based in Tandragee for over 140 years.

"Whites is fundamentally an artisan business with the capability, systems and marketing expertise focused on delivering to local customers as well as those outside Northern Ireland."

White's supplies most of the leading UK and Irish retailers and also exports its products to China, the Middle East, the US and many European markets.

Pic Caption:Studying the new time lapse cameras being installed by Whites Oats, left, Mark Wilson, a county Antrim farmer, and Raymond Hillman, agronomist at White's Oats.