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pecialising in potato transportation, Jeta Haulage Ltd is a family-run business which operates from the village of Clonmany in Co. Donegal. Managing director Tom Doherty explains more.
Moving large bales
IRISH TRACTOR & AGRI
Previously trading as Doherty Transport, the company was established by Tom in 2001 and rebranded Jeta Haulage Ltd two years ago. Tom is joined in the business by his wife Libby. They have four children – Jason, Erin, Tara and Alana – the former lending a hand when he’s home from college. Tom set up the business after working as a driver for a company called Dermot Fullerton Ltd in nearby Buncrana. He takes up the story: “I drove for Fullerton’s for 12 years before they ceased trading in 2001. It was at that point that I decided to go out on my own. I got to know a lot of potato growers during my time with Fullerton’s and they have since become very good customers of mine. I’ve filled the void that was there and built on that.” Tom runs a fleet of three Volvo trucks and five trailers (three curtain-siders and two flatbeds). He employs four staff, including Russell Walker and Bernard Doherty who have been driving for the company for 12 and seven years respectively. He buys his trucks from McDonnell Commercials, who are main Volvo truck and bus dealers in Monaghan. Potato transportation accounts for approximately 95 per cent of Jeta Haulage’s business, with seasonal work such as straw and fruit & vegetable haulage accounting for the remaining five per cent. By far Tom’s largest customer is Country Crest who he supplies with potatoes from growers. Based in Lusk, Co. Dublin, Country Crest is Ireland’s leading producer of prepared meals. Their food plant is built to the highest food grade standards and great pride is taken in their ability to use their
CONTACT DETAILS Jeta Haulage Ltd.
Tullagh, Clonmany, Co. Donegal. Telephone: 086 850 2650.
own produce from the farm in their prepared and meal accompaniment range. The Country Crest range includes traditional prepared meals, flavoured potatoes, creamy mashes, potato croquettes and filled baked potatoes. Country Crest’s products are produced with minimal processing so that the consumer gets all the benefits of a home-cooked style natural nutritious meal. “I’ve known Michael and Gabriel Hoey (Country Crest directors) since 1991 and we are proud to be their main supplier of potatoes,” Tom says. Jeta Haulage are also Irish distributors for the Lincoln, UKbased company Emerald Produce, which specialises in supplying the produce packing business with high quality root crops. Emerald Produce has forged partnerships with some of the best potato growers in the UK and throughout the world. Through their knowledge of the seasons, Emerald is able to offer a planned, uninterrupted year-round supply. “We bring potatoes from the UK, France, Israel and other potato-growing countries into Ireland for them,” Tom explains. Potato growing has long been a way of life for many in Co. Donegal and the county even has its own distinctive potato called the Donegal Rooster. “It’s a nice floury potato which is the number one seller in Ireland. Its skin is a dark colour which can be attributed to the Donegal soil, which is darker than in other parts of the country. We distribute all the well-known types of potatoes, including Golden Wonders, Roosters and Kerr’s Pink.” While potato growing in
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