Lidl Ireland has announced a brand-new deal with local producer of fresh Christmas wreaths – Conor Browne Wreaths & Mountain View Christmas Tree Farm, based in Co. Wicklow. The deal will see the business supply a selection of fresh Christmas wreaths to Lidl’s 217 stores throughout Ireland. With the new investment by Lidl, the Wicklow business will create more than 20 new jobs.
Conor Browne Wreaths & Mountain View Christmas Tree Farm is Ireland’s largest producer of fresh Christmas wreaths, fresh non-shed Christmas trees, fresh cut foliage and florist supplies from their extensive farms in county Wicklow. Owner and operator Conor Browne has a natural flare for business and has physically grown the business from the ground up. Originally from Leixlip, he was introduced to wreath making in 6th class at school. In admiration of his first wreath, his mother encouraged him to make more to sell to neighbours, friends, and family.
After a flurry of requests at the age of 10, Conor began expanding his business selling his wreaths door to door in his local housing estate. By the age of 14 he had a small team working alongside him and a small, rented premises in his hometown of Leixlip, making and selling more than 10,000 wreaths that year. A passionate salesman and entrepreneur, he established a high-volume business after identifying the demand for his fresh wreaths. The demand grew year on year. Now 20 years on, Conor owns a large facility in Wicklow, with a large farm and forest where he manufacturers his handcrafted wreaths. He has full time employees all year round to care and nurture his crop, with a huge influx of new jobs for the busy production season.
With a keen focus on sustainability, Conor Browne Wreaths only use locally grown foliage and recyclable ribbons and tree netting. To further benefit the environment, he has moved to a flock of over 60 special sheep to offer natural weed control around his trees and in turn offer a natural fertiliser to fertilise the land.
The partnership will see the fresh wreath provider supply Lidl stores across the island of Ireland with Deluxe Christmas Wreaths, uniting fresh Noble Fir foliage, a combination of gold and white tipped natural Austriaca pinecones and luxury tartan pullbows alongside a budget friendly Christmas Wreath combining Noble Fir foliage, Austriaca pinecones and plain red pullbows. All foliage in the freshly made wreaths are grown on Conor’s Mountain View Farm in county Wicklow.
Commenting on the new deal with Lidl and Conor Browne Wreaths, Ian Mourão, Senior Buyer – Plants & Flowers, Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland said:
“We are thrilled to sign this brand-new deal with Conor Browne Wreaths, this will be the first year we will be offering their fresh wreaths in our stores. At Lidl, our team thrive off working with Irish suppliers and are constantly looking for standout locally sourced products that our customers will love as much as us. Conor and his team produce exceptional fresh handcrafted products using elements grown on their farm in Wicklow. Now we have secured these fresh wreaths this Christmas our customers won’t have to compromise on price to have luxury affordable festive products to decorate their homes.”
Welcoming the contract and highlighting his passion for giving back to nature Conor Browne, Owner and Operator, Conor Browne Wreaths & Mountain View Christmas Tree Farm said:
“We are delighted to now have our wreaths on the shelves of Lidl’s 217 stores across Ireland. It is a great achievement for us to secure this new contract with Ireland’s largest discount retailer. This Christmas will be our biggest yet and we are forecasted to make over 160,000 wreaths at our farm in Wicklow. The new deal with Lidl has provided the opportunity to upscale our production and increase our team by creating over 20 new local jobs. At Conor Browne Wreaths our ethos is to supply fresh, premium quality wreaths and as part of our promise we use only the freshest locally grown foliage in all our products. For every tree we harvest, we plant four new ones in return.” he concluded.”
This Christmas Lidl stores nationwide are proud to bring the best of Irish seasonal produce to its customers with its existing and ever-growing network of Irish suppliers. Conor Browne’s fresh wreaths will be available to customers in Lidl stores from Thursday 24th November 2022 when the Christmas Wreath will be available, with the Deluxe Christmas Wreath arriving in store from Thursday 8th December. For further information and to view Lidl’s range of products and instore offers please visit www.Lidl.ie
