Tesco Ireland's Commercial Director, Joe Manning, said that the emphasis on local suppliers is something that comes naturally to Tesco, given that they are "by and far the biggest purchaser of Irish produce in the world".
"We purchase 1.6 billion of Irish produce each year for the Irish markets as well as the UK and Central Europe. We buy more Irish product than any country in the EU, it is something that is a real focus of ours.
"What is different about Galway stores, are that we are going that one bit further. A lot of the suppliers we buy off are large Irish exporting suppliers, whereas in the new Joyce's conversion stores, we are starting to go that bit more local and to really understand the potential of some of the local suppliers and see if we can bring them in at a regional level and hopefully some of them will become national suppliers to us."
With such a strong theme of 'support local suppliers' being championed throughout the Headford branch opening, a lot of well-known Irish produce grown or made a stones throw away were featured proudly, including; Galway Potatoes, All About Kombucha, Divilly Brothers, Butler's Home Bakery and the works of local artist, Caroline Uí Chuláin of West Ireland Art.
The store was officially opened by Galway TD, Sean Canney, who said that the introduction of Tesco to the Headford area was the next stage in the evolution of Headford and heralded a "new era".
"I have to acknowledge the building and the facility built by Pat Joyce and his family, who were big contributors to the town of Headford and I think we are moving into a new era now. One that will solidify retail and shopping and make Headford a central place. Tesco have retained the workforce that was here and have added to it, which is very important for the local economy."
The Joyces Headford store was the flagship for what became Joyces supermarket chain, which expanded to Athenry, Tuam, Inverin, Knocknacarra and four other locations over a fifteen-year period. Following the acquisition of Joyces in November 2021, initially there had been some concern among local suppliers who had previously partnered with Joyces, as to whether the mega store would continue their relationship.
Barry Stephens from Galway Potatoes, said that despite the initial concern Tesco remained steadfast in their decision to use local suppliers like himself in their Galway stores.
"It's a massive deal for us to have our potatoes in Tesco stores. Initially when we heard about the sale to Tesco, we thought that they might not want to continue to use old suppliers, but they have been fantastic to work with and have given plenty of advice and opportunity."
Galway Potatoes is a veteran Galway based business started by Stephen's father and his uncle some 60 years ago. For Stephen, the fact that he has to go no further than 20 kilometres from the fields the potatoes were grown in, to shelves in Tesco stores means that customers are getting fresh, locally grown produce with a very minimal carbon footprint.
Speaking about the use of local suppliers, Deputy Canney praised Tesco saying it was "what we need to be doing."
"The first thing that people see when they come into the shop is the bakery which is full of local products. Tesco returned all the local suppliers from Joyces and have added more and it's brilliant. It's what we need to be doing, if we are talking about saving on carbon emissions, we need to be using as much local produce as possible."
One such business featured is Butler's Home Bakery located in Menlough. Butler's products including its brown bread, porridge bread and scones were on proud display in the bakery section of the Headford Tesco, introducing the local family business to an even wider customer base.
James Butler, one of the founders of Butler's Home Bakery said that the opportunity to "sell and grow" with Tesco meant a lot to small suppliers.
"It's great to get the opportunity to sell and grow within Tesco, and to see our products in all the stores. It is fantastic for small suppliers like ourselves."
Keith Loftus, is one of the two founders of All About Kombucha, a Kombucha brewery from Claregalway which is responsible for introducing 'booch' to people across the country. Loftus said that he is "thrilled" about the partnership between All About Kombucha and Tesco.
"We're thrilled that our Kombucha products are available in the new Tesco stores in Galway, it's a big win for us and we are very grateful to Tesco for the opportunity. As a member of 1% for the Planet, we donate a portion of our sales to two local charities. Supporting us, means supporting them too."
Shane Divilly, from the newly rebranded Divilly Brothers (previously known as Divilly Meats Ltd ) from Oranmore said that their products have been flying off the shelves in the newly opened Tesco stores. Founded in 1927, the Divilly family have been providing the people of Galway with high quality meats for nearly a century and is currently managed by Shane Divilly and his brother Peter. With 60 employees currently working in the business, a win for Divillys, is a win for the local economy.
"For us, it is not just that we are producing near Tesco stores, but that we are producing Irish food. Our factory is located in the Gaeltacht and the Irish language is used in our packaging.
"Having Divilly Brother's products in Tesco means everything to us. When it comes to retail in Ireland, it is changing. Smaller rural shops are closing and people are turning to larger stores like Tesco for their groceries. Having our products on the shelves of Tesco stores means that we can grow with Tesco.
'Tesco have a fantastic name as a retailer, and a lot of people won't shop anywhere else but Tesco. To have our products on display here means a lot to us."
It wasn't just food suppliers who were featured at the opening, Spiddal based artist, Caroline Uí Chuláin's range of Christmas cards were on display. Featuring scenes of beloved Galway landmarks, Uí Chuláin's partnership with Tesco means that her art has the potential to enter thousands of homes across Ireland.
Uí Chuláin has been an artist "all her life" and says that having her creativity sponsored by Tesco by stocking her cards, makes a "huge difference".
"It means a huge difference to me because I get to be able to show people my art and what I do. It is something that I enjoy immensely and to be able to share that with customers through Tesco is a huge opportunity for me, as a small business."
