The Good Little Company is part of Finnebrogue Artisan, based in County Down, Northern Ireland.
Our farm, Finnebrogue Estate, is nestled amongst the rolling green hills, ancient woodlands, and the banks of the river Quoile in Downpatrick with an expanse of 600 acres of mixed farmland with half given over to the environment.
Nobody is perfect, but we’re doing our best. We know this plant is all we’ve got, so we’re committed to continuously trying to improve it for future generations.
Read more on our recent biodiversity initiatives…
There are fewer than 30 breeding pairs of barn owls estimated to be left in Northern Ireland.
In January 2021, 15 bird boxes were placed around the farm in the hope of attracting breeding barn owls over the winter, and following the use of thermal imaging in April, the estate manager discovered its first pair of breeding barn owls nesting in one of the boxes.
Commenting on the exciting find, Mark Sandford, Finnebrogue Farm Manager said:
“Having only placed nesting boxes up in 2021, it took no time for a barn owl pair to settle. This is testament to our land management, meaning there is ample food resources available for them.
“Barn owl diet consists of mainly wood mice, pygmy shrews and young rats, which in turn are attracted to the Estate’s mature woodland and areas of grass scrubland which regularly throw out grain to encourage a good population of rodents.
“We hope that these barn owls will keep coming back year after year and continue to add vital numbers to our small and vulnerable Northern Irish population.”
Trees are so important for our everyday well-being, they give us oxygen to breathe, store carbon-dioxide, stabilise the soil and give life to the world’s wildlife. Trees also help to reduce the effects of erosion and pollution in our waterways.
That is why since the beginning of The Good Little Company we have planted over 40,000 native trees on our farm and continue to make planting trees a priority for our future.
For the plant and for future generations, we need to save food from the bin by changing the way we buy, store, and use it.
Since 2015, The Good Little Company has been a ‘zero to landfill’ business and all of our waste is recycled, redistributed and sent for anaerobic digestion or recovered for energy.
In 2021, we sent 657 tonnes of process waste to anaerobic digestion – and this generates 800 miles of bio-fuel per week.
Burning fossils fuels is dangerous for our environment, and not a sustainable energy resource. At The Good Little Company, we feel it is our duty to produce and harvest sustainable energy where possible.
Therefore, we purchase 100% green electricity for our sausage factory and generate our own electricity through our 2,700 PV solar panels.
At The Good Little Company we are committed to a greener, more sustainable future for our kids.