Sunday Independent - A Tipperary farmer who is as busy as a bee on the shores of Lough Derg
Ailbhe Gerrard jumped from building to artisan farming. She has never looked back, writes Louise McBride
Nine years ago, Tipperary woman Ailbhe Gerrard was working on Dublin building sites as a project manager. Little did she know that she would soon be far from the concrete and cranes of Dublin and instead running her own farm in her native county - where she would become an expert on bees and organic farming. Gerrard founded Brookfield Farm, which is based on the shores of Lough Derg and specialises in artisan food, about six years ago.
“Brookfield Farm is a farm I bought myself with all my own money,” said Gerrard.
“Before the economic crash, I had been working in Dublin in construction, as a project manager. After the crash, I studied sustainable development in London. While studying that, I thought about what my next big project could be and decided it would be food and farming.”