The Oilean potato was introduced into

Superquinn in 2001 after a six year challenge.

In 1995 Superquinn challenged Country Crest to find an Irish potato that looked good, was easy to peal and most importantly tasted great. It also had to be versatile – a potato that could cover a wide range of uses.

Country Crest spoke to plant breeders all over Europe and in their research found that a plant breeding institute in Germany had potato varieties which fitted the requirements.

After 6 years, trials and tests were carried out on 60 different potato varieties all of which were grown in Co. Dublin. Eventually the perfect potato variety was found called “Karlena”.

The process of renaming the potato then began and after challenging our Fruit and Vegetable teams, Thomas Gethin from our Knocklyon store devised the winning name “Oilean”. Oilean - Irish for island - means that the potato (like the island of Ireland) stands out on its own and also that Superquinn stands out on its own in the Irish retail sector.

The Oilean potato boasts a high dry matter content, which determines the flowery texture of the potato. To ensure this high dry matter content, growers take steps to improve this by not applying too much nitrogen during the growing season. To further ensure that they are of the highest quality for our customers, each morning a new batch of potatoes is cooked and tested for flouriness and flavour. Only then are they sent to Superquinn for you to enjoy.