20 | theceomagazine.com
Three generations of Keelings have turned
a family fruit farm into Ireland’s largest
horticultural business. Now Caroline Keeling
is making her mark.WORDS HOLLY JOHNSON • IMAGES KEELINGSWe’re
PUSHING
the industry,
not following it.
K
nown for some of the juiciest strawberries in Ireland, the
Keeling family established its first farm in Dublin in 1926.
Now a fresh fruit empire, Keelings grows more than half of
the annual Irish crop of 300 million hand-picked strawberries.
Caroline Keeling has been at the helm of her family’s fruit
production and food distribution company since taking over
as Group Managing Director in 2006 and as CEO in 2012.
For Caroline and her brothers, nothing is more important than
upholding the legacy her grandparents, her father Joe and his siblings have
built thus far. “The business was always professionally run, so I want to
make sure that we continue to be a great business partner for our suppliers
and customers,” she says. With a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and
a Master of Science specialising in Food Science from University College
Dublin, Caroline started her career with Green Isle Foods before returning
to the fold as Keelings’ Technical Manager in 1994. »INSPIRE | Interview