Sam Dennigan remembers the first time he met Fergal McGarry over a coffee in Layla’s, a rooftop restaurant in the Devlin Hotel in Ranelagh, Dublin 6 In late 2019, the founder of Strong Roots was under pressure to scale the business after raising $18.3 million from Goode Partners. The frozen plant-based food start-up had built a reputation for healthy products, but the challenge now was turning that early promise into commercial success. “We’d raised a significant chunk of money at a fairly big valuation for an Irish food company,” Dennigan said. Goode Partners was not happy with the pace at…

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The operator behind the vision: Fergal McGarry’s lasting mark on Irish food

The late Fergal McGarry was not a household name but the brands he worked with are. He played a pivotal role in scaling Strong Roots from a promising start-up to a global acquisition target. He also made a key contribution to Kerrygold and Bewley’s.

21st May, 2026 - 10 min read

Tom Lyons

Chief Executive

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