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• Irish Farmers Journal – 20 minutes with Avril Allshire-Howe

  April 18, 2019 Profiles and Interview
  

  Our biggest challenge is the lack of labour and we’re not the only business facing this issue

  What is your background?
  In the 1990s, my husband, Willie Allshire, and I bought a 17ac farm here in Rosscarbery and started keeping a herd
  of free-range pigs. We probably have the oldest free-range pig herd in Ireland.

  From 2000, we started producing our own range of free-range sausages and dry-cure bacon, which we sold under the Caherbeg brand name. Drinagh co-op was our fi rst customer. Then in 2001, we bought the Rosscarbery Recipes brand.

  How has the business evolved?
  Today we have 110 pigs in our herd, with 12 sows. We have our own processing facilities here on the farm, which allows us to really focus on quality. It’s something we’re obsessed with. All pork products that come from our own herd are still sold under the Caherbeg brand.

  For the Rosscarbery Recipes brand we source pork cuts from Staunton Foods in Timoleague and some beef cuts from ABP in Bandon.
  A member of Love Irish Food, we’re now selling (mostly direct) to customers in Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Limerick, Cork and Kerry.

  What is your flagship product?
  Our range of Rosscarbery black and white pudding is very much our fl agship product and biggest seller. We also produce bacon, sausages and gluten-free pudding. Everything we do on  both brands is dry cure and the finished product is 98% pork. After completing
  their Leaving Certifi cates, our two sons, William and Maurice, decided to join the business. Maurice developed our latest product, Rosscarbery Irish Biltong, which is a cured and air-dried beef snack. It’s a healthy snack, with 50% protein.

  Is the “free-from” trend here to stay?

  In my view the “free-from” trend is one that’s here to stay. I have mixed emotions on it, particularly when it comes to gluten-free because you have people who are genuinely diagnosed with coeliac disease and others who just go on a gluten-free diet. We launched our gluten-free pudding in response to demand from coeliacs, but since then, the “freefrom” section has grown considerably.

  What is the biggest challenge for an SME artisan food business?
  Our biggest challenge is the lack of labour and we’re not the only business facing this issue. By that I mean there
  appears to be a serious shortage of people who are genuinely interested and passionate about working in an artisan food business like ours. We might start our day at 5am but a lot of people just aren’t interested in starting their day at that hour.

   

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• Press Release: Clear evidence consumers are increasingly buying Irish during pandemic.

  March 10, 2021 Profiles and Interview
  

  Clear evidence consumers are increasingly buying Irish during pandemic.

  Forty-four of the top 100 selling grocery brands in Ireland are Irish produced; this cohort has grown by 18% to a total of €1.07bn in combined sales.

  Wednesday, 10 March 2021, Dublin – There is clear evidence that consumers are increasingly buying Irish throughout the global health pandemic brought about by Covid-19, delegates at a key food and drinks industry symposium hosted by Love Irish Food today (Wednesday) will hear.

  The Love Irish Food seminar, which will be streamed live online this morning, includes keynote addresses from An Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, and leading industry experts on the future of Irish produced food and drinks brands.

  According to research from Kantar Worldpanel, to be presented on during the Love Irish Food conference, 44 of the top 100 selling grocery brands in Ireland during 2020 were Irish produced. Over the past year during the pandemic, this cohort of 44 brands has grown by 18% to a total of €1.07bn in combined sales. These Irish brands currently capture 48% of the money spent among the 100 top-selling grocery brands in Ireland.

  The Kantar research will be presented on at the Love Irish Food symposium by David Berry, Managing Director, Ireland at Kantar Worldpanel. Other industry experts speaking at the event include Joe Manning, Commercial Director at Tesco Ireland and leading Economist Jim Power.

  Commenting, Kieran Rumley, Executive Director at Love Irish Food, said: “The contribution of Irish manufactured food and drink brands to the local and national economies in Ireland is both vital and immense. Love Irish Food aims to educate Irish consumers so that they recognise Irish brands. Buying more Irish made products helps Irish businesses survive and protects Irish jobs, which is critical in the current climate in the context of the global health pandemic and will be crucial in driving economic recovery.”

  THE ROLE OF LOVE IRISH FOOD IN DRIVING ECONOMIC RECOVERY

  Love Irish Food was formed in 2009 with the aim of helping consumers make informed choices about buying Irish manufactured food and drinks. The aim is to promote the consumption of Irish food and drink and create a realisation that every time a consumer makes a conscious decision to purchase an Irish manufactured food or drink product, this is supporting vital local employment, local businesses, and local sustainability all over Ireland.

  While many Irish agri-food companies have a strong export focus, the domestic market is also very important, particularly for smaller companies who lack scale. Smaller companies can build scale in the domestic market, and eventually achieve an export capability, Love Irish Food must play a key role in driving home these messages, but ultimately it is the purchasing decisions of consumers that will matter most.

  In the first 11 months of 2020, Ireland imported over €8 billion worth of food and drink products. Of these imports, the UK accounted for 47 per cent of the total. In the context of Brexit, some of these products from the UK are becoming more difficult to source and more expensive. There has to be potential for import substitution – in other words producing locally, what we previously imported. The decisions taken by Irish consumers can play a key role in this regard. The role of Love Irish Food is to help inform consumers about the impact of such decisions on local communities and local economies. This message has resonated with many people during the COVID-19 crisis, and the objective now is to ensure that post-COVID, consumers will not forget the importance of supporting local producers. By doing so, they are having beneficial impact on the local economy and the environment.

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