Women in Business - Food
We have 52 brilliant Irish women (one for every week of the year) excelling in beauty, fashion, food and home.
Food
33>> AVRIL ALLSHIREHOWE Best known for the Caherbeg Free-Range Pork and Rosscarbery Recipes labels, Avril has recently been focusing on agritourism to encourage more people into sustainable farming. Avril hosts regular farm tours as well as forest bathing activities.
Visit rosscarberyrecipes.blogspot.com
34>> HILARY O’HAGAN BRENNAN, 3FE Hilary has worked in every part of the food industry and is now Executive Chef with 3Fe and Five Points in Dublin’s Harold’s Cross. She is also a TV personality on RTÉ’s What Are You Eating? and a guest speaker at conferences striving for gender equality in kitchens.
Visit 3fe.com
35>> GRÁINNE MULLINS, GRÁ CHOCOLATES Chocolate queen Gráinne came home, after spending two years abroad in Michelin-starred eateries, to set up the artisan Grá Chocolates in Galway.
Visit grachocolates.com
36>> ELLIE KISYOMBE, ELLIE’S KITCHEN HOME EDITION Ellie is best known for co-founding the non-profit Our Table in 2015, which acts as a steppingstone for those who are looking to gain skills and knowledge of the Irish food industry, and also builds a greater awareness of the direct provision system. Ellie now sells her own range of sauces inspired by her Malawian roots.
Visit ellieskitchenhomeedition.com
37>> ISEULT WARD & AOIBHEANN O’BRIEN, FOODCLOUD Iseult and Aoibheann have solved the logistical issue of getting leftover food to where it can be used. The app, Foodcloud, connects local charities to supermarkets, farms and food manufacturers on a non-profit basis. Its sister warehousing operation is FoodCloud Hubs.
Visit food.cloud
38>> KAREN AUSTIN, LETTERCOLLUM KITCHEN PROJECT The Lettercollum Kitchen Project focuses on its organic garden in Timoleague and shop in Clonakilty. Free range pork, eggs and goat’s milk – organic is perhaps too small a word to describe the seed to plate experience. Karen also runs cooking classes in the spring and summer with tips on how to plant your garden with a view to making meals.
Visit lettercollum.ie
39>> CAROLINE KEELING, KEELING’S The humble family berry farm turned multimillion business empire now supplies markets in the UK, Europe and Asia. Caroline drove this growth, having headed the family business since 2013. She’s also an ambassador for The Women’s Fund for Ireland and a board member of a multitude of organisations, from Bord Bia to Social Entrepreneurs Ireland.
Visit keelings.ie
40>> COLETTE TWOMEY, CLONAKILTY PUDDINGS Owner of the iconic Clonakilty Puddings, Colette has grown the black pudding business to the success it is today, replete with a visitor centre. ‑ e spice mix recipe is so secret that Colette is the only one who can make it – if she’s away, she mixes it beforehand.
Visit clonakiltyblackpudding.ie
41>> MICHELLE LAWLOR, THE NUDE WINE CO Michelle founded her online shop in 2019. Specialising in organic, vegan and natural wines, it boasts a fun non-alcoholic range too. Michelle is a regular on Ireland AM, hosts an online wine club and offers wine tasting courses.
Visit thenudewineco.ie
42>> VALERIE KINGSTON, GLENILEN FARM Valerie is at the helm of the organic dairy mega-brand that is Glenilen Farm. Omnipresent in Ireland and the UK, the company now plans to expand to Germany where organic products are in high demand.
Visit glenilenfarm.com