Funded by Kilkenny LEADER Partnership (KLP), the Irish Food Co-op is the first operation of its kind in Ireland.   A group of producers have formed a co-op, combining their resources in a united effort to maximise their efficiency and sales through shared national distribution.

It marks the beginning of an exciting venture for seven Irish artisan food companies. They will be supported with a distribution van, manager and a dedicated sales representative.   For retailers, the ‘one entity’ nature of this Irish Food Co-op brings considerable benefits including one contact, one invoice and one delivery.

001_IrishFoodCoOp_250714

The Irish Food Co-op Producers:

The award winning yogurts made at Killowen Farm has a range of classic and premium yogurts. They recently launched two limited edition yogurts featuring locally sourced fruit: Malone’s Loganberry and Wexford Rhubarb & Strawberry.

Mileeven Fine Foods is known for their Pure Irish Honey. They have expanded their range to include: Organic Preserves, Fruit Cakes, authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and more.

The Little Mill Company’s retail products consist of delicious baking mixes for quick and simple home baking.  They include mixes for brownies, brown bread, scone and sponge cakes.

Tastefully Yours produce a wide range of pickled chutneys and sauces and recently introduced a selection of Thai curry sauces to their range.

Knockanore Irish Farmhouse Cheese produces a full cream cow’s milk cheese. Their range includes; garlic and herb, garlic and chives, black pepper with chives and smoked cheeses.

Carrigbyrne Farmhouse produces award winning gourmet Brie cheeses, handmade by traditional methods.  Their latest product is the Humming Bark which has a great soft texture encircled in spruce bark to give an amazing flavour.

The O’Neills Dry Cure Bacon is traditionally cured by hand for three weeks using a traditional family recipe with natural sea salt. Their bacon range offers 30% less salt than average and doesn’t contain added water or require phosphates.

This project has received €34,500.00 in funding from the Rural Development Programme.