In conversation with Pat O’Farrell , co-founder, Carrigaline Cheese
What sets your product apart in the industry?
Our cheese is all handmade. Even the packaging is done by hand. Our ingredients are 96 per cent Irish. We source milk for our cheese and wood for the smoked cheese locally. Our cheese was served to two American presidents who visited Ireland – Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. We have to assume they have good taste! It has also won a lot of awards, including a World Cheese Award.
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in business?
When we first set up we didn’t do any marketing. We were reliant on distributors to market our product and merchandise it well. Once the cheese went out the door, we were happy. We never followed up on it in stores and wondered why our orders weren’t increasing. We now go into shops regularly and are always checking how our cheese is being displayed.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Irish Times