Tipperary cheesemaker Cashel Blue has no plans to 'walk away' from US market despite tariffs 

Co-owner Sarah Furno said the company had worked in the US speciality cheese sector for 30 years

Sarah Furno, owner of Cashel Blue cheesemakers.

Tipperary-based cheesemaker Cashel Blue has no plans to “walk away” from the US market, despite the implementation of tariffs on its products, but the next few years will be more focused on managing its reputation for when times get better.

On Wednesday night, US president Donald Trump implemented a raft of tariffs on most countries, with EU exports to the US being hit with a 20% tariff.

Irish speciality food producers and Irish alcohol producers are two sectors which are significantly exposed to these tariffs, as the US represents a substantial market for their products.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Sarah Furno, joint-owner and general manager of Tipperary-based cheese producer Cashel Blue, said the company had worked in the US speciality cheese sector for 30 years and its “Cashel and Crozier Blue travels from our cheese rooms here at our home and farm in Tipperary to cheese counters in Boston, the Midwest and as far afield as the Pacific coast in small quantities”.

Ms Furno said they knew the tariffs were “inevitable”, given Mr Trump’s rhetoric during his previous stint as president, but this time is different.

"Our sales in the US haven't been going very well in the last few years, so we don't have too far to fall at the moment, if that makes sense,” she said.

But that does not mean that we're going to walk away. We've been working there for over 30 years and I have a massive amount of respect for many people who work in the industry, in the trading of cheese over there and in production.

Ms Furno said while there would be a smaller amount of its cheese sold in the US over the coming years, “we also want to manage our reputation in the US, which is very good, so that when times are better we can come back in”.

"So you may see us judging more cheese competitions in the US, things like that. So investing in our profile, in the US, but a smaller volume of stock. We've been around a while so we're in a position that we can do that.” 

She added the company “won't compromise quality” to absorb the tariff costs as US customers “would lose their respect for our cheeses if we were to do so”.