Passionate producers get a helping hand from Tesco

Four suppliers, championed by the supermarket chain, are firm shopper favourites in store

Pauline Dunne's family have been farming the same land in Co Wexford for an incredible nine generations

Tesco has long been committed to supporting Irish producers, from family-run farms to long-established local businesses working with more than 490 Irish food and drink suppliers, championing their products, growing together, and supporting them through initiatives such as Blas na hÉireann. The result? Shelves and fridges full of great Irish food and thriving Irish businesses. Here, we meet some of the passionate teams behind these products.

Folláin 

Folláin, the Irish word for wholesome, perfectly sums up what this family-run Cork business stands for. The story began in 1983, when friends Máirín Uí Lionáird and Eithne Uí Shiadhail began a business from their home kitchens using Eithne’s grandmother’s 100‑year‑old grapefruit marmalade recipe. A few years later, Máirín’s husband, Peadar, began driving around the county, promoting and selling their wares. They grew steadily, and the Lionáirds are now Ireland’s largest producer of preserves. All the while still based in Cúl Aodh, Co Cork, part of the Múscraí Gaelteacht, where speaking Irish is part of daily life.

Tradition has always been central to Folláin’s identity, something that greatly impressed Laura Hewson, sales and marketing manager, when she joined. She says they still have the traditional taste that first drew customers more than four decades ago. “Every jar, every preserve is still made in big copper vats using traditional techniques,” she says. “We use kitchen recipes and scale up."

Mícheál Ó Lionáird, director of Folláin

Tesco has been part of the journey from the very beginning. Folláin’s Grapefruit Marmalade first appeared on shelves back in the 1980s when Quinnsworths were still around. Tesco began opening in Ireland in the 1990s and kept Folláin as a supplier, and has grown the partnership ever since. Today Folláin’s own products are always on the shelves and they also produce a range of Tesco Finest relishes, chutneys and sauces.

“We are so, so proud of the Tesco Finest range,” says Hewson. “Premium recipes made with premium Irish ingredients.” Recent successes, including wins at Blas na hÉireann have reinforced how valued Folláin is by Irish shoppers. Now, with Tesco’s support, the company is taking its next step into international markets, exporting to central Europe and exploring listings in Tesco UK and Northern Ireland. “Not only do we have great support in Ireland with our brand and producing the Tesco Finest, but now they are opening doors for us outside of Ireland”. It seems like there’s a very wholesome future ahead.

Folláin’s Tesco top picks 

Tesco Finest Gherkin and Mustard Relish – Gold at Blas na hÉireann 

Tesco Finest Burger Relish – Silver at Blas na hÉireann 

Tesco Finest Apple & Fig Chutney - Bronze at Blas na hÉireann 

Killowen 

The Dunnes have been farming the same land in Co Wexford for an incredible nine generations. For the past couple of decades, they’ve used their farm’s milk to create delicious products for Killowen Dairy. “It started with yoghurts,” says Pauline Dunne. “My brother Nicholas took over the farm and wanted to do something different.” When they heard that a local yoghurt-maker called Killowen was closing, they decided to buy the brand, and so Killowen, as we know it, was born. “We’re 21 years in business now,” she says.

Knowing the land so well is part of what makes Killowen special, says Pauline. “We know what’s happening with the cows daily, what they are eating. We know the grass, we know the fields they are in.” 

Using their own milk directly to make their products makes them stand out even more. “That’s what makes us unique, people say, ‘Oh sure, yoghurt is yoghurt. It’s just milk and culture.’ But for us, what’s very unique is that the milk we have from our farm is the milk used to make our yoghurt.” 

Working with Tesco has been key to growing their business. “When we started, we just supplied our local Tesco stores. Then we started to work with the head office team, who have given us tremendous help in what we need to do to expand.” 

Killowen now produces unique yoghurts for the Tesco Finest range with flavours such as Senga Strawberry, Heritage Raspberry and Sicilian Lemon Curd. It also makes a wonderful range of Irish cream cheese. “We have a natural cream cheese and a garlic and herb for Tesco, and both won Gold at Blas na hÉireann. When you see that cream cheese, it’s actually cream in colour, that’s because the milk is from cows that have been outside on grass.” 

Recently, its Tesco partnership expanded to Northern Ireland and into 700 Tesco UK stores. “It’s been fantastic,” she says. “It’s been a huge reward for us and that’s all from working with the Tesco team. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.” 

Killowen’s top Tesco picks 

Tesco Finest Garlic & Herb Cream Cheese - Gold at Blas na hÉireann

Tesco Finest Heritage Raspberry & Senga Strawberry Yoghurt - Fruit produced by Folláin

Tesco Finest Layered Blackberry & Apple Yoghurt - Fruit produced by Folláin 

As well as being a big hit in stores, Milish has made an impression at the Blas na hÉireann awards

Milish  

Everyone loves the waft from the fresh bakery section in the supermarket. Tesco credits a Dublin family business with making that waft extra special. Milish Bakery was originally set up in 1959 by siblings Kitty Coghlan and Liam Coghlan snr. Liam snr’s son, also called Liam, now runs the company and has grown their wholesale business, but they still stay true to their craft baking beginnings, says sales director Gillian Wilson. “It might be a large industrial-scale business,” she says, “but what has always stayed the same is using traditional craft bakery methods to produce our goods and make sure they are the absolute best in the market.” 

Three years ago things went up a notch when Milish started working on the Tesco Finest range. “We knew if we were going to create Tesco’s premium muffins and scones, we wanted them to be the best on the market.” The team combined their traditional baking ethos with creative combinations to come up with the range. Their Tesco Finest scones are made using Irish double cream, buttermilk and butter. Wilson says they are “batch baked with hands to ensure a light crust and soft crumb”. The Tesco Finest muffins use premium ingredients such as Belgian chocolate, Sicilian lemon and wild Canadian blueberries. As a creative and ambitious business, they love being pushed. “The Tesco innovation team really challenged us to dial things up.” 

As well as being a big hit in stores, they’ve also made an impression at the Blas na hÉireann awards. “We basically won everything we could win with Tesco Finest last year. It will be a hard act to follow this year,” Wilson laughs. The Dublin team were delighted when Liam brought the awards home and presented them to the team. “He spoke with such passion about how proud he was of them for being one of the best bakeries in Ireland.” Awards are great, Wilson says, but nothing quite beats seeing people enjoy the products: “What we love is the facial expressions when we see someone bite into our Milish products, no words are needed.” 

Milish’s top Tesco picks 

Tesco Finest Raspberry, Cinnamon, Oat & Pumpkin Seed Muffin - Gold at Blas na hÉireann 

Tesco Finest Lemon & Poppyseed Scone - Gold at Blas na hÉireann 

Tesco Finest Carrot Cake Muffin – Newest addition 

Clóna 

Picking up a bottle of Mango Kefir in Tesco, you might think it’s a thoroughly modern product, but there’s more than a century of tradition behind Clóna Dairy, who make this award-winning drink. Dating back to 1919 it was started by the Hurley family in Clonakilty, Co Cork. Today, it’s owned by three west Cork co-ops, in Bandon, Barryroe and Lisavaird. “From the early days of processing local milk and cream, we’re now a leading supplier to Irish retailers,” says Mary Vaughan, key accounts and marketing manager at Clóna. As the business has grown and innovated, its west Cork location remains at the heart of everything they do. The company employs about 150 people locally and supports community and sporting initiatives. “Giving back to our community is a huge part of the Clóna culture,” says Vaughan.

That local focus also supports sustainability. The milk Clóna uses comes from nearby grass-fed herds, helping to keep its carbon footprint low while ensuring the freshest, best-quality dairy. Their partnership with Tesco began locally too, supplying milk and cream first to Cork stores. From those early deliveries, the relationship grew, and today Clóna supplies Tesco stores nationwide with whipped cream and its award-winning kefir range (many of Clóna’s Tesco-supplied products have earned accolades at the Blas na hÉireann awards). Looking ahead, Clóna plans to keep innovating, developing more functional and flavoured dairy products. “Working with Tesco allows us to reach a much wider audience,” Vaughan says. “It’s a partnership that’s helped Clóna grow and one we’re excited to build on.” 

Clóna’s top Tesco picks 

Tesco Fresh Whipped Cream – Gold at Blas na hÉireann 

Tesco Natural Kefir – Gold at Blas na hÉireann 

Tesco Mango Kefir – Silver at Blas na hÉireann