THE talented trio behind Clonakilty Gluten Free Kitchen, have added their gluten free breads and bakes to even more supermarkets in Cork including Centra in Innishannon and Barry Collins’ SuperValu in Carrigaline.
The brand was first established in 2015 by Catriona and Eugene Scally, when they saw an opportunity in the market for high-quality, artisan, gluten free goods.
The products were produced in a specialised gluten free unit to the rear of Scally’s SuperValu in Clonakilty.
Now with their daughter Niamh in charge, it has since grown into a fully-fledged independent business and last October it moved into a new stand-alone production unit in Bandon, supplying 11 stores across Cork with their products.
‘From day one we focused on variety and taste so that the whole family could enjoy our range and it’s wonderful to be able to offer more choice to those on a gluten free or coeliac diet,’ Niamh said.
It is a small team of three working at their new base, including baker, Jacek Chromik – who turns out the entire range by hand and has a lifetime of baking experience – and Gillian Moore – who holds a MSc in Food Business and Innovation – and is responsible for the production end of the business and manages vitally important aspects to a gluten free production facility, such as food safety and supplier management.
Niamh herself describes herself as wearing many hats – from general management to marketer or delivery girl!
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, they are unable to carry out food tasting in supermarkets or interact with their customers, so the company is relying on social media and word of mouth.
Since the start of the pandemic, a significant number of customers have moved to online offerings such as ‘Click & Collect.’
The Clonakilty Gluten Free Kitchen, which is available online in select SuperValu stores, has also been included in the Coeliac Society of Ireland Food list.
