Fruitful time for Cork jam business founded by two women in the 1980s

From a small seed, a mighty fruit tree grew!

Two elements are responsible for the success of Cork jam and preserves business Folláin, according to its managing director Mícheál Ó Lionáird.

They are the passion of two mighty women, and the amazing communities of Cúl Aodh and Ballyvourney.

Micheál’s mum, Máirín, and her best friend, Eithne Uí Shiadhail worked in a honey-making business called Mil an tSuláin in Cúl Aodh.

When that closed down, they began making jam in a shed using a gooseberry marmalade recipe that belonged to Eithne’s granny.

It would be fair to say that most people didn’t think gooseberry marmalade was going to take off in Ireland in the 1980s, but these two women knew better.

With Eithne’s business sense and Máirín’s interest in the food industry, the women, originally from Dublin, found a recipe for success.

They began to supply local shops, and Máirín’s husband, Peadar, began driving around the county, promoting and selling the jams and marmalades to shops.

When Quinnsworth approached them in 1986 about stocking their product, the story of this business became national and the opportunity to expand presented itself.

From Máirín’s kitchen, they moved to a portable building, kitted out to suit their needs, at the back of the Lionáird home.

They employed a couple of local people to help with cooking and filling the jars, and within a short space of time the staff numbers grew.

“The business would never have grown at is has if it hadn’t been for the community,” Micheál says. 

“They offered support, encouragement and energy every step of the way.”

From the portable building, they moved to an Udarás building in Ballymakeera, and eventually in 2017 the purpose-built factory in Ballyvourney became their permanent home.

The factory has a one-way system where the raw goods come in at one side, onto the main floor, and the finished and packaged products come out the other ready for distribution.

So, where does the fruit come from? The oranges and lemons and their juices come from Spain. The blackberries, apples, gooseberries and strawberries are all Irish, and the onions for their relish come from Waterfall in Cork.

Folláin never source raw materials from outside the EU, and try to keep as close to home as possible.

Their distributing is handled by a local company, Christy Lucey Transport, who Micheál says are fantastic to deal with. “I can pick up the phone to them at any time,” he says, “and they will always accommodate whatever we need.”

The company now employs 60 staff, with only 13 of those part-time.

The factory is operational four days per week, Monday to Thursday, with maintenance on Friday.

Alongside the jams, marmalades and relishes, the company recently launched a new product, Spoonfuls, essentially a topper for breakfast porridge or pancakes. It is cooked for a shorter time to keep the integrity and structure of the fruit and has seeds added.

The new product is doing really well and shows that innovation and adding to the range is paying off.

In order to give back, Folláin decided that 50% of the profits from the sales of its 12 days of Christmas preserves would go to the Simon Community. This generous gesture amounted to €31,676 for the charity.

What are the challenges for the business? “We had Brexit, covid, and war in Ukraine, so there are always challenges,” says Micheál.

“Thankfully, the initial issues with Brexit have mostly been ironed out, but we have rising costs, energy being the big one at the moment.

“Our boiling pans run at 105 degrees all day so that’s a huge cost. We added solar panels recently to help with that.”

What particularly worries Micheál about the future?

“When I hear about food industry businesses closing, it worries me. We supply cafés, restaurants, and hotels and if they’re having cost issues with energy, rates and the autumn enrolments, it could impact us, it all has a knock-on effect.

“All businesses are trying to keep their heads above water. We’re doing everything to avoid putting the costs onto our customers.”

Micheál says Folláin is also trying to be as sustainable as possible, so even though plastic would be cheaper, they insist on using glass bottles, even for their small jars.

The aesthetic is important, and his mum, Máirín, chose the beautiful lids for the jars.

Their best-selling product is the no-sugar strawberry jams, especially at this time of year when people are trying to reduce the sugar content in their diets, so the just fruit and juice jams do very well.

The IDA, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Enterprise Ireland have been fantastic, he says, in helping with grants. Folláin would never have reached the stage it is at without their assistance.

So, what do their customers say?

“They tell us that they can taste the seasonal difference with the fruit. That the products bring back nostalgic memories.

“Also, as people become more aware of what they are buying, and the number of additives that are added to certain foods, it’s lovely to have something completely natural, and ethically sourced.”

Will they look at expanding?

“Because the factory is purpose built, we could look at expanding the production time,” said Micheál. “We supply all over Ireland, Selfridges in the UK, and perhaps we will expand into Europe.

Folláin is available in Dunnes, Tesco and Supervalu, and many independent shops all over Ireland, as well as online.

As for me, I tried the spoonfuls made with blueberries, cherries, chia and pumpkin seeds with my porridge - and it’s absolutely delicious!

The vision and drive of these two ladies, Máirín Uí Lionáird and Eithne Uí Shiadhail, and their belief in their products, drove this business to be the huge success it is today.