Meet the woman behind the ‘tiny’ food business with big ambitions

AISLING Murphy always knew she wanted to work in food, she just never quite knew what.

The best journeys in life are rarely those that are straight and direct. Those that meander are often the most meaningful, and that’s exactly how The Tiny Turnip came to be.

That is the name of the boutique food business created by Aisling in 2020, specialising in trendy grazing boards, but her career began as a child accompanying her mum, Ann Murphy, on a stall at Midleton Farmers’ Market selling marinades, chutneys, and sauces.

“Midleton Farmers Market was my Saturdays from primary school up to college. I loved working there; even set up a little crepe stall at the side of my mum’s pitch working markets and festivals,” recalls Aisling, 31.

“Local food was a huge part of growing up. I’d get to know everyone at the market, suppliers, their stories. I’ve brought that ethos into The Tiny Turnip and made it an important part of the business.”

Aisling swapped her market days for college, studying commerce at UCC.

“I always knew I wanted to run a food business but had no idea what I wanted to do. I finished college and worked an accounting job for a year and a half to save up and go travelling.”

Aisling got as far as Canada with her soon-to-be husband and a couple of friends.

“We went to Whistler for the ski season, loved it, stayed for two and a half years and had an amazing experience.” 

While there, Aisling did accounting and marketing for a successful Canadian food company, Nonna Pia’s.

“We had a lovely life in Canada, but I was always going to come back to Ireland no matter what. But the fear of going back was all about what was I going to do. 

"I didn’t want to go back and be unhappy in work; I knew if I didn’t try out something in food, I’d always regret it.

“I had experience in the food industry, but I had to do something to improve my cookery skills.”

Aisling signed up for Ballymaloe Cookery School’s ten-week programme in 2018.

“It’s the most amazing experience; the food you cook with; the farm – you learn about all aspects of food there. I enjoyed every moment of it.

“When I came away from it, I needed to go and do something, so I worked with Roots Kitchen for six months. It was another step that told me I wanted to have a food business; but I still wanted more experience.”

Aisling returned to Ballymaloe as a cookery teacher for one semester, then secured the position to run Ballymaloe Garden Café food truck for the 2019 summer season.

“It gave me the experience I needed running a food business myself. It was a crazy summer, and at the end we won a Georgina Campbell Ireland Guide award for Best Street Food; it was a huge boost of confidence for me.”

Then Aisling learned she was going to be a mum, and during maternity leave decided it was time to set up a business of her own.

“Initially, I had planned to get into corporate catering, but with the pandemic I had to rethink that.”

Inspiration came while on a hen party.

“I set up a grazing table for everyone; my future mother-in-law suggested I do something like that as a business. Whenever I had friends over, I would make my own dips and chutney, do local meats, cheeses, lay it out on grazing boards for people, and they loved it.

“Everyone was getting tired of the same old takeaways, but grazing boards were something different, so I decided to give it a go. I started really small, just a couple a week. Then I started to get a huge amount of interest and sold out every week. It grew really, really fast.”

Aisling’s family were a godsend during this time, juggling a new baby boy and a new baby business.

“My mum and my brother, David, looked after Finn while I put together the boxes, and my dad drove me around dropping off deliveries - we call him Pat-eroo now!

“It was a mad time doing it all, but worked out with my family helping me.”

The Tiny Turnip was created out of the pandemic: “That’s why it was such a success,” says Aisling; but as life began returning to normal, she noticed sales dipping.

“I had to rethink; I didn’t want to let the business go, I loved doing it.”

Her response was to create larger Weekend Grazing Boxes adapted for larger gatherings and celebrations happening at home. Additional treats, including brownies with butterscotch sauce, were included and business picked back up again.

“People came back to me; I have lots of regular customers now and I didn’t think I’d have that. I thought people would buy a box as a gift or a once off treat, but people come back every week. I’ve really built up a little community of brilliant customers.”

Just before Christmas, Aisling trialled a further expansion of her business with a new Grazing Gift Box available for nationwide delivery. The gamble paid off, “They flew out of the door - I sold out by early December!”

Pre-orders and a network of local producers ensure Aisling’s customers receive the freshest of foods while also incorporating a sound ethos of minimal waste.

“I’m a small business, but I think it’s important to start right. I put a lot of effort into my packaging – everything is fully compostable, even the stickers and tape.

“Everything is made to order so I’m not producing any food waste. All my suppliers are local and close to home, I’m able to get my products quickly and that means I don’t have leftovers. The quality of the produce I use is important to me; I don’t go cheap!”

It’s this kind of commitment to quality and detail that Aisling says makes The Tiny Turnip stand out from the crowd. So, what’s in store for Aisling boutique service for the year ahead?

The Weekend Grazing Box for local Cork delivery or collection is available to pre-order online, and from February Grazing Gift Boxes for nationwide delivery will be available again - this time with three differently priced options to choose from. For Valentine’s Day, The Tiny Turnip teams up with Baltimore- based Foxglove Cocktails for a grazing box with ready-to-shake cocktails; and Aisling is excited to work with corporate clients to create beautiful bespoke hampers for clients and employees.

But that’s not all – Aisling is preparing to launch her first retail product: The Tiny Turnip Feta & Basil Dip.

“The dip comes in the Grazing Boxes. I got amazing feedback on it, with many people asking would I sell it separately. I stocked some in Ballintemple Food Stores just before Christmas; they all sold the same day. I restocked and they’d be gone again! I realised I had a really good retail product on my hands; this year I’ll launch it and expand to more outlets.”

From young child on a market stall, to college-grad unsure of where her food passion would take her, to a burgeoning food business with ambitious plans for expansion and growth, The Tiny Turnip has covered much ground in a short time with plenty more to come.

“If the person I was when I came back from Canada could see where I am now, I’d be so proud of myself.

“My advice to anyone looking to start their own business is to keep going; write down your goal and keep striving towards it.”

See www.thetinyturnip.ie

Next month, on March 2, Kate interviews Cathy Fitzgibbon (aka The Culinary Celt)