Niamh relishes her new food business

The pandemic cut short a stint working in Melbourne for Clonakilty’s Niamh Scally, but with retail in her DNA, it also led to the launch of her award-winning gluten free food business 

THE pandemic brought West Cork woman Niamh Scally’s Australian adventure to an abrupt end – but it kick-started her plans to start her own food business. That’s Clonakilty’s Gluten Free Kitchen which has just celebrated its second birthday with Niamh at the helm. She points out she can’t take the credit for founding the business eight years ago and gives that credit to her dad, well-known retailer Eugene Scally of SuperValu Clonakilty. 

‘He was asked by a customer one day in the shop for a gluten-free novelty birthday cake for her son – an item that was not readily available in Ireland. We all know how special a birthday cake is, particularly for a child’s party, so I think that was the real catalyst for the store and dad being dad, with his ‘can do’ attitude, he decided we have to do something about this.’

He set about building Ireland’s first in-store gluten free bakery, a standalone production unit at the back of the shop which produced the specialised range of gluten-free alternatives to what was available in the shop. 

Fast forward to 2019 and Niamh, a UCC food marketing and entrepreneurship graduate, was back home from Melbourne where she had landed a role with Coles Retail Group as a marketing specialist. Now, she began working through the pandemic on the marketing of their family’s supermarket. ‘Working on the marketing for SuperValu Clonakilty was a short-term plan. Having been reared in a retail background, I was passionate about food and retail, and I’ve always had a profound respect for the work of producers. I probably always had an ambition to go into business, but didn’t know what that might look like,’ she said. 

Pretty soon she did. 

With a clear demand for their gluten-free products, Eugene presented his second-eldest with an opportunity to develop the then in-store range, Clonakilty Gluten Free Kitchen. 

‘He came to me one day knowing I was ready for my next challenge and said to me “there you go Niamh, take that and run with it, knock yourself out”. It was really a case of sink or swim! I naively thought I would go and just do the marketing but quickly realised I was going to look after the whole operation.’

Niamh (29) moved the production unit to a County Council food production kitchen in the Bandon area. 

It was relatively low risk, she admits, as she had the bakers, the equipment, and a lease on the small unit – but she still had a lot to learn. 

But Niamh says the best way to learn is to throw yourself in there. ‘In business you can make mistakes and that’s fine. You’ll learn from those. If I had known what was involved, I might never have taken the plunge, but here we are two years later! 

‘It was daunting at first, approaching stores and customers. Let’s be honest, both already had their go-to gluten free bread brands and developing a brand during a pandemic was challenging. I put a big effort into transforming the range into a vibrant and positive brand and stores really got behind it. The SuperValu Food Academy Programme was also a great support in terms of learning and developing the business, helping to grow at a steady pace.’ 

Today the business has a list of 30 stockists, a mixture of SuperValu and Centra stores ,along with a number of five-star hotels in the Cork and Kerry area.

Over the last two years, Niamh has built the team, refined the product range, won multiple awards, including the three medals awarded for ‘dietary specific’ gluten free breads at this year’s prestigious Blas na hÉireann awards. 

In response to customer demand, they’ve recently started making burger buns, and are also working on two new confectionary products – rocky road and a caramel square. 

Niamh isn’t a coeliac, but when speaking about developing new products she says she wouldn’t take anything to market that she wouldn’t eat herself.

‘I am proud to be further contributing to a more exciting food offering and have an ambition to go nationwide with the brand if I can,’ she says. 

She stresses their products are all developed exclusively with coeliacs in mind. 

‘There can be a perception that people choose a gluten-free diet. I remember back along we launched our apple tart and someone pointed out to me that it had said sugar and butter in it. They were so wrapped up in the idea that a gluten-free diet was solely for the health conscious and missed the point that the range is for coeliacs – and coeliacs desire products with  real butter, real eggs and real ingredients too.’ That passion for the customer comes from Eugene who came to Clon from his native Westmeath around 36 years ago. 

‘He had been looking to expand his grocery shop there but got a call from someone in Musgraves, a friend, about an opportunity in the town of Clonakilty. He came with his brothers, immediately liked the town, and the rest is history!’

He married local woman Catriona, who has also been a key driver in the business, and Niamh is the second eldest of four: her eldest brother Eoghan manages the Clonakilty supermarket; her brother Martin is travelling and working in Canada and her sister Fiona is training to be a solicitor. 

They’re a close-knit bunch, she says, and describes the dinner table as their ‘board meetings.’

‘We’re all really into it. On holidays we’d be checking out local markets, getting ideas. We’ve all grown up with that passion for food and retail,’ said Niamh. 

As well as setting up the business, Niamh got married last summer to James Mulcahy from Blackrock, a PE and Irish teacher in Christ King school in Turner’s Cross. The couple are currently living in Douglas but hope to get back to Clonakilty at some point. 

Like all other retailers, she says it’s a turbulent time to manage a business, between sourcing specially certified ingredients, price rises etc. 

‘It’s hard to know where it will all stop, it can be challenging, and you have to take things in your stride. 

‘It’s definitely hard work, and not for the faint-hearted, and even though there are difficult days, there are also amazing ones. I’ve put my heart and soul into the business, I love it and I’ve absolutely no regrets.’

Ben Nallen (retail specialist) Niamh Scally and Gillian Moore (production specialist) celebrate winning three awards at the Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards.