Recipe for Allshire family success is quality products and hard work

AS soon as William and Maurice Allshire were old enough to stand up on a box to label rashers, they’ve been involved in the family business.

They are now at the helm of the very well-known Caherbeg Free-Range Pork and Rosscarbery Recipes, founded by their parents Willie and Avril Allshire in 2000.

Avril, who is originally from Killbrittain said she wasn’t destined to be involved in any type of farming despite growing up on a farm.

Her path changed radically when she met Willie, who was always interested in buying land and they purchased their home in Rosscarbery
in 1994.

William was born in 1996, followed by Maurice in 1998 and “then we bought a few pigs!”

“Willie did a course in rural development with Teagasc. The pigs were very much still a hobby at this stage but he decided one day that he was going to make free range sausages and dry cure rashers – I thought he was joking but Caherbeg Free Range Pork was established in 2000 and shortly after we had an on-farm processing unit,” she said.

They also took on another local brand, Rosscarbery Recipes, buying in meats that didn’t come from their own herd. They were able to produce their own range of food products on site.

“At times it was flying by the seat of our pants stuff, we were learning on the job. If we had thought about it, we probably wouldn’t have done any of it. Willie has the business brain and I could do the talking so it just worked.”

“Also, we’re honest about what we produce, and we consistently focus on quality.”

It wasn’t without its challenges including the pork crisis in 2009 and the economic crisis in 2008.

“We’ve also had products that just didn’t work which we had to pull. We weren’t afraid to do that.”

William; Avril and Maurice Allshire of Caherbeg Pork in front of their wellie collection which is used for tours around their farm. Picture: Andy Gibson.

However, they’ve had products that have done exceptionally well including the Gold Medal for Black Pudding in the biggest European Black Pudding competition in March 2007, just three months after launching.

William and Willie also developed the very popular gluten free black and white pudding and Maurice developed Rosscarbery Biltong at the age of 19, where he became the youngest ever winner of an award in Blas na hÉireann, taking silver for the
product.

“The other side of the business took off at the same time so it was a matter of deciding what to scale. The second most important part in starting a business is knowing when to stop it,” he said.

Willie is much more blunt: “When your back is to the wall, there’s only one way you can go and that’s forward!”

The business turned 26 in October and Avril describes it as her “third baby” and the one that’s consumed most of my time and energy,” she jokes.

“I never felt any guilt about it, because I knew the boys were getting the kind of experience they’d never otherwise be exposed to.”

Herself and Willie have now taken a back seat from the day-to-day running of the business.

There was never really anything else on their sons’ radar though.

Maurice (28) had originally planned to study Food Entrepreneurship and Marketing in UCC.

“Halfway through that summer dad was ill for a time and I was getting more involved in the business. So by the time it came to starting college, things were expanding and I decided to stick with it – it’s a decision I’ve no regrets about,” he said.

Along with William, Maurice is up most mornings at 4am despite being a dad to a young family, which he said wouldn’t work if his wife, Shannen, wasn’t so understanding and involved in the business.

“Our parents gave us a great example. When we stepped in, they stepped back and gave us the reins, and I’ll always respect them for that. They’re showing some tough love getting us to figure things out, but having said that we know they’re there if we need them, which is every other day!”

William (30) added: “They always gave us responsibility throughout the years and we’re open to our ideas and letting us try things, even if they didn’t always work and that’s really standing to us now.”

Winning The Southern Star Farming Family Award is special, they all agree.

“I can’t get my head around it – I was so surprised! There’re so many fantastic farmers and producers in West Cork, and to know that we’re regarded as being at that level is wonderful,” said Avril.

“We’re still a small artisan producer. If you ring Caherbeg, you’ll be speaking to one of the family. The places I deliver to, are the places I shop. To get this recognition is special and is a moment I’ll treasure. But it’s also a moment in time and I’ll still be up doing my deliveries in the morning!” she added.

William added: “It’s always nice to get recognition and to get it from our locality makes it even nicer.”

Both brothers say that the current climate for running a business is very different to when their parents launched.

“It’s a lot more challenging but it’s about keeping doing what we’re doing, focusing on quality and building on the brand. It is hard work, but I wouldn’t change any of it,” said Maurice.

William added: “There’s a lot of unseen work, the early mornings, late nights, but we grew up seeing that good things come out of hard work and knowing you can achieve things when you put your head down, and that makes it a lot easier to keep going.”

“It makes it all worthwhile seeing the next generation taking control and putting their own stamp on it. As an artisan business, we’re constantly evolving. I’m very proud of what we have all achieved together,” added Willie.