Evelyn Garland, Simply Fit Food

Evelyn Garland is 25 years old and she is the co-founder and director of Simply Fit Food.

The words “fair play” immediately spring to mind and when you meet Evelyn you will understand why. She is motivated, passionate and determined that we’re all going to get a little bit healthier in her company. Simply Fit Food was born when her boyfriend (now fiancé, congrats!) Luke was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat.

Both Evelyn and Luke were fit with a healthy lifestyle but they were determined to up their game and were surprised with the lack of healthy yet convenient meals available.

Simply Fit Food was born, with customers being able to plan and order their meals online. Delivery to the door is currently available in Dublin, Louth, Meath and Monaghan.

All the meals are made using locally sourced ingredient and have no additives and preservatives. Now the range has also expanded into supermarkets and is available in SuperValu stores nationwide. Watch this space.

www.simplyfitfood.com

Siobhan Lawless, Foods of Athenry

Setting up the Foods of Athenry has been a bit of a rollercoaster for Siobhan Lawless and her husband Paul. In the early 2000s, their child was sick and the future of their dairy farm was uncertain.

The decision was made to set up a health-focused bakery on the farm and to sell the cows. This was not an easy decision. In fact, it was incredibly hard but through this brave move, the Foods of Athenry became one of the biggest bakeries in Ireland.

With that, another bold decision was made to set up a second bakery completely dedicated to gluten-free products.

It was due to be operational in June 2011 but then a fire burnt the building to the ground.

Their business was gutted but with determination, Siobhan and her family got back up and rebuilt their business. Their list of award-winning products is just as impressive as their brave story, and they are providing delicious treats for people with dietary restrictions.

www.foodsofathenry.ie

Kylie Magner, Magners Farm

When Kylie Magner arrived from Australia 20 years ago, she didn’t think that one husband, four children and 450 hens later she would still be here.

The family did enjoy the Australian lifestyle for a few years in between but in 2016 after they returned, Kylie made the decision to stay at home on their 20-acre farm in Fethard, Co Tipperary, to support her children.

Up until then she had a busy career in the horse industry, so she was determined to find something to sustain the farm. Enter 10 chickens that would make the world of difference. They produced so many eggs that they started giving them to friends and family who gave a cash donation which Kylie put in a jar.

When she made €150 she re-invested in more chickens and the business continued to grow. Now from this small idea, she is selling over 2,000 pasture-range eggs a week and also has a chicken broth range on the go.

www.magnersfarm.com

Sarah Kiely, Sadie’s Kitchen

Sadie’s Chicken Bone Broth is such a simple yet genius concept that we keep kicking ourselves that we didn’t think of it first.

The light-bulb moment occurred for Sarah Kiely when she was made redundant. She was making bone broth to help with digestive issues and her parents reminded her that her grandmother made broths all the time.

In a recent interview with Irish Country Living, she said: “This was a tried and tested way to eat. It’s about the bones and the not-so-glamorous cuts of meat and how with slow cooking you get all this flavour and nutrition from them.

“Everyone knows the value of these broths but no one has the time to make them anymore. I knew very few people, even passionate foodies, who would make bone broth at home. They might make a chicken stock for a risotto once in a blue moon but that’s the height of it. People just don’t have the time.”

Sarah’s product is an Irish, free-range broth that has benefited from Dragon’s Den investment and is stocked in over 300 stores, including SuperValu and Dunnes Stores. She has also expanded the range to include the Super 7 Greens, made with seven different green vegetables, flax and Irish chicken bone broth.

We’re big fans as it brings soups and stews to a whole new level and is exactly what you need when you feel that cold coming on.

www.sadieskitchen.ie

Maria Flynn, Ballymakenny Farm

Did you know that before we were eating white spuds, the Irish were partial to the purple potato? Maria Flynn has had such success re-introducing the purple potato to Irish diners that we celebrated her as our Women & Agriculture awardwinner last year. Maria is very honest about her story; their potato farm was losing money year-on-year.

The business was born out of necessity to diversify and look at other means of income.

Cleverly, when she planted the drills she started documenting her journey online, gaining a following from top chefs across the country. JP McMahon from Aniar in Galway, Ed Cooney from the Merrion Hotel in Dublin and Eddie Attwell from the Great British Menu were looking for these innovative purple potatoes, some before they were even harvested.

Now her potatoes are in restaurants right across the country and she has diversified into other heritage varieties, such as Red Emmalie, which has pink flesh and is equally distinctive.

She has also planted 60,000 tender stem broccoli plants, 1,000 sweet stem cauliflower plants and Yukon Gold potatoes, which will be a new endeavour for Ireland.

Follow @BallymakennyF on Twitter

Kay Cooney, Derg Farmhouse Cheese

There are so many women in the cheese industry that we could celebrate but Kay Cooney from Derg Farmhouse Cheese gets our limelight for this issue.

The idea to produce cheese on the family dairy farm facing Lough Derg was on Kay’s mind for quite a while. In fact, she and her husband Paddy had a cheese vat sitting there for nearly two years but a dream became a reality when Kay headed off to complete a farmhouse cheese course.

Pretty soon after, Kay and Paddy took on an incubation unit and started on their raw milk cheddar cheese, which proved a success. Now they have developed their own cheese-making unit and the real strength of their success is the exceptional taste. With a rich, tangy flavour and firm texture, this is a mature cheese that in steadily growing in popularity .

Of course, Kay will say its all about their own herd of Friesian/ jersey cows and the fact they only makes the cheese in summer months from milk that has been produced off grass. There must be something in it because its exceptional.

Susan O’Sullivan, Farmhouse Café

There are few food operations that are so closely linked to the family farm. However, in the Farmhouse Cafe in Dublin, most of the delicious food you put in your mouth comes straight from Susan O’Sullivan’s family farm in Enfield, Co Meath.

Everything from their own sausages and rashers on the full-Irish plate to gammon and chicken slow-roasted in their Aga for sandwiches and salads is all straight from the farm. They even give customers the opportunity to buy a full lamb to cook at home.

Plots and polytunnels are starting to thrive now with leaves for salads and fruits for their own jams and chutneys. Not surprisingly, this care and attention on the farm is the basis for meals bursting with flavour and has led to their recent cafe-of-the-year win in the John and Sally McKenna Guide.

Susan has embraced a concept we’d love to see more in cafes and restaurants, and it’s something to be celebrated.

Margaret Farrelly, Clonarn Clover

When it comes to a wow story of a woman in the Irish food industry, Margaret Farrelly immediately comes to mind. Another chicken story with a big result.

In 1988, Margaret started a small business venture with 150 hens and 30 years later Clonarn Clover now handles eggs from 200,000 hens. About 9,000 of those birds are still being reared on their family farm on the Cavan-Meath border, but Margaret is also providing employment to tried-and-trusted producers from the area. Not just that, Clonarn Clover has been innovative with its products, putting Omega-3-enriched eggs on our supermarket shelves, developing egg white-only products and even producing liquid eggs for the hospitality and food industry to reduce the time and inconvenience of cracking eggs.

On top of that, whenever you see Margaret, whether its at a food festival or one of the frequent award ceremonies she is invited to, she always has a smile on her face and time to chat. We are trustfully told that even though Margaret is in her 60s, she has no plans to retire and still has big plans in mind.

www.margarets.ie