Congratulations to Kevin and Seamus Sheridan
Kevin and Seamus Sheridan, owners and founders of Sheridans Cheesemongers receive: Irish Food Writers Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.
‘We are honoured and extremely grateful to receive the IFWG Lifetime Achievement Award. Sheridans Cheesemongers is the sum of many parts, our families, our brilliant and enthusiastic teams, the customers who have been so loyal and passionate about the food they eat. But most of all the Irish Artisan food producers whose dedication to creating quality authentic food has given us and our customers so much joy.’ – Kevin & Seamus Sheridan About Sheridans Cheesemongers.
For almost thirty years Kevin and Seamus have been devoted and passionate in bringing genuine artisan and farmhouse foods to their customers in Ireland. From their first days of selling Irish farmhouse cheese on the Galway market in 1995 the brothers have slowly grown the company into one of Ireland most recognisable names in Irish food; now employing 150 people across the country.
They export the products they developed in partnership with Irish food producers to the United States, Australia, the UK and Europe. Along with their iconic shops in Meath, Galway and Dublin City they have outlets across eighteen Dunnes stores along with one in Ardkeeen Stores Waterford. You will find their products in many of the independent food shops across the country and their cheeses on the boards of Ireland’s great restaurants.
Along with growing and developing Sheridans Cheesemongers the brothers have been at the vanguard of the Irish artisan food movement over the past three decades. Seamus is well known for his environmental campaigning as well as his work with the Slow Food movement. Kevin has been at the forefront of the protection and development of Irish raw milk cheeses, has been a long time member of the FSAI Artisan forum, Chairman of the Taste Council of Ireland as well as working locally in Meath chairing the Boyne Valley Food group.
‘Our beginning was a leap of faith into the world of cheese but we were sure of 2 things; we knew we loved good cheese and we were sure there were others who did too. Our early days in the Galway market were spent advocating for Irish cheeses, the people who made them, the places they came from and the culture from which they originate. Over time we built longstanding relationships with our cheesemakers and encouraged new producers along the way. Our customer following grew with individuals looking for quality cheeses and foods as well as a good chat about adventures in food or the sharing of recipes. As we grew to include our favourite cheeses and foods from across Europe, we expanded into our own shops across Ireland and locations in partnership with Dunnes Stores. Through the years our mission has remained the same, bring quality artisanal cheeses and foods to the people who love and value them.’ – Kevin & Seamus Sheridan
From John & Sally Mckenna: ‘It’s impossible to imagine the contemporary Irish food world without Kevin and Seamus Sheridan and Sheridan’s Cheesemongers. They are cheesemongers who have always thought like cheesemakers, and that is how they have been able to have such a profound impact on Irish food over the last 30 years. Their brilliance has been their ability to act like artisans, in appreciating, ageing and selling cheese, and also in the way they have built their retail and wholesale business. Kevin and Seamus started with a market stall, and at every point of their business journey they have been both unconventional, and original. They are the true iconoclasts.’ - J&S McKenna
From Siobhan Ní Ghairbhith, St. Tola Cheese ‘As an artisan cheese supplier for over 20 years to Kevin and Seamus Sheridan, II have witnessed , how they have proudly championed not only Irish Farmhouse Cheeses but Irish artisan food, both at home and abroad. Their generosity of sharing their passion , knowledge & custom, with us Irish artisan producers, has helped insure that not only has the industry survived but thrived over the decades. – Siobhan ni Ghairbhith
From Kevin and Seamus, in dedication: ‘We dedicate this award to the hard work of so many in the Irish artisan food community. But we also hope it inspires the wonderful, exciting and dynamic new generation within Sheridans and the wider food community to chase after what they believe in.’ – Kevin & Seamus Sheridan
From Caroline Hennessy and the Irish Food Writers Guild: IFWG Lifetime Achievement Award: Kevin and Seamus Sheridan From farmers’ market stall to household name. That’s been the journey for Kevin and Seamus Sheridan who started selling cheese at Galway’s Saturday market in 1995 and have since carved out their own unique path, making Irish farmhouse cheese available to more people than ever before. That stall soon became a shop, a most deliciously pungent spot on Galway’s Church Yard Street, where sampling has always easily turned to spending as the brothers promoted cheese from around Ireland alongside carefully sourced European cheese and other artisan products. Since 1997, devoted cheese lovers have beat a path to their shop in Dublin - you simply cannot go down South Anne Street without calling in for a smidgen of Coolea or Cavanbert - and the brothers also have a shop, café and maturing warehouse at a renovated railway station in the Boyne Valley, creating yet another cheese destination. There are now Sheridans’ Cheese Counters in Waterford’s Ardkeen Supermarket and several Dunnes Stores locations throughout Ireland, all staffed with enthusiastic and knowledgeable cheesemongers. From one small stall to twenty one establishments in less than 30 years: that’s a hell of a lot of cheese. Relationships with producers have been key to success and are central to the ethos of the company, as Kevin and Seamus have worked on developing and growing the market for Irish farmhouse cheese. With the Sheridans name - and that distinctive green, white and gold packaging - now synonymous with quality, the cheese loving consumers of Ireland have a lot to be appreciative for.
Congratulations to Kevin and Seamus from all the Boyne Valley Team- we are very grateful for all you contribute to our network!
Find out more about Sheridans Cheesemongers on our website here.