Meet ICR 2023’s Irish champion: Indie Füde

When it comes to championing the very best Irish food and drink – including cheese – it doesn’t get much more passionate than the team behind Indie Füde.

“The business is all about being independent and supporting small, indigenous food producers from the island of Ireland, not least the wonderfully talented cheesemakers we have,” begins Laura Bradley, director.

Despite its humble beginnings in a County Down attic in 2014, with an ambient focus and dreams of cheese and charcuterie-selling, the business grew to incorporate a market stall at which founder Johnny McDowell was able to promote the business and its delicious wares.

In May 2016, Laura joined the business, and since then its growth has become renowned across Northern Ireland. “In 2017, the decision was made to find a new home on the main street in Comber, and in June 2018, we moved into our current HQ – fitted out with a custom-built cheese fridge that was our pride and joy!” says Laura.

“Having a significantly bigger store with a wonderful high street frontage was an important step for us, and it allowed us to shout louder about everything we had to offer. We were well supported both by locals and destination visitors looking for the best of local produce.”

For the love of cheese
A cheese-focused venture soon followed. “In 2020 we opened our second venture – The Cheese Edition – specifically focused on what we believe to be an unrivalled selection of cheese being made on the island of Ireland. The Ormeau Road is a real hive of independent retailers – and they are thriving! We’ve had great support from the neighbouring retailers. It’s a wonderful community we are delighted to be part of.”

In a pretty unique move for a cheesemonger, Johnny partnered up with Davide Tani of VeloCheese in 2022 – making Italian-style cheese in a ‘cheese lab’ located in a living museum in East Belfast, which allows for tasting, events and a bit of theatre to play a role in the production process.

“We were welcomed into some of the best pizzerias on the island from an early stage,” explains Laura. “We’re still in our infancy and developing every day – but received a silver award at the World Cheese Awards for our Stracciatella, which we were delighted with!”

The business has also partnered with fellow NI-producer Burren Balsamics to produce a range of largely cheese accompaniment-based products, with two items in the range winning gold at the Blas nah Eireann awards in 2022.

No cutting corners
Investing in doing things right is at the core of Indie Füde’s success story. “The team at Indie Füde is incredibly important to us – and we train our staff in house and via the Academy of Cheese. Knowledge is power! And it allows them to communicate confidently with customers.”

Members of the Indie Füde team, through careful nurturing relationships with Irish cheesemakers and on-site visits, are often able to try new cheeses under development; a sure-fire perk for cheese lovers. This passion for the domestic cheese market shines through. “Our individualism where it comes to our selection of cheese is certainly a talking point. Every week we are asked for a specific cheese – and we (almost) always talk them round to a fabulous Irish equivalent. Concentrating on cheese from the island of Ireland gives us the ability to maintain a high level of understanding of each and every one.”

That’s not to say that business has always been smooth sailing, especially in the current tempestuous waters. “Continuing to run a business with our unique values and focus has been a challenge – particularly with price increases across the board,” says Laura. “We pride ourselves in being as sustainable as possible in all our business choices and as the cost-of-living crisis continues to pinch we can sometimes find ourselves questioning some of these fundamental values.” Despite this, the team’s investment in sustainable options is never in question: “They define us as a company and feel right.”

Fed by inspiration
“A combination of our local communities and our network of producers gets us up in the morning,” says Laura. “We are blessed with two incredibly supportive communities around our Comber and Ormeau Road branches – from customers who pop into the store every day for a well-deserved cup of Causeway Coffee, to those who pick our brains for their weekend cheese board, or thought-out gifts for special occasions.

“Our network of producers inspires us all daily, and is why we attract such passionate and hard-working foodies to the team. Being able to meet the producers allows us a little peek into their lives and their stories. It’s hard not to feel invested in a product and a person once you’ve met them and have learnt about their journey!”

Find out more by reading their profile in the 2023 edition of Inspirational Cheese Retailers.