The Clonakilty story began in the 1800s in a small rural farmhouse in West Cork. Johanna O'Brien made blackpudding and sold it to Philip Harrington's butcher shop on what is now Pearse Street, Clonakilty.
When Johanna retired from a life of crafting blackpudding, she passed her precious recipe onto Philip. When Edward Twomey took over the butchers in 1976, the secret recipe went with it.
The popularity of the product grew and as the range expanded, the business moved to a bigger facility in Little Island, Co. Cork in 1999. Supply to UK multiples commenced and in August of 2017, Woolworths Australia began selling the product.
As demand increased and the company's NPD team continued to innovate, a brand new custom-built production facility opened in Clonakilty in October 2017. This includes the company's administration offices, NPD and distribution and it will also house a new visitor centre, which is due to open in time for the peak holiday season in 2018.
The vision for the centre is to immerse visitors in the tradition of Clonakilty Blackpudding, to offer them an insight into how it's made and to highlight the company's pride in the town of its origin.
