The grandsons of Dominic Doyle who owned and ran the renowned D.B. Doyle’s butchers and meat processing plant in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, are part of the new wave of grocers, embracing nostalgia and the need for provenance, with the opening of their store in Ballymore Eustace.
Brothers Conor and Dominic Doyle have launched Doyle’s Grocers, inspired by their grandfather who opened the first delicatessen in Ireland in the 1960s.
Aside from being a successful food producer, Dominic Doyle senior was an astute businessman and was also the owner and one of the founders of Newbridge Cutlery factory, now known as the world-famous lifestyle brand, Newbridge Silverware.
Coincidently, the new micro-grocery store, Doyle’s Grocers, is housed in what was an old butcher’s shop in the square in Ballymore Eustace.
Now, rather than the traditional rows of turkeys and legs of lamb on display, the shop showcases a range of cured meats; handmade cheeses; bread and cakes; fresh vegetables; speciality condiments; pickles; jams and preserves.
Original vintage dressers are laden with tins of spices and store cupboard luxuries. Products include: Olive pate; chilli infused honey; traditional lemon curd; and inferno hot sauce.
The vintage inspired tin packaging containing premium picante tuna and anchovies is testament to the brothers’ quest for toothsome treats.
Local suppliers
Local suppliers are key to the quality of the items for sale and great care has gone into sourcing local produce, i.e. Bernard Gibney’s jams and preserves, handmade in small batches in Kildare town.
Cheeses include Ballyhubbock farm cheese and goats cheese made by Conor Phelan of Hollywood farmhouse cheese.
Vegetables and herbs grown in Dermot Carey’s organic vegetable farm in Arsdcull in Co. Kildare, are stocked as well as freshly baked bread and pastries. Flour made by Ballymore Organics is also available.
The Irish stoneground flour and porridge oats are grown and milled by James Kelly, whose old stone mill is located just outside the village of Ballymore Eustace.
In true Doyle family butcher’s style, and in homage to the duo’s grandfather, the store also stocks venison steaks; cured meats; speciality sausages and black pudding, i.e. Inch House Pudding, handmade by Mairin Byrne from Co. Tipperary. The pudding is made from an old family recipe passed down through Mairin’s family.
Generational grocers
It seems it’s not the only thing that has been passed down through the generations, as Dominic Doyle remarked: “Our grandfather, Dominic senior who I am named after, was a stalwart of industry and had the foresight to open what was Ireland’s first ever delicatessen in Ireland in 1963.
“Even back then, he could see that people wanted; in-season, fresh food, not mass-produced products but speciality meats, ethically farmed and produced by local people.
“The farm-to-fork ethos that our grandfather had then is just as important now. People want to know where their food comes from, food provenance is vital.
“When people buy locally, they cut down on travel, they support small producers and they get great tasting, premium food that can’t be found in supermarkets.
“My brother, Conor and I can see a big shift in the choices people make when it comes to food, and we are delighted to be able to showcase some of the most incredible artisan produce made here in Kildare and in Ireland.”