Kiwi Matthew Brownie turns his Skibbereen solo into a national player.
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| More good news for Matthew today (Nov 24th). The firm has been short-listed as a finalist in the SFA National Small Business Awards 2026 in the Innovation category. |
Matthew Brownie, Skibbereen’s ebullient Kiwi is unstoppable. Since he founded the Skibbereen Food Company 12 short years ago he has managed (among many other activities) to combine the development of tasty snack products with catchy names into an astounding national success.
The trend goes on. At the recent Ballymaloe Craft Fair, I met up with the Kiwi and he introduced me to, wait for it, Don’t Touch My Coco Nuts! Who’d go to market with a name like that? Matthew would, and has.
His first success in snacks was the “pigalicious” Scratch my Pork (with an optional OINK!). The new Baked Coconut Clusters are quite a treat, delicious for a quick snack on the go and one or two of the clusters will happily accompany your mid-morning cup of coffee. It is another gem to take its place in his terrific ranges of yummy snacks. More at https://skibbereenfoodco.com/ theskibbfoodco.
Matthew: "Rose Confectionery has already made a big leap on the brand, a partnership that instantly pushed The Skibbereen Food Company onto the national stage.Their distribution power, relationships, and ability to scale brands have transformed what was once a one-person operation into a household-recognised name with nationwide visibility. Rose Confectionery believed in the vision. They saw something in my products and my story and they acted fast."
Twelve years on and it is no longer a solo run for the Kiwi who says " this partnership becomes more than logistics; it’s a validation". Over the years, Matthew pushed the brand forward store by store, pub by pub, while balancing a full-time Head Chef position job, raising a family, and navigating financial pressures. He can look back with some satisfaction: "Despite exhaustion, motivation dips, and hard years, the brand never lost momentum, and eventually reached a point where national distributors and retailers could no longer ignore it."
For years, chef and founder Matthew Brownie believed he “knew too little” to build a major Irish food brand. But if you know Brownie, you know he keeps on keeping on even when its easier to quit. He's a chef who used "every spare minute to grow something of his own. A single employee company that outperformed expectations". Perhaps he knew too little but he knew enough to keep going.
I asked Matthew where does the company stand now.
"Today, the brand stands at a turning point. With national distribution through Rose
Confectionery, six major retail listings, new innovative products on the way, and a surge in
demand, Skibbereen Food Company is accelerating into its strongest chapter yet."
Whats the driver here?
"Today, the brand stands at a turning point. With national distribution through Rose
Confectionery, six major retail listings, new innovative products on the way, and a surge in
demand, Skibbereen Food Company is accelerating into its strongest chapter yet."
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| These didn't last long! |
Whats the driver here?
Matthew: "Rose Confectionery has already made a big leap on the brand, a partnership that instantly pushed The Skibbereen Food Company onto the national stage.Their distribution power, relationships, and ability to scale brands have transformed what was once a one-person operation into a household-recognised name with nationwide visibility. Rose Confectionery believed in the vision. They saw something in my products and my story and they acted fast."
Twelve years on and it is no longer a solo run for the Kiwi who says " this partnership becomes more than logistics; it’s a validation". Over the years, Matthew pushed the brand forward store by store, pub by pub, while balancing a full-time Head Chef position job, raising a family, and navigating financial pressures. He can look back with some satisfaction: "Despite exhaustion, motivation dips, and hard years, the brand never lost momentum, and eventually reached a point where national distributors and retailers could no longer ignore it."
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| First product, in its modest 2015 packaging |
The present:
Distributed nationally by Rose Confectionery
Listed in six Irish retail chains
Selling strongly through 30 pubs
Growing through online channels
Distributed nationally by Rose Confectionery
Listed in six Irish retail chains
Selling strongly through 30 pubs
Growing through online channels
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| Another in Matthew's range of tasty snacks! |
The Next Chapter: Innovation
Preparing for a New Zealand market trial
Turnover is now expected to triple.
The Skibbereen Food Company is entering a new creative phase, with multiple new products
under development for 2025.
Coming Soon
A new high-protein snack range developed for the Irish Market
Gift sets of Scratch My Pork Range for Christmas 2026
A collaboration with another local food and drink company
A new line of innovative products that Rose Confectionery is preparing to launch nationwide
The brand’s innovation pipeline is now one of its biggest strengths, and a key reason
distributors and retailers are moving quickly.
Preparing for a New Zealand market trial
Turnover is now expected to triple.
The Skibbereen Food Company is entering a new creative phase, with multiple new products
under development for 2025.
Coming Soon
A new high-protein snack range developed for the Irish Market
Gift sets of Scratch My Pork Range for Christmas 2026
A collaboration with another local food and drink company
A new line of innovative products that Rose Confectionery is preparing to launch nationwide
The brand’s innovation pipeline is now one of its biggest strengths, and a key reason
distributors and retailers are moving quickly.
No Plans to Stop Any Time Soon
Products are widely available. For more on Matthew and the Skibbereen Food Company and the online shop, click here https://skibbereenfoodco.com/
Matthew built the company from scratch (his original product was Scratch My Pork). He was doing much more through, cooking on Ireland AM, developing a cookbook with 50 recipes, working as a Demonstration Chef, returning to college for a Level 8 in Culinary Entrepreneurship, Matthew never stopped learning, evolving, or creating. He's back in coillage again, this time lecturing! "I enjoy it," he insisted at Ballymaloe. Looks like he has no intention of slowing down any time soon.
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