Deli leader Kieran looks for solutions to Protocol challenges

Enterprising deli owner Kieran Sloan hopes to have found a novel solution for the reluctance of smaller cheese producers and other artisan food companies in Britain to continue to supply Northern Ireland due the onerous bureaucracy surrounding the Irish Sea Protocol.
Sawers is a popular deli in Belfast’s Fountain StreetSawers is a popular deli in Belfast’s Fountain Street
Sawers is a popular deli in Belfast’s Fountain Street

As a result, Kieran, the affable owner of the famed Sawers Deli in Belfast’s Fountain Street, could soon be importing English artisan cheeses for many loyal customers by way France and the Republic of Ireland! He’s determined not lo let then down any longer.

“We’ve been finding difficulty in sourcing some artisan foods, especially cheeses, from Britain since Christmas,” he explains. “There have also been hold ups too in cheeses we source from France and Italy due to the new arrangements between Britain and the EU. Many of the smaller artisan producers in Britain have found the bureaucracy difficult and have decided that Northern Ireland is just too small a market for them to be bothered. The artisans and smaller companies didn’t really – and still don’t - understand the new rules and weren’t ready for forms that now have to be completed.”

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He’s been busy trying to find a solution for his loyal customers of traditional English cheeses over the past few months.

Kieran Sawers, who owns Sawers Deli in Belfast, is facing challenges sourcing artisan products such as English cheeses due to the
Northern Ireland ProtocolKieran Sawers, who owns Sawers Deli in Belfast, is facing challenges sourcing artisan products such as English cheeses due to the
Northern Ireland Protocol
Kieran Sawers, who owns Sawers Deli in Belfast, is facing challenges sourcing artisan products such as English cheeses due to the Northern Ireland Protocol

“Our customers keep asking for them, and we’ve been upset having to tell them that we’ve not been able to source favourities such as the Snowdonia Cheese Company’s Black Bomber mature cheddar,” he continues. “The option of buying English products by way of a wholesaler in France for onward shipping to Dublin and then to Belfast is one I am seriously considering. While we’ve lost a number of smaller specialist suppliers in Britain, some others have approached us to stock their products.

“As a result, we are now doing business with them. We are also fortunate in having very vibrant artisan food sectors in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. For instance, there are excellent cheeses on the island including Portadown’s Ballylisk, Young Buck from Belfast, Kearney Blue from Castlereagh and a range from Dart Mountain from Maghera. We’ve taken the opportunity to introduce these cheeses to fans of English and French cheese. They are all selling very well. Local has become the way to go. They are also featuring in our successful range of artisan food hampers and in our online shop.”

The shop had also seen approaches from smaller producers in the Republic with highly original products and added a number to the shelves.

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“We stock them because they are excellent and we have to have products to sell,” he says.

Kieran Sawers, who owns Sawers Deli in Belfast, is facing challenges sourcing artisan products such as English cheeses due to the
Northern Ireland ProtocolKieran Sawers, who owns Sawers Deli in Belfast, is facing challenges sourcing artisan products such as English cheeses due to the
Northern Ireland Protocol
Kieran Sawers, who owns Sawers Deli in Belfast, is facing challenges sourcing artisan products such as English cheeses due to the Northern Ireland Protocol

He points out that he’s always been keen to give local products an opportunity to reach his discerning customers, adding that there’s a need for further marketing measures to increase awareness among shoppers here of the breadth, quality and flavours of locally produced foods. “There’s been a revolution in the artisan food sector here especially over the past decade,” he continues. “Food NI is doing a great job with very limited resources. It could do some much more for what has become a very exciting sector with greater support.”

A Belfast landmark, Sawers, which had become a popular destination for food tourists as well as local foodies before the pandem, is surviving the successive lockdowns by focusing resources on its online business. “Online sales have grown substantially along with our hamper business at home and abroad,” Kieran continues. “We’ve created a number of special hampers for events such as St Patrick’s Day – with two free bottles of Guinness!

Reviving business in the city, he adds will require substantial investment after the lockdown.

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“It’s been heartbreaking seeing so many shops shuttered over the past year. I feel for the smaller traders in particular. We’ve continued to trade through the pandemic and appreciate greatly the support of so many loyal customers and staff. We’ve invested extensively in social distancing and other safety measures to help us get through it and be positioned to grasp opportunities after the lockdown,” he adds.

A larger-than-life personality, Kieran is a talented and entrepreneurial businessman who has turned Sawers in Belfast into a gourmet deli that’s become a ‘must’ visit destination for lovers of great food. It’s been his life for over 40 years. He’s earned recognition and respect in the city and further afield for his dedication and enterprise.

Married to Tracy, Kieran, now a father of three sons and a daughter, joined Sawers, which had been trading in Belfast since 1897, at the age of 16. He subsequently acquired the shop in 2001 and has since transformed it into a veritable treasure trove for ‘foodies’, a place filled with a bewildering variety of delicious and precious foods.

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