People

Meet The Cashel Team

Sarah Furno

Joint Owner and Cheese Maturer. Sarah is responsible for keeping the show on the road – sustainably growing the family business. With a true passion for food, she loves visiting fellow food producers around the world. She is a mother of three budding foodies!

Sergio Furno

Joint Owner, Cheese Maturer and occasional Cheesemaker. Sergio’s greatest loves are Italian football, home brewing and elaborate foodie experiments. His heritage is a rice farm in Northern Italy.

Louis Clifton Brown

Quality Assurance and Environmental Manager. Louis keeps us on our toes, and our standards high. He is our No.1 fixer and systems-guy. The greater the problem – the louder he sings. When not in the dairy, he can often be found singing on a local stage.

Metin Cunlu

Taster. Metin hails from Turkey, but is a well established Tipperary man. Trained by Sarah Furno, Metin is a key member of our tasting team, selecting cheese to order for different customers, and helping manage the cellar stock of up to 50,000 wheels of Cashel Blue cheese.

Philomena Cunlu

Administration and Marketing. Philomena joined us in 2023, Philomena is a people person through and through and very organised with many years experience in the hotel world, the perfect person to keep us all in order with a friendly smile to nudge us along.

Jane and Louis Grubb

Founders and Co-Directors of the company, Together Louis and Jane created Cashel Blue in 1984. Jane describes Cashel Blue as her baby that has grown up. A creative and hands-on person, she is now retired and enjoying life on the farm with her grandchildren. Louis, the semi-retired entrepreneur, continues to closely follow activities in the dairy. Louis loves a good story, fixing up his old boats and botany.

Mary Leahy

Accounts. Mary looks after bookkeeping and keeps us on our toes. When she’s not working on the accounts you’re likely to find her busily taking part in amateur dramatics and hillwalking.

Przemyslaw Magalinski

Cheesemaking Team Leader. Przemyslaw, originally from Poland is our all round, cool headed likeable guy, who keeps us organised and is making a fine job of learning the art of cheese-making. When not making cheese he may be assisting his wife running her Polish Food shop in local Thurles.

Pawel Noga

Cheesemaker. Pawel joined us in 2012 having previously worked making soft, fresh cheeses in Tipperary. Originally from Poland, he now has a strong Tipperary lilt and brings great banter to the much needed tea break. He loves doing up old cars.

Brendan Phelan

Farmer. Brendan farms Beechmount Farm, which surround the cheese dairy and supply milk the short distance from milking parlour to vat. Brendan and his wife Margaret are committed to sustainable farming practices and animal welfare, with 190 Friesan cross cows.

Arkadiusz Przybylik

Cheesemaker. Arek joined our team in 2023, he brings great energy and positivity to the cheesemaking room, when not making cheese, he can be found hiking the local hills or kitesurfing the seas.

Clara

Clara Marie Tracey

Marketing. Clara is charged with the project of selling our blue cheeses to France and the Benelux, a tough task!  She leads a double life, split between cheese and music.

Our other team members are:

  • Stephen Baskin (farm)
  • John Donaghy
  • Joan Hayde
  • Mary Leahy
  • Mary Maher
  • Paul Maher
  • Joe McGrath
  • Mike Nevin
  • Anne Nevin
  • James O'Connell
  • Noel O'Dwyer
  • Edmond Rice
  • Martin Ryan
  • Jill Schubert
  • Laurence Walsh

The team in 2024: