How It's Made
Two thousand years of tradition, kept alive in Co. Mayo since 1990
A family recipe from the beginning
Cuinneog, the Irish word for 'churn', was founded in 1990 by Tom and Sheila Butler in Shraheens, Balla, Co. Mayo. What began as a small family operation in their farmhouse kitchen, using old family recipes passed down through generations, has grown into one of Ireland's most celebrated artisan dairies.
Two thousand years of tradition
The methods used at Cuinneog date back over 2,000 years. Long before mass production changed the dairy industry, Irish farmhouses fermented their cream before churning, a technique that produces a butter and buttermilk of extraordinary depth and character. That is still exactly how we do it today.
Fermenting the cream
The key to Cuinneog's distinctive flavour lies in fermenting the cream before it is churned. This slow, natural process, unusual even among artisan producers, develops a richness and tang that no shortcut can replicate. We never rush it. The cream is given the time it needs, just as it always has been.
Churning by hand
Once the cream has fermented, it is churned in the traditional way. The process separates the butterfat into rich, pale-gold butter, while the tangy, probiotic-rich liquid left behind becomes our natural buttermilk. Each batch is produced in small quantities so nothing is overlooked.
Rebranded with pride
Originally known as Sheila's of Mayo, the business rebranded to Cuinneog to better reflect the traditional, handcrafted, and deeply Irish nature of everything we make. The name honours the very tool at the heart of our process — the butter churn.
Award-winning, nationwide
Now managed by Breda Butler, Cuinneog has grown from a small family kitchen to supplying major Irish retailers nationwide. The butter has earned 3 Gold Stars at the Great Taste Awards 2015, was listed in the Top 50 Foods, and was served at the State Banquet for Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Ireland in 2011.
Want to know more?
Get in touch with us at our dairy in Shraheens, Balla, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. We'd love to hear from you.
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