Introduce yourself.

Hi, I'm Ciara Shine, and I run Shines Seafood alongside my parents, John and Marianne, in Killybegs, Co. Donegal. We're a small family business with a big passion for Irish seafood! I grew up surrounded by the fishing industry, so seafood has always been a huge part of my life. My dad spent 20 years as a fisherman, my mum worked in the fish industry, and together they ran a fish and chip shop where I spent plenty of time growing up. I studied business and marketing and joined the family business in 2016, focusing on growing our brand and sharing our story.

Today, we're incredibly proud to have built Shines Seafood into an award-winning Irish brand, bringing delicious, nutritious Irish tuna, sardines and mackerel to households across Ireland and beyond. I'm also a mum of three, so life is always busy, but I genuinely love what I do. There's something very special about building a business with your family and promoting an industry that means so much to your community.

What inspired you to join the natural health sector?

For me, it was a very natural progression. I've grown up around seafood my entire life, and I've always believed that some of the best foods for our health come straight from nature. Fish is such a fantastic source of protein, Omega-3 fatty acids and essential nutrients, yet I think we sometimes overlook just how beneficial and convenient it can be. What really motivates me is encouraging people to eat more seafood and showing them that healthy eating doesn't need to be complicated or expensive. Something as simple as adding a tin of quality  sardines, mackerel or tuna to your lunch can be a brilliant way of incorporating more nutritious food into your diet.

As a mum, I'm also very conscious of the importance of good food and making healthy choices accessible to busy families. We're not a traditional health supplement brand. We're a real-food brand, and I think that's what makes our place in the natural health sector so exciting. We want to help people enjoy naturally nutritious food that's delicious, convenient and easy to incorporate into everyday life.

Where did you get the idea for your brand?

The idea for Shines Seafood actually came from our family holidays to the Basque region of Spain. We used to enjoy the most amazing tuna there, preserved in olive oil, and I remember asking my dad why we couldn't get tuna like that back home in Ireland. The funny thing was that Ireland was already catching incredible wild albacore tuna, but so much of it was being exported. We had this fantastic product right on our doorstep, yet Irish consumers weren't getting the opportunity to enjoy it. 

We decided to change that!

In 2015, we launched Shines Seafood with our Wild Irish Albacore Tuna. We wanted to take something that was already world-class and make it available to Irish households. What started with one product and a simple family idea has grown into a much bigger range, but that original passion for showcasing Irish seafood is still at the heart of everything we do.

What makes your brand unique?

I think what makes Shines Seafood special is that we're genuinely passionate about the products we sell, and we know the industry behind them inside out. We're not a big corporation. We're a family from Killybegs with decades of experience in the fishing industry, and our business was built around a product we believed deserved to be celebrated.

Our Wild Irish Albacore Tuna was really the starting point. It's beautifully tender, delicate and completely different from what many people expect when they think of tinned tuna. For us, it's about combining quality, convenience, nutrition and sustainability, while making premium seafood accessible to everyday consumers. And because we're a small family business, everything is personal. Our name is on every product, and that means a lot to us.

What are your company's core values?

Family, quality, sustainability, education and community are really at the heart of Shines Seafood. Family is the foundation of everything we do. My parents and I have built this business together, and we're incredibly proud of that. Quality is something we never want to compromise on. We want people to open one of our products and genuinely enjoy what they're eating. 

Sustainability is also hugely important to us. Growing up in Killybegs, you see firsthand how important the fishing industry is to the people and communities who depend on it. We believe that protecting the future of seafood means thinking about both our marine resources and the livelihoods connected to them.

Community is another big one. We're very proud to be from Donegal and to represent Irish seafood. We want our success to help shine a light on the amazing people, produce and businesses in our region. Ultimately, we believe in being authentic, working hard, treating people well and staying true to where we came from.

How do you support your community?

Being from Killybegs, supporting our community is something that comes naturally to us. Fishing is such an important part of life here. It's not just an industry; it's families, livelihoods and generations of tradition. One of the biggest things we're trying to do through Shines Seafood is encourage people to choose Irish seafood and recognise the value of our own fishing industry. It doesn’t have to be a Shines product – just Irish produce in general.

We're also passionate about promoting Killybegs as a destination. In 2023, we opened our seafood visitor experience, where people can learn about the industry, discover more about Irish fish and, of course, taste some of our products. We wanted to create something that would bring visitors into the town, give them a better understanding of seafood and encourage them to explore what Killybegs has to offer. For me, supporting our community is about creating opportunities, championing local food and helping ensure that our fishing heritage continues for future generations.

What has been the most rewarding part of your brand's journey?

Without a doubt, seeing something that started as a simple family idea grow into a recognised Irish brand has been incredibly rewarding. When we launched in 2015, we had one product and a lot of determination. Fast-forward eleven years, and our products are stocked in shops across Ireland and have reached customers internationally. But it's not just about the business growing. It's about hearing from customers who tell us they've never tasted tuna like ours before, or that they've started eating more seafood because of our products.

One of my proudest personal achievements has been publishing my cookbook, Ciara's Catch, in 2025. It was something I'd wanted to do for years, and it gave me the opportunity to share our family's story, celebrate Irish seafood and bring together recipes from some wonderful people in the Irish food community. Getting to work alongside my parents and seeing what we've achieved together is something I'll always be grateful for. There have been plenty of challenges along the way, but that's what makes the successes even sweeter!

What, in your opinion, makes Irish brands unique?

I think Irish brands have an authenticity that's very difficult to replicate. We're a small country, but we have incredible producers, amazing natural resources and a real sense of pride in where we come from. So many Irish businesses start with a family, a passion or a simple idea, and I think customers really connect with that. There's often a genuine story behind the product, and the people running the business are personally invested in its success. There's also a fantastic sense of support among Irish food producers. We might all be running our own businesses, but there's a shared passion for showcasing the very best of what Ireland has to offer.

What is your favourite product from your brand?

Oh, that's a difficult one! It's a bit like being asked to pick your favourite child! But I would have to say our Chilli Tuna. It's been a family favourite for years, and I absolutely love it. I even add more chilli to it from time to time. It's packed with flavour, incredibly versatile and so handy to have in the cupboard. You can throw it into a pasta dish, add it to a salad or simply enjoy it on some lovely fresh bread.

Our Wild Irish Albacore Tuna in Olive Oil will always have a special place in my heart, too, because it's the product that started everything for us. It's beautifully delicate, and I still love seeing people's reactions when they taste it for the first time. I think that's one of the best things about our range. We have products that make everyday meals easy, but they're also special enough to create something really delicious.

Tell us about something that has shaped your brand.

I think growing up in Killybegs and being part of a fishing family has shaped absolutely everything about our brand. When you live in a fishing town, you understand that seafood is so much more than a product on a supermarket shelf. Behind every catch there are fishermen, families, businesses and communities whose livelihoods depend on the industry. That has given us a real appreciation for where our food comes from and the importance of protecting the future of Irish fishing.

Another huge influence was our experience in Spain. Seeing how much pride people took in their preserved seafood really opened our eyes to what we could achieve with Irish fish. We realised that we had this incredible natural resource here in Ireland, but we weren't necessarily celebrating it in the same way. That idea has stayed with us throughout our journey. We want to change people's perceptions of tinned fish, showcase the quality of Irish seafood and encourage more people to enjoy it. I also think being a small family business has shaped how we operate. We've had to learn, adapt and overcome challenges together, and that's made us incredibly resilient.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future?

I'd love to see Shines Seafood continue to grow and become a household name, not just in Ireland but internationally too. We've come such a long way since launching our first tuna product in 2015, but I genuinely feel there's still so much more we can do. One of my biggest ambitions is to encourage more people to eat seafood and to recognise just how nutritious, convenient and delicious it can be.

I'd love to continue developing innovative products, reaching new markets and finding creative ways to make seafood more appealing to younger generations and busy families. Publishing Ciara's Catch was another exciting step in that journey, and I'd love to continue using food, recipes and storytelling to inspire people to cook with seafood more often. I'm also really passionate about continuing to promote Killybegs, supporting our fishing communities and making sure Irish seafood gets the recognition it deserves.

Ultimately, I want us to keep growing without losing what makes Shines Seafood special: our family values, our passion for quality and our love of Irish fish. And if we can help get more Irish seafood onto dinner tables around the world along the way, I'll be a very happy woman!

Explore the Shines Seafood Range for quality Irish seafood or shop the blog below.