Trusted Family Business

Where It All Began…

It all began for this family back in November 1988 when Phil and Betty Behan decided to open a fruit and veg shop at Sean Mc Curtain Street, Athlone. Phil had extensive involvement in the fruit and veg business most of his working career, which was then an obvious choice for the couple to make when they decided to set up shop on their own. His daughter Sharon was 11 years old at the time, who in later years has joined this business.

Phil is very thankful to the local people of Athlone who made his fruit and veg shop a success. His motto was always to supply ‘Top Quality Fruit and Veg’ to the Athlone area whilst supporting the local farmers buying their produce. When an opportunity came up to purchase a near buy premises at Scotch Parade, which was an old farmhouse belonging to The English Family, Phil and Betty took it. They transformed it into a traditional market area keeping most of its old farmhouse character.

They have been trading here at this fabulous building since June 1998. It’s a unique courtyard premise situated in the heart of Athlone. One would have to see it to appreciate it. As you enter from the front of the building there are pictures of the old structure before it was transformed. Phil’s love for what he does has resulted in the business still trading after 33 years.

Our Mission

Passionate About Produce

We here at Behans are passionate about what we sell.

We aim to sell only the best quality fresh produce. Phil travels to Dublin a few times a week to purchase produce. Our stock is turned over quickly as we sell also to the wholesale and restaurant businesses locally. We always sell the best local and Irish produce when these are available. This results in fresher quality produce direct to your plate. Supporting our local Irish farmers is a must for us as a family.

We love The feedback we get from our customers. They tell us that our produce is always tastier, much fresher and last longer than supermarket products. This coupled with the friendly service customers receive helps us remain the best place for your fruit, veg and much more. You can always come in for a bit of veg and come out with a recipe or a new food idea.

Our mission statement is simple, we aim to provide top quality fresh produce in a friendly and knowledgeable environment to the people of Athlone and surrounding areas.

Behans' Today

Behans Fruit & Veg Today

Sharon, Phil & Betty’s daughter joined this established family business 15 years ago. She has added a lot more than just fruit and veg to what Behans offers. Move than ever, we now give customers more variety through increasing our stock of excellent, quality products.

In recent years Ronan, Sharon’s husband, joined in this venture by introducing a cheese counter to our already excellent shop. Ronan, who worked in the catering industry for many years, identified that Athlone did not have a huge range of fresh cheeses available.

Four years on and we now offer a large selection of freshly cut Artisan cheeses, from Ireland and abroad. Some of the most popular Irish cheeses available are Mossfield Organic, Cratloe Sheeps, Mature Cashel. Internationally, we stock Comte, Prima Donna and Rustique to name a few.

A Rich Variety of Delights

On top of a huge selection of fruit and vegetables, which is everything you need for your weekly shop, we stock some of the finest produce in Ireland. Some of the highlights of our range include crackers from Sheridans, Hassets and Foods of Athenry. Chutneys and Jams from Crossogue Gourmet preserves and Jannets. From our neighbours, Grogan of Glasson, we source some spectacular salad dressings and jams.

We stock Kilbeggan Organic Porridge and cookies. We have a number of artisan oils including Second Nature Organic Rapseed Oil, Donegal Rapeseed oil and Glen Field from Birr. There is Achill Island smoked salt and sea salt plus Mc Canns Irish natural Juices.

We also stock a large range of Organic Products including Beutslberg juices, Kilbeggan porridge and organic pasta. If you love Italian food then by not try De Cecco’s excellent quality Italian food plus a wide variety of pastas and sauces all available in our shop.

And finally, don’t forget out freshly baking produce delivered every morning from Leigh and Elaine at A Slice of Life, which is a perfect complement to our Bell Lane Coffee direct from Mullingar.

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Looking To The Future

What’s next for us? Well, who knows! But there are some things we are certain will never change at Behan Fruit & Veg. We know we will continue serving the people of Athlone, and the surrounding areas, for many years to come. We’ll always offer fresh, local, quality products and a wide selection of amazing Irish and international foods.

We know we will keep supporting Irish producers, investing in their products, helping them, their staff and their families. You’ll always find many Irish products in our gem of a shop.

We know we will always offer our amazing customers a wide selection of fantastic food, which is always responsibly sourced. We will also always offer a great range of organic produce in our shop.

Finally, we know that we will always be here to support our customers with friendly honest advice, a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and first-class customer services.

Meet The Behan’s Family

Behans Fruit & Veg is much more than Betty, Phil, Sharon and Ronan. We have an amazing team, most of which has been involved in the business for years. It is the collective team’s hard work and passion for everything we do that helps make our business stand out. Everyone works so hard to give our customers the best possible produce and experience. Our highly experienced team are always here to help, provide recommendation and share their knowledge.

We think Sharon sums it up perfectly when she said, ‘I love working and growing the business in such a relaxed, friendly environment. Our knowledgeable and friendly staff who have been with us for many years are part of my family at this stage’.

So why no let our family look after your family. We look forward to welcoming you into the shop very soon.

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