The Pat Curran Award for Excellence in Customer Service

Customer Service Award

Eskimo-3 in collaboration with Rude Health Magazine, the official magazine of the Irish association of Health Stores, launched “The Pat Curran Award for Excellence in Customer Service.”

We asked customers and readers to nominate an exceptional person working in an Independent Irish Health Store. The results were overwhelming with nominations coming from every corner of the country.

Pat Curran

The award is presented in memory of one of the founders of PPC Ltd, Pat Curran. Pat was affectionately known as ”The Eskimo Man” for his work in building the brand Eskimo-3 fish oil to become the leading Omega-3 product in Ireland. Pat often quoted the old adage; ”if you enjoy what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life”. The objective of this worthwhile award was to celebrate excellence in independent health food shops throughout Ireland.

2021 Winner

The Pat Curran Award for Excellence in Service 2021 was presented jointly to Jill Bell, Well & Good, Midleton and Hannah Dare, Organico, Bantry. The annual award was presented by Michael Donnellan from PPC, brand holders for Eskimo-3, ZinCuflex and Zerochol in Ireland, in the memory of Olive’s late father Pat who was a much-loved figure in natural health throughout his life.

Jill Bell has been running Well & Good in County Cork since 1997. She is renowned for her depth of knowledge, generosity and empathy. Voter Claire wrote “Through the pandemic it’s been a go to for so many items that sustained us for the last year and a half”

Well & Good chose Women’s Aid as their charity to receive the €500 prize. Women’s Aid is a leading national organisation that has been working to stop domestic violence in Ireland since 1974.

Hannah Dare runs the iconic Organico with her sister Rachel in West Cork. Voter Saoirse said “an absolute gem in Bantry, a wealth of information, served with a friendly smile. They’ve been supporting the locals throughout the pandemic and working hard – they’re my favourite place to shop in town.”

Organico chose Arc Cork Cancer Support House as their charity to receive the €500 prize. Arc Cork House is a safe haven for people with cancer and their families, where you can find information, practical help and emotional support.

Olive from PPC said “when we heard that the poll was a tie between Jill and Hannah we were delighted. It was an easy decision for us to present a joint award for the first time. Both retailers are fantastic ambassadors for the sector, and we know they will be popular winners.

Congratulations to our overall consumer winner Rosemary Walshe, and runners up Brigitte Le Juez, Sandra Bealin and Marian Collins. Thank you to all the people who took time out to vote for their favourite store and for supporting their local stockists during this difficult time.”

2019 Winner

Congratulations to Teresa Callaghan from Healthy Beings Health Store in Strokestown, who is the 2019 winner of The Pat Curran Award. PPC Ltd and Eskimo-3 presented Teresa with The Pat Curran award, a €500 cash prize, and a charitable donation of €500, which Healthy Beings, Strokestown donated to the charity DARA “Tarmonbarry/ Scramogue Defibrillator Group” in County Roscommon. DARA are a voluntary organization, fundraising for the buying and upkeep of defibrillators in the local area.

As a Naturopath, Teresa passionately engages with customers on a daily basis in her Health Food Store, Healthy Beings located in Strokestown, County Roscommon. In business since 2008, Teresa is aware of the many benefits and challenges of running your own business in the West of Ireland. No stranger to hard work, Teresa commits much of her time and energy into extensively learning about the products she has to offer so that she can serve the community to the best of her ability.

“I am truly grateful for this wonderful award and would like to thank all my very dear customers and friends for taking the time to vote for me. Pat Curran was a very special person and I have very fond memories of the fun we shared during his many in-store promotions of Eskimo Oil. He always provided excellent customer service and was a fantastic representative for the Eskimo Oil brand.

I am very proud that after 11 years in business, Healthy Beings continues to serve a wide community beyond its local base in Strokestown. To hear people travel great distances to our little health store is very humbling. Of course, it could not be possible without my wonderful and loyal customers, the employees and therapists over the years and of course, my family. I would also like to extend a huge thank you to Eskimo 3 (PPC) for the award, and for drawing attention to the wonderful work of the many health stores and owners over the years.

Today more than ever, it is essential that we acknowledge the importance of health stores as we too, struggle with a looming VAT hike. Health stores, along with small business are vital to local communities and it is important that we highlight their influence in local areas.”

Teresa received wonderful commendations in her nomination comments such as: “Teresa embodies a warm and welcoming energy which customers can feel the minute they step into her beautiful store”. “Teresa has an endless amount of knowledge on all things healthy and will always go the extra mile to help her customers.” Another comment read, “Teresa is an incredibly knowledgeable health food store owner who treats each customer with patience and kindness. “She is always willing to go the extra mile to make her customers feel taken care of and shares her years of health knowledge by extending her expertise to each person who comes through the door in order to help them find exactly what they need. She’s a prime candidate for this award.”

Olive Curran, Marketing Director PPC Ltd says ”Teresa is an exceptional lady who is clearly truly passionate about customer service and the natural health industry. Her customers and colleagues speak highly of her and Eskimo-3 are thrilled to present Teresa with the Pat Curran Award for excellence in customer service.

2018 Winner

Congratulations to Angie Myles from The Golden Health Store in Longford, who is the 2018 winner of The Pat Curran Award. PPC Ltd and Eskimo-3 presented Angie with The Pat Curran award, a €500 cash prize and a charitable donation of €500, which Golden Health Store donated to the charity CASA “Caring and Sharing Association” in Longford. CASA does amazing, unsung work in our county, country and all over the world.

As a Nutritional Therapist, Angie who is originally from County Leitrim, has been helping people make better lifestyle choices for nearly 20 years.

“I find working in Golden Health a very rewarding experience because of our customers! No two days are the same. I have met and helped some really special people along the way. Health stores are remarkable places, we are a true listening ear, helping hand and health emporium. I am very grateful for this award and acknowledgement of the work that I do on a daily basis. I would like to thank Eskimo 3 (PPC) for the award and to all our customers who took the time to vote. PPC is a family business based in Galway, whom we have worked with since opening our doors in 2006. It’s fantastic to have their support in the industry and the opportunity to gain recognition for excellent customer service in health stores. We had the pleasure of working with Pat over the years and he always exceeded expectations in customer service. It’s great to see Pat’s daughter Olive leading the way for a new generation of health conscious people” said Angie.

Angie received wonderful commendations in her nomination comments such as: “All staff, especially Angie, are consistently friendly, helpful and extremely knowledgeable about their products, they give excellent advice and some days I just go in for the warmth and care they show! Angie can be relied on for sound advice on the great variety of products in this great shop! Love it!”

Olive Curran, Marketing Director PPC Ltd says ”Angie is an exceptional lady who is clearly truly passionate about customer service and the natural health industry. Her customers and colleagues speak highly of her and Eskimo-3 are thrilled to present Angie with the Pat Curran Award for excellence in customer service.”

Golden Health Store, located in Longford town, stocks everything you would expect in a health store and much more! They have been servicing the health needs of Longford and it’s surrounds since 2006. Their mission is to empower their customers in making the right health choices to support their overall health positively. Golden Health Store is your one-stop shop in Longford for all things organic, vegan and healthy. They are stockists for Eskimo-3, ZinCuFlex, Viridian, Nature’s Plus, Solgar, Wild Nutrition, Terranova, A. Vogel, Mag365, New Nordic, Oxylent, Nature’s Aid, Higher Nature and more. They believe in stocking clean, green toiletries, so we do: Weleda, Holos, Kinvara, Sukin, Lavera, Surya, Salcura, Sonja’s Eco-Tan, Benecos, Organii, locally produced Pit Putty, Beauty Oils and have some great skin supplements like Your Beauty Tonic. They have a great organic wholefood section and they also do chilled & frozen Veggie & Vegan foods – Coyo, Nobo, Booja Booja, Frys, Violife Clearspot, Sojade etc. They have clean green proteins in store too, like NuZest, Plantforce, Spirutein. Their staff are friendly, experienced and knowledgeable, they have 3 Nutritional Therapists within the team and they are proud members of Health Stores Ireland (HIS).