David and Stephen Flynn

David and Stephen Flynn (born 12 December 1979),^[1] also known as The Happy Pear Twins, are Irish business people, chefs, and media personalities.^[2][3]

Early life and education

David and Stephen Flynn were born on 12 December 1979 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to Irish parents. The family returned to Ireland six months later and settled in Greystones, County Wicklow, where the brothers were raised. They attended St Laurence's and St Kevin's National Schools, followed by Presentation College in Bray.^[4] During school, they were both active in sports and received accolades including Rugby Player of the Year and Sportsman of the Year in their final year of secondary school.^[5]

Stephen Flynn earned a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master's in E-Commerce at University College Dublin.^[6] David studied Business at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT).^[7] After university, they travelled extensively — David spent time in South Africa intending to pursue a career as a professional golfer, while Stephen worked as a snowboard instructor in Canada. These travels sparked their interest in plant-based diets and the connection between food, health, and sustainability.^[8][9]

Careers

In 2004, they opened the Happy Pear Café and Natural Food Shop in Greystones, County Wicklow.^[10][11] At its peak, the business employed 200 people in 4 locations. By 2021 this decreased to 72 people, closing several locations .^[12]

They won the 2016 Avonmore Cookbook of the Year Award at the Irish Book Awards.^[13] The twins won the 2021 celebrity edition of Ireland's Fittest Family.^[14]

They have a large online social media presence, including over 1 million Instagram followers.^[15]

Business Growth and Expansion

After the success of their initial vegetable shop, the Flynn brothers expanded The Happy Pear to include a café, juice bar, and natural food store in Greystones.^[16] They also developed a range of plant-based products such as pestos, hummus, and granola, which were sold in supermarkets across Ireland.^[17]

In 2015, the brothers joined Jamie Oliver’s Food Tube network to promote plant-based eating.^[18] In 2019, they opened a fully plant-based Happy Pear café in Dublin Airport’s Terminal 1, the first of its kind at the airport.^[19]

Medical misinformation

The Flynns have received international criticism for making unfounded medical claims. In an April 2022 video, they made incorrect claims about breast cancer rates and falsely stated that certain foods could prevent cancer. Their statements were widely condemned, including by cancer surgeon Liz O'Riordan and cancer scientist David Robert Grimes who described the video as "irresponsible".^{[20][21][22][23]} The twins later admitted they had "made a mistake" and were "ignorant" before deleting the video.^[2]

They also appeared on Ray D'Arcy's national radio show to apologise. They discussed their apology video, which received criticism from some for appearing insincere. However, they explained that their nervousness contributed to that impression. They promised to "stick with our own expertise" in the future.^[24] Their apology video received some negative reactions, being described as "appalling", "insincere", and a "non-apology".^{[citation needed]}

In April 2023, they issued an apology for an episode of their podcast on which they admitted they had misled and misinformed listeners, adding it 'will not happen again'.^[25] In a statement to the Irish Independent.ie a spokesperson said: "The Happy Pear acknowledges that some of the content in a recent reel post across some of our social media platforms in relation to a podcast with US-based Dr Zac Bush MD, has caused offence, with some statements not given the appropriate qualification or context. It was never the intention to mislead or to misinform and we sincerely apologise for any offence caused." In the show, their guest Zach Bush had made incorrect claims about the effects of antibiotics on mental health.^[26][25] Bush has been described as a pseudoscientist, a Covid denier, and a denier of germ theory.^[27] The podcast claims were widely refuted, including by medical consultant, Niamh Lynch.^[25] In January 2024, David refused to comment on whether he had received a Covid vaccine as it was irrelevant to the interview about his family.^{[citation needed]}

Personal lives

Stephen is married to Justyna, a child psychologist from Poland. They have three children. David has two children with his ex-wife, Janet. David remarried in 2022 to Sabrina from Belgium. They have one child.^[28][29]

The Flynns have been compared to fellow celebrity Irish twins Jedward and as a result have been nicknamed "Hummus Jedward" and "Vegward".^[10][11]