Blacks of Kinsale - Local Enterprise Office Cork North & West Nominee 2018

What is the business?

Blacks of Kinsale is an independently owned and operated Micro-Brewery and Distillery that produces a range of award winning craft beers and spirits.

The business to date:

Blacks of Kinsale was founded by husband and wife team Sam and Maudeline Black in 2013. Through Sam’s obsession and passion for brewing great beers, a decision was made to turn his hobby into a career. At the time there were not many craft breweries in Ireland, so the availability and choice of craft beers was not easily accessible.

It was the first co-located Brewery & Distillery in Ireland, having added the distilling side to the business in 2015. They have produced a range of small batch distilled spirits and these include Blacks Poitin, Blacks Irish Gin, Blacks Irish Spiced Rum and Blacks Irish Milk Vodka. All their products are 100% natural, made using Local and Irish Ingredient.

Where possible to make their products different they work with unique ingredients to reinforce innovativeness. For example their ‘Worlds End Imperial Stout’ is made using cocoa husks, sourced from a local chocolate maker in Clonakilty, which they use in the mash. Their gin uses wild Atlantic heather flowers, which acknowledges its birth place in Kinsale. Their Blacks Irish Spiced Rum is the first Irish rum made from scratch in Ireland, fermented, distilled and barrel aged in Kinsale.

The company employs six people and supplies all major Irish retailers and off licence chains, as well as restaurants and pubs. They also currently export to France, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Australia, UK and Lebanon.

How the LEO supported the business:

• 2013-2018: Various Mentoring, Training including participation in a Food programme, Food Export Programme & a Trading Online Voucher.
• 2018 – Grant assistance for a new Brand Ambassador role

 Plans for the future:

They see huge opportunity this year to further develop the export side of the business for both beer and Spirits, and plan to begin Irish whiskey production early next year.

Long term, as well as growing exports, they are planning  a major expansion into a brand new site in Kinsale with much bigger Brewery & Distillery operations and a new visitors centre.

For more information visit www.blacksbrewery.com.