The Local Enterprise Office Galway has been chosen to host a spotlight event for Local Enterprise Week 2021. Taking place on March 2nd from 10am to 1pm the event will focus on new businesses that have emerged because of the pandemic and current businesses that have used innovative ideas to increase sales and visibility through the pandemic. Facilitated by Damian Young: Commercial Manager; National Design Innovation Hub; Centre 4 Design, the event is free to watch and will be live streamed via the Local Enterprise Office website. Head of Enterprise Breda Fox will also participate in this virtual event on behalf of Local Enterprise Office Galway. Guest speakers include:

Eugene Greaney – Dough bros

“From Street Stall to Pop Up, From Pop Up To Permanent” is how founder Eugene Greaney describes his renowned Galway pizza restaurant Dough Bro’s, a company that has gone from strength to strength since their humble beginnings in 2013. With a permanent home on middle Street, the Dough Bro’s have accumulated numerous accolades over the years for their artisan pizzas along with a loyal fan base. As the pandemic took hold and restaurateurs faced the huge challenges that came with it, Eugene and his team knew they had to adapt to survive and so the idea for DIY pizza kits emerged. With plans to collaborate with the best of Irish brands, food producers and chefs, the success of the DIY kits has been astounding as Greaney says “The pivot towards the Pizza Kits has been a revelation and something we are excited about expanding even further this year”.

Gráinne Mullins – Grá Chocolate

Gráinne Mullins was about to head off on her travels when the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns put a halt to her plans. The experienced pastry chef began to experiment in the kitchen using her family as foodie critics for her sweet treats. Her offerings went down so well that she decided to launch her own business Grá chocolates selling her handmade, hand-painted chocolates online. The Eurotoques Young Chef of the Year 2019 is passionate about quality, focusing on locally sourced ingredients and craftsmanship which is clearly evident in every box of Grá chocolates. 

Pádraic Ó Griallais – Micil Distillery

Micil Distillery is Galway’s first distillery to open its doors in over 100 years. It is headed up by Pádraic Ó Griallais, a 6th generation distiller passionately continuing a 170 year old family tradition. The distillery offers a range of .poitín products made from 100% Irish grain. and their award-winning Micil Gin is hand made using local Connemara botanicals. When the pandemic hit, the distillery made the difficult decision to pause production of their spirits. Turning their focus to assist in the fight against Covid-19, they began to free up the distillery’s supply of alcohol in order to begin manufacturing antibacterial sanitiser. The success of their Back to Business Safely’ hand sanitiser package allowed Micil Distillery to donate over 1000 bottles of sanitiser to local Galway Charities.

Michelle O’Donnell – Gourmet Tart Company

Founded in 2001 by husband and wife duo, Fintan Hyland and Michelle O’Donnell, Gourmet Tart Co. has grown from a humble market stall into an established local producer with 6 shops throughout Galway City. Fintan and Michelle had already tapped in to the rise of click and collect and home delivery and had started to offer a successful hamper service but as the severity of the pandemic became apparent, they made the decision to close their stores concerned for the welfare and safety of their 70 plus staff. The closure shifted their focus from a restaurant/take away to offering customised gift boxes to suit all occasions, from business gifts to corporate gifts and luxury ideas for clients, family and friends. Apart from wine, most, if not all of the goods, are made in the Gourmet Tart kitchens from baking, to jams, to spices, to seed mixes, granola to relish. And the ones not made in their own kitchen are all sourced locally. “We stand over our product and we are happy we were able to diversify a bit to ensure the business stays open,” said Michelle.

Louise Griffin – Blackrock Beachwear

As gyms and other sports activities became off limits during the various lockdowns since the beginning of this Pandemic, more and more people began to return to exercising outdoors, with a particular surge in popularity for sea swimming. Louise Griffin decided to take to the sea “due to boredom in lockdown and feeling a lack of control over everything that was going on in the world”. Initially, Louise was unable to swim but taught herself by watching YouTube videos and before long had gained confidence in the water and become addicted to the mental challenge and inevitable buzz. Inspired by her newfound love of sea swimming, Louise decided to create an outdoor swimming clothing brand called Blackrock Beachwear featuring the iconic yellow Blackrock diving tower which has had tremendous success.

Stefan Lundstrom – Galmont Hotel & Spa

React and Innovate is how Stefan Lundstrom, GM of the Galmont Hotel & Spa described their response to the devastating impact of the pandemic on the hospitality sector. The hotel have been busy with a number of projects during lockdown and have successfully pivoted their offerings to adapt to this current situation. The conference landscape changed completely and in response the Galmont Hotel have created a custom and fully functional studio set up to allow for virtual hybrid events and webinars that can be broadcast globally. In addition they have also completely refurbished their outdoor patio area to provide an outdoor dining experience that is set to reopen this summer. 

BUILDING THE NEW: Tuesday March 2^{nd 10am - 1pm}

The event will be live streamed and followers can engage live via the events live link and social media.

Free Event. Register Below: