Blakes Always Organic Wins Top County Enterprise Award

BLAKES ALWAYS ORGANIC WINS TOP COUNTY ENTERPRISE AWARD

Drumshanbo food business, Blakes Always Organic, is this year’s winner of the Leitrim County Enterprise Award, Local Enterprise Office Leitrim has announced.

Blakes Always Organic

John Brennan from Blakes Always Organic took the top prize of €3,000 and will now represent Local Enterprise Office Leitrim at the 22nd National Enterprise Awards on June 2nd at the Mansion House in Dublin.

Based in The Food Hub, Blakes Always Organic produces Organic Kefir and Whole-bean Artisan Organic coffees which can be found in a range of retail stores nationwide. Now employing 7 staff, the growing business will be competing against 30 other finalists from every local authority area for a share of the €35,000 winners prize fund as national judging gets underway in May.  Categories this year include ‘Best Export Business,’ ‘Best Start-Up’ and ‘Innovation,’ in addition to eight regional awards.  There are also two new National Enterprise Awards this year with a “One to Watch” award and a “Sustainability / Green” award.

Local Enterprise Office Leitrim are hopefully Blakes can build on the success of Dromod Boxty who won the North West Regional Prize at the National Enterprise Awards in 2021, which was held virtually.

The Leitrim County Enterprise Awards took place as part of a very successful Local Enterprise Week programme of events.  There were over 220 physical and virtual events taking place across the country, run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices from March 7th to 11th.

Speaking during Local Enterprise Week, Joe Lowe, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Leitrim said “The National Enterprise Awards are a great opportunity to recognise the achievements of small businesses particularly after what has been a very challenging time. Blakes Always Organics have high quality unique products, have shown strong growth in Online Sales through their website and are very worthy winners. We at Local Enterprise Office Leitrim would like to wish Blakes Always Organic continued success and the very best of luck representing County Leitrim in the National Enterprise Awards this June.”

Three other local businesses were also shortlisted this year, and they were Old Cow Clayworks, Drumshanbo, Sealore Marine Botanicals, Tullaghan and The Beauty College Carrick on Shannon.

Local Enterprise Week is organised every year by the Local Enterprise Offices and supported by Enterprise Ireland, local authorities and the Government of Ireland.                                                                   

For all information and media requests around the County Enterprise Awards or Local Enterprise Week, please contact your Local Enterprise Office on 071-9650420 or email info@leo.leitrimcoco.ie.

National Enterprise Awards 2022

Award Categories and Prize Fund

The 2022 National Enterprise Awards take place on Thursday, 2nd June in the Mansion House in Dublin and are organised by the Local Enterprise Offices

  • Overall Winner, National Enterprise Awards 2022 (Cash Prize for business: €10,000)
  • Best Export Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
  • Best Innovation Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
  • Best Start-Up Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
  • Innovation / Green Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
  • One to Watch Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
  • Eight Runner-Up Winners (Cash Prize for business: €2,000 each)
    • Runner Up Regions:
    • Dublin City, Fingal, Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown and South Dublin
    • Kildare, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath
    • Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny
    • Louth, Meath, Cavan and Monaghan
    • Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and Longford
    • Galway, Mayo and Roscommon
    • Clare, Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary
    • Cork City, South Cork, Cork North & West and Waterford