A Snapshot of Ireland's small Business community at Ploughing's Local Enterprise Village

The Local Enterprise Village at this year’s National Ploughing Championships will provide a snapshot of the cream of the crop of Ireland’s small businesses according to Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, who launched the Local Enterprise Office initiative today in Dublin.

The Local Enterprise Village will feature over 30 small businesses, each a client of their Local Enterprise Office across the country. There are 31 Local Enterprise Offices located in Local Authorities nationwide funded by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland. This year the Local Enterprise Village will have a slightly Welsh theme with 6 clients involved who have taken part in Catalyst and Bucanier programmes strengthening partnerships between Ireland and Wales ahead of Brexit.

There will be a variety of products and services on show for the visitors to this year’s Ploughing Championships to enjoy, which includes food, fashion, agtech products, farm safety equipment, board games, sportswear, skincare and even a dog bakery!

There were several Local Enterprise Office clients in Dublin today to help launch this year’s Local Enterprise Village along with Minister Humphreys. These included Oscar Wilde Water from Local Enterprise Office Tipperary, Little Red Design Studio from Local Enterprise Office Dublin City, Harry’s Dog Bakery from Local Enterprise Office Monaghan, BackBaller from Local Enterprise Office Clare and Orwell & Browne Irish Tweed from Local Enterprise Office Donegal.

Minister Humphreys put emphasis on the key role these businesses play in Ireland’s economy; “The Local Enterprise Village is a snapshot of the wide variety of businesses supported by the Government through the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs). These firms are the bedrock of local economies right across the country, which is why we are putting an increased focus on the LEOs under the Future Jobs Ireland strategy. This event is a fantastic opportunity for the businesses involved to showcase their products and services, and I look forward to seeing them all in Carlow.”

Kieran Comerford, from the Local Enterprise Offices, outlined what a significant opportunity this is for these businesses; “You are looking at a potential footfall for these businesses of over 250,000 people across the 3 days of the Ploughing Championships. That is simply incredible for them, to be given that size of a captive audience to sell to, does not happen to small businesses like this. We have put in extensive work with each business to ensure they are as best prepared as they can be for the ploughing and the maximise this opportunity through sales and marketing training and stand development. The Local Enterprise Village is always a hub of wonderful products and innovative services and will no doubt be a big hit again with the visitors to Ballintrane.

The NPA Kildare Director John Dunne said; “It is marvelous to see that so many diverse and interesting businesses, from every county in Ireland, will be represented at this year’s National Ploughing Championships’ ‘Local Enterprise Village’. This is an ideal and unique opportunity for these companies to showcase their products & services to the huge number of visitors that Ploughing attracts.”

This unique initiative by the Local Enterprise Offices means that over 30 small businesses from across the country get the chance to exhibit and sell at Europe’s largest outdoor event, something that would not be financially viable most small businesses across the country. The Local Enterprise Offices are located nationwide and play a key role in helping small businesses to start and grow. Since their inception in 2014 they have helped create over 18,000 jobs in indigenous companies all over the country.

The 88th National Ploughing Championships take place from the 17th to 19th of September in Ballintrane, Fenagh, County Carlow. For more information on the Local Enterprise Village and the supports that the Local Enterprise Offices give to small businesses go to www.LocalEnterprise.ie


LOCAL ENTERPRISE VILLAGE CLIENTS @ NATIONAL PLOUGHING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019

Clients showcasing at Ploughing 209

Little Crew – Local Enterprise Office Carlow
Offer a selection of handcrafted wooden toys, furniture and kids room décor.

Yomega3 Frozen Yoghurt – Local Enterprise Office Cavan
Manufacturing Yomega3 greek style frozen yoghurt, the only frozen yoghurt with high levels of omega 3.

BackBaller – Local Enterprise Office Clare
BackBaller and MuscleBaller products to aid muscle recovery and growth.

Bó Rua Farm – Local Enterprise Office Cork North & West
Produce a range of award-winning cheese using milk from their own herd of cows.

Hyde Whiskey – Local Enterprise Office South Cork
Premium Irish whiskey handcrafted in very small limited-edition batches and non-chill filtered for a more original taste.

O’Reilly Official – Local Enterprise Office Donegal
Provider of custom-made clothing including sportswear, leisurewear and work wear.

Orwell & Browne – Local Enterprise Office Donegal
Irish made Donegal tweed bow ties, pocket squares, cufflinks, scarves, throws, t-shirts, bags and coasters.

Little Red Design Studio – Local Enterprise Office Dublin City
An educational technology company who have developed an interactive AR Farm Safety play book for children.

Mirual Limited – Local Enterprise Office South Dublin
Producing handmade and homemade luxurious cookies called Little Horns using all-natural ingredients.

Arctic Stone Ice Cream – Local Enterprise Office Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Freshly prepared handrolled ice cream in signature vanilla base or dairy free / vegan coconut base.

Berry Be Beauty – Local Enterprise Office Fingal
Handmade natural beauty products, candles and diffusers using essential oils.

Fiáin – Local Enterprise Office Galway
Accessories and gifts for men including cufflinks, leather goods and bow ties.

Marathon X – Local Enterprise Office Kerry
Marathon X is a highly interactive and educational table top dice board game.

Adaptive Design – Local Enterprise Office Kildare
Designing custom electronics for Agri-Food producers including a “leaf controller” to enhance all year growth efficiency.

Envirico – Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny
Invasive species consultancy that specialise in surveying and site remediation services.

Machado Men’s Grooming – Local Enterprise Office Laois
Producing high quality natural men’s grooming products including beard oil, beard balm and shaving soap.

Art of Coffee – Local Enterprise Office Leitrim
Supplier of freshly roasted coffee beans to businesses and consumers.

Mackessy Technology / AUXION – Local Enterprise Office Limerick
Providing agri/automotive management systems including Auxion a technology platform and process to add efficiencies to agri/motor insurance claims.

Next Generation Farm Safety – Local Enterprise Office Longford
Bringing a farm safety programme to primary schools and local communities across the country.

Emma’s So Naturals – Local Enterprise Office Louth
A range of naturally produced candles, soaps and melts that gently fragrance a room without an artificial scent.

Bia at Home – Local Enterprise Office Mayo
Homemade, nutritious and preservative free meals that are delivered direct to your home.

The Whole Hoggs – Local Enterprise Office Meath
Free range pig farm producing their own pork, bacon and charcuterie products.

Harry’s Dog Bakery – Local Enterprise Office Monaghan
A bakery that slow bakes homemade, healthy and natural treats for dogs.

Dotser – Local Enterprise Office Offaly
Cloud software products and marketing services for small businesses.

Honest Gluten Free Bakers – Local Enterprise Office Roscommon
Producing high quality gluten free cakes and biscuits.

SUIP Manufacturing – Local Enterprise Office Sligo
Producing sprayer attachments for ride on lawnmowers and ATVs.

Mr Sports Gift – Local Enterprise Office Tipperary
Manufacture a range of sports gifts including printed sliotars, medal hangers, and sports themed clocks.

Mireog – Local Enterprise Office Waterford
Mireog designs and hand-prints a range of Irish and Celtic language t-shirts and stationery in the Déise Gaeltacht of Co. Waterford.

Mobia – Local Enterprise Office Westmeath
Produce and import superfoods such as raw heather honey, jackfruit, acai pulp and wheatgrass for wholesale.

Wild Herb Elixirs – Local Enterprise Office Wexford
Skin care and pain relief elixirs created in Wexford from the wild flowers and plants occurring in the county.

Clients showcasing for Local Enterprise Village at Ploughing 2019