Hopfully Brewing, a Waterford company producing high quality craft beer has been named as Waterford’s Enterprise Award winner and will go on to represent Waterford at the 23rd National Enterprise Awards at The Mansion House in Dublin on the June 1st.
The announcement was made as part of the Local Enterprise Office’s Local Enterprise Week at the Mayor’s Parlour on Wednesday March 8th. Other winners on the day included Colin Brett of Player Stat Data who won best Start up.
Hopfully Brewing is a socially and culturally conscious brewery based in Co. Waterford, Ireland. Established in 2017 with the sole aim of selling high-quality craft beer combined with outstanding visual identity. The company produces a series of annual beer projects including core and limited-edition beers, with seasonal returns and special editions. The brewery specializes in modern, soft, and blended beers, changing the perception of beer with the usage of fresh fruits, or inspired by smoothies, desserts, or cocktail recipes.
Cristiano Gasparoti of Hopfully Brewing will now be competing against 30 other finalists from every local authority area for a share of the €35,000 winner’s prize fund as national judging gets underway in May. Categories this year include ‘Best Export Business,’ ‘Best Start-Up’ and ‘Innovation,’ along with “One to Watch” and a “Sustainability / Green” award in addition to eight regional awards.
Jacqui Gaule, Acting Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Waterford, congratulated Cristiano Gasparoti and the whole team at Hopfully Brewing, “In Waterford we are lucky to have such a wealth of inventive and resourceful enterprises. The vision shown not just by Cristiano and the Hopfully Brewing team, but by all the finalists demonstrates that entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in our city and county. The onus is on agencies such as Local Enterprise Office to support, encourage and nurture such creativity.
“The range of Local Enterprise Office services is quite broad, so we would encourage anyone in pre-start, start-up or established phase of business to get in touch and see what supports are available. The team at Hopfully Brewing received an Expansion Grant and a Technical Assistance for Micro Exporters (TAME) Grant from us. We are delighted in how they have thrived over the years.”
Cristiano acknowledged the support they received from Local Enterprise Office Waterford. “Over the last six years the level of support has been phenomenal. The people we have dealt with have offered us nothing but great support in the form of mentoring and financial assistance. It’s heartening to work with an agency that not only understands your business but wants it to flourish as well.”
Jacqui added “The National Enterprise Awards highlight the pioneering work of entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout the country. In Waterford we are lucky to have a large collection of inspiring, creative and hard-working individuals who have a vision and make it happen.”
As well as representing Waterford in the National Finals, Hopfully Brewing was presented with a specially commissioned trophy from Brendan O’Donnell Design. Commissioned by LEO Waterford, the trophy is magnificent, with hand finished solid bronze details complementing the laser cut components in Oak veneer and Copper.
Presenting the award to Cristiano, Mayor of Waterford, Cllr. John O’Leary said that Hopfully Brewing epitomised the entrepreneurial spirit in Waterford and beyond. “By investing and continuously innovating, Hopfully Brewing has firmly established itself as a market leader and is a great example of how entrepreneurs can turn ideas into great products.”
The Waterford Enterprise Awards took place as part of a very successful Local Enterprise Week programme of events. There were over 300 physical events took place across the country, run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices from March 6th to 10th.