A small businesses from Waterford will get the chance to exhibit themselves to almost 300,000 people at the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, County Offaly this month as part of the Local Enterprise Village.
Oh My Cookies who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Waterford creates New York style cookies, cookie bars, and cookie cakes in a fun and indulgent way. Handmade in small batches with high-quality ingredients, its visually distinctive products are sold online with nationwide delivery, supplied to local cafés and offered at markets and pop-up events.
The Local Enterprise Village, an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, will house over 30 small businesses from across the country and will be located at the heart of this year’s National Ploughing Championships in Offaly from the 15th to 17th September.
This year the Local Enterprise Village will also have a Business Advice Hub for any budding entrepreneurs or existing businesses who want to get advice from the Local Enterprise Offices Specialist Business Advisors. So, for anyone who has a business idea that wants to figure out how to get it off the ground or for someone with an existing business who may want advice on funding, sustainability or building digital and AI into their business there will be advisors on hand to meet with.
The Local Enterprise Village will host the Google AI team again this year following on from the success of the Google area in 2025. Their experts will also be in the Local Enterprise Village with an interactive area focused making AI work for you and your business.
With close to 300,000 visitors expected across the three days of the event the Local Enterprise Village provides these small businesses with significant exposure to new audiences and potential new customers. Enterprise Europe Network will also be based in the Village for the first time, giving advice to businesses who want to begin looking at new markets across the EU.
Oriana Ramirez, owner of Oh My Cookies, is looking forward to bringing the business to the National Ploughing Championships: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Oh My Cookies to get our products in front of a whole new audience. We’re really excited to be part of the Local Enterprise Village and to showcase what we do to visitors from across the country. It’s a great chance to meet people, get feedback on our products and hopefully introduce lots of new customers to Oh My Cookies. We’re very grateful to LEO Waterford for their support and for giving us the opportunity to represent Waterford at the Ploughing.”
Jacqui Gaule, Head of Enterprise at LEO Waterford, highlighted the scale of the opportunity: “This is an excellent opportunity for small businesses. The chance to bring their ideas and products to almost 300,000 potential customers is a showcase like no other. The Local Enterprise Village has become one of those areas everyone wants to drop into to find their local business and see what they can pick up. This year, with our Start-Up Advisor Hub, the Google AI team and the Enterprise Europe Network all on site, there is assistance there across the board for businesses at every stage, while visitors can enjoy a huge variety of Irish businesses showcasing everything from food and fashion to technology and manufacturing.”
With some of the biggest companies and organisations in Ireland taking up residence at the Ploughing every year, the Local Enterprise Village continues to be a popular destination on the site for those looking to pick up something unique to bring home from some of the best small businesses in Ireland.
The Local Enterprise Village will showcase the very best of Irish entrepreneurship and will house businesses across all sectors from clothing, craft and artisanal food to bovine genetics and woodwork machinery.
Anna May McHugh, Managing Director of the National Ploughing Association, said: “The Local Enterprise Village is such a valuable part of the Ploughing, giving small Irish businesses from across the country the opportunity to showcase what they do to the huge crowds that attend each year. We are delighted to welcome the 31 businesses selected this year and it’s great to see them have the opportunity to reach new customers and showcase their products & services to such a large audience.
It’s great to welcome Google back for a second year, alongside the Local Enterprise Offices who will be on hand offering advice and support. It's great to see such valuable supports available to small businesses and budding entrepreneurs.”
The Local Enterprise Village is just one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the National Enterprise Awards, the Student Enterprise Programme, National Women’s Enterprise Day and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland. Established in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices are the essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow. Since their inception in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 80,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with thousands of client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, expert advice and financial supports to small businesses. For more information see www.LocalEnterprise.ie
