WESTMEATH BUSINESS SET FOR NATIONAL ENTERPRISE AWARDS FINAL
A confectionery company from Westmeath is set to compete with the country’s best small businesses as one of the Finalists for the National Enterprise Award taking place next week.
Sugar Plum Sweetery will represent Local Enterprise Office Westmeath at the prestigious awards that take place on Thursday 18th June in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin.
Sugar Plum Sweetery, founded by husband-and-wife duo David Quirke and Denise Buckley in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, is a multi-award-winning Irish chocolatier renowned for its innovative, experience-driven approach to chocolate making. What began as a passion project has grown into one of Ireland’s fastest-growing chocolate brands, blending craftsmanship with creativity to produce unique, story-led confections. The company has gained national recognition for its viral “Dubai Chocolate Bar,” now one of the country’s most in-demand chocolate products, alongside its strong online sales and presence in premium retailers such as Brown Thomas and Avoca. Employing a significant team, Sugar Plum Sweetery has been nominated in recognition of its rapid growth, product innovation, and success in redefining modern Irish chocolate through a digital-first, gifting-led business model.
“We’re incredibly proud to represent Westmeath at the National Enterprise Awards. What started as a small chocolate business has grown beyond anything we imagined, thanks to our amazing team, customers and the support of the Local Enterprise Office. We’ve grown our business by over 900% in the past 18 months with major expansion plans here in Ireland and abroad. With two more Sugar Plum stores opening in the next few months, we’re on target to be one of Ireland’s most recognised brands. We’re passionate about creating innovative and handmade products in Mullingar - showcasing what Irish manufacturing and entrepreneurship can achieve”. Denise Co-Founder of Sugar Plum Sweetery.
This is the 26th year of the Local Enterprise Office initiative, which was won last year by health tech business, SPRYT, supported by Local Enterprise Office Monaghan. Set up in 2022 by Neill Dunwoody and Daragh Donohue, their AI-powered virtual receptionist is helping to revolutionise patient engagement for healthcare providers across the globe utilising WhatsApp and SMS communication.
This year there is a wide variety of finalists competing for the title of National Enterprise of the Year. Some of those include The Smooth Company, founded by 2025 EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Áine Kennedy, Sugar Plum Sweetery, founded by Denise Buckley and David Quirke who have been at the forefront of recent confectionary trends creating Ireland’s first Dubai Chocolate Bar and Seed Golf, founded by Dean Klatt, who have become the first Irish company to design and sell high performance golf balls.
The Finalists also include a software platform that helps hotels to fix guest problems before they become damaging reviews (I Left You a Note), Ireland’s first liquid seaweed food supplement (Óir Tonics), an AgTech company that can capture damaging animal emissions in sheds and turn it into a by-product for biogas and SAF production for farmers (I/O Agri).
International war crimes lawyer Joanne Frivet is shortlisted for her company, LegalMoov which helps individuals and SMEs in Ireland find the correct lawyer for their legal position, while RYSE Chocolate, founded by Ian O’Rourke and David Stone, have created a caffeinated chocolate energy bar and are also one of the 31 Finalists for the Awards that take place on the 18th June in Dublin.
Peter Burke, T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, said at the announcement; “The National Enterprise Awards provide us with an opportunity to celebrate the very best of Irish entrepreneurship. Looking through the list of finalists for this year, you can see a significant variety of sectors and business ideas, from Health and Beauty to AgTech, from Software to Food and Drink.
“Every one of these finalists have the potential to scale, create jobs in their communities and make a significant impact internationally. These awards shine a light on the amazing businesses that are starting and growing across the country year on year, and we should be extremely proud of the level of founders that Ireland is producing. The previous winners and indeed finalists have shown the calibre of these awards, and it’s exciting to see where these businesses can and will go in the future.”
Christine Charlton, Head of Enterprise“The National Enterprise Awards serve to highlight the very best businesses that the Local Enterprise Offices are working with across the country. The diversity of sectors and innovation shown again this year is outstanding and the winners will no doubt produce businesses destined for international success. These businesses have excelled in their areas and have the potential to follow in the footsteps of previous winners to become successful global companies”.
Local Enterprise Office Westmeath have had previous success at the awards with TAPiTAG who developed a NFC-powered digital solutions, including business cards, marketing tags, and donation platforms won the National Digital Award in 2025,and Watt Footprint Ltd a company who are transforming the energy sector with their cutting-edge software were the Regional Winner for the Mid East in 2024.
The Finalists compete for a total prize fund of €80,000 and along with an overall National Enterprise of the Year winner there are categories for Best Start-Up, Best Export Business, an Innovation Award, a Digital Award, a Green Award and a Female Entrepreneur award.
There will also be an Outstanding Achievement Award presented on the night to an Irish business who started with the support of their Local Enterprise Office and has gone on to achieve international success.
The National Enterprise Awards are one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run, to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the Student Enterprise Programme, National Women’s Enterprise Day, and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, 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
