Ballinrobe based business, Van Velze’s Chocolates, showcased their business to almost a quarter of a million people at last week’s National Ploughing Championships. Their stand was in the Local Enterprise Offices’ zone which was open across the three days of the event.

Van Velze’s Chocolates, supported by Local Enterprise Office Mayo, is an Irish artisan chocolatier creating premium handmade chocolates with rare cocoa and fine Irish ingredients. Established in 2023, the company specialises in elegant personal, retail and corporate gifts designed to deliver a memorable luxury chocolate experience. [Website: www.vanvelzes.ie]

The Local Enterprise Village was home to 30 Local Enterprise Office supported small businesses from across the country highlighting very best of Irish enterprise from clothing craft and artisanal food to bovine genetics and woodwork machinery to the 243,000 who attended.

John Magee, Mayo County Council - Head of Enterprise: “This year’s National Ploughing Championships was a tremendous success and once again demonstrated the ambition, innovation and resilience of small businesses right across the country. Van Velze’s Chocolates tapped a unique national platform to put their product/service in front of hundreds of thousands of visitors, make valuable new connections and build awareness with potential customers, partners and buyers.

“The impact from attending the Ploughing goes far beyond the three days in Screggan; the exposure, advice and opportunities generated at the Ploughing can help them to grow sales, explore new markets and take the next step in their business journey. We are proud to support these entrepreneurs before, during and after the event, and the response this year shows just how important practical, local enterprise support is for businesses with big ambitions.”

This year the Local Enterprise Village included a Business Advice Hub for any budding entrepreneurs or existing businesses who were able to get advice from the Local Enterprise Offices Specialist Business Advisors. So, for anyone who had a business idea that wanted to figure out how to get it off the ground or for someone with an existing business who wanted advice on funding, sustainability or building digital and AI into their business there were advisors on hand meeting businesses across the three days.

The Local Enterprise Village again hosted the Google AI team this year following on from the success of the Google area in 2025 with their experts helping visitors and business owners across the week with their expertise on making AI work for you and your business.

The Enterprise Europe Network were also in the Village for the first time, giving advice to businesses who wanted to begin looking at new markets across the EU and building relationships with international businesses.

The Local Enterprise Village will return to the National Ploughing Championships in 2027 when they move to Rathangan in Kildare from the 21-23 of September, moving a week later to accommodate the Ryder Cup. Any small businesses interested in taking part in next year's Local Enterprise Village should contact their Local Enterprise Office.

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 twelve years ago, 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