Monday, 27th May 2024
Brady’s Coffee (Irish Decal Products Ltd.), who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Wicklow, were winners at this year’s National Enterprise Awards. The awards, which took place last Thursday, 23rd May at the Round Room in the Mansion House in Dublin, were in their 24th year and are organised annually by the Local Enterprise Offices nationwide.
The LEO Wicklow Awards nominee, Brady’s Coffee, took home the South East Regional Award. Brady’s Coffee www.bradyscoffee.ie provides a range of coffees and teas, which they export worldwide. Owned by brothers Craig and Darren Brady and Craig’s wife Catherine, the parent company, Irish Decal Products Ltd, also supplies souvenirs. The trio recently developed a new brand – ‘BARE’ which offers a canned cold brew coffee. Their products are all ethically sourced and expertly roasted in Wicklow. A new product for 2024 is the Murphy’s Soap range, which offers seven handmade cold pressed natural scents.
Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr. Aoife Flynn Kennedy said, “I am delighted to congratulate Craig, Darren and Catherine and all the staff at Brady’s Coffee. It is wonderful to see a local family business thriving. With the innovative range of products on offer at Brady’s Coffee, coupled with their growth ambition and their impressive exports to the USA last year, I am thrilled that they got the recognition they deserve. This is the third win for County Wicklow at the National Enterprise Awards in recent years and showcases the great breath of successful small companies that come through the doors of LEO Wicklow.”
Leonora Earls, Director of Services, Planning and Economic Development Section, Wicklow County Council, attended the event on behalf of Wicklow County Council, commenting, “The calibre of entrants to this year’s awards was extremely high. The tenacity, growth mind-set and dedication demonstrated by the nominees to their local areas must be acknowledged and we commend them on their achievements.”
Expressing her delight at the win, Head of Enterprise at LEO Wicklow, Vibeke Delahunt thanked Brady’s for an excellent job representing Co. Wicklow, saying “All of the team at LEO Wicklow are so happy for Catherine, Craig, Darren and their staff. Their hard work and innovation has seen them grow internationally in recent years, and they embody the entrepreneurial spirit of Co. Wicklow so well”.
Announcing the award winners at the Mansion House and after earlier launching the new Local Enterprise Office Policy Statement, Minister Peter Burke TD said; “The National Enterprise Awards are the highlight of the small business and enterprise calendar. Year on year the diversity of businesses and the standard of companies that are coming through the process is getting stronger. We should not be surprised given the innovation and endurance that businesses have shown in recent years. We have some outstanding winners but the finalists on the whole have been excellent, and this is very much the start of their journey.
The new Local Enterprise Office Policy Statement I announced today sets out the vital role that LEOs have in fostering entrepreneurship and helping small businesses thrive every day across the country. The Policy Statement charts a clear roadmap of how LEOs will align their work with the priorities of the White Paper on Enterprise and ensure that their high-calibre offering continues into the future. I pay tribute to the great work of the current and former staff of the LEOs who, over the last 10 years, have helped and guided small businesses in Ireland which are at the heart of every town, village and community and are vital to our economy.”
The overall winner at the National Enterprise Awards was Dreamdev Technologies who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Kildare. Also honoured on the night was Bevcraft of Westmeath who won the Outstanding Achievement Award. An example of a company who began with their Local Enterprise Office and then accessed support from Enterprise Ireland to grow their business globally.
The National Enterprise Awards also celebrated ten years since the inception of the Local Enterprise Offices. 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, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 70,000 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.i