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Three Ireland picks 10 winners from Grants for Small Businesses finalists

Among the winning SMEs were firms involved in everything from snail farming to ice cream making and woollen wellness blankets

Padraig Sheerin, head of SME, Three Ireland: 'The jury was looking for things like what the companies were doing and the impact the grants would have on the business and the community it operates in.' Photograph: Naoise Culhane

Thu Nov 17 2022 - 05:00

The winners of Three Ireland’s Grants for Small Businesses programme have just been announced. The grant programme, funded by Three Ireland and managed by small-business support provider Enterprise Nation, sees 10 small business receive a share of a €100,000 bursary. The bursary is made up of a mix of cash, advice, support and connectivity solutions from Three Ireland’s expert business advisers.

Among the winning SMEs were firms involved in everything from snail farming to ice cream making and woollen wellness blankets.

“The judging took place in late October,” says Three head of SME Padraig Sheerin. “We had 20 fantastic finalists who made amazing presentations. Unfortunately, there can only be 10 winners. It was great to be part of the judging process. We heard such a great range of stories from across Ireland. It really lifts the spirit to see what people are doing and taking the brave step to leave jobs and set up in business for themselves.”

The Ecohurl is the invention of AM Hurleys & Sports. The handmade hurley has a protective coating to reduce cracking or splitting, which means that any part of the ash tree can be used, even where the strength may not be as strong as the root. The company plans to use the grant to further build out its business and brand.

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Headhawk is working on brain impact data collection and data analytics in contact sports. It will offer professional sports clubs a way to read data on potential brain trauma and accumulated low and mild trauma in order to better manage player welfare and fitness to play. The grant will enable the company to upgrade its hardware and fund further research and development.

RunSafe will use the grant to bring its live video streaming and GPS app to market. Runsafe uses a harness and the user’s mobile phone to provide security when walking and running. Essentially, it’s a dashcam for walkers and runners that streams to three chosen contacts.

Muckross Creamery is a small artisan ice cream company based near Killarney, Co Kerry. The company has won a number of awards for its products and has had several enquiries this year from the hospitality industry. It is unable to meet this demand due to the capacity of existing equipment. The grant will assist with the purchase of a new ice cream machine to increase capacity and create employment.

Covéire is a 3D printing business that focuses mainly on creating prosthetic covers for the lower limb amputee community. The firm also produces 3D printed gifts and other items with tactile braille for those who are visually impaired. The grant will be used to update computers and machinery.

Magnetic Mobility sells bespoke magnetic jewellery for people suffering from arthritis, migraine, back pain and so on. The company’s products are stocked in more than 30 pharmacies across the State. The owners are both still working as nurses while running the business and intend using the grant to hire someone to assist with marketing and social media work.

Glamping in the wilds of Connemara is the stock in trade of Connemara Glamping, which offers four large luxury safari tents for visitors to the area. The grant will be used for marketing to increase bookings and enable the firm to eventually take on someone with an interest in the hospitality industry – who, with training and opportunity will hopefully become the full-time site manager.

Wonky Woolins provides quality early-stage children’s toys and baby gifts. Every Wonky Woolin is handmade to last by marginalised women in Morocco and Nepal. The grant will be used for marketing to help grow the business.

Wellness company Kocoono aims to help people sleep better, relax their nervous system and reduce stress and anxiety, naturally. Its main product is the patented Kocoono Weighted Blanket Luxe, which applies deep touch pressure to the body. The grant will be used to fund product development as well as for marketing to health services in Britain and Ireland and other potential customers.

Exclusive Escargot is a functioning snail farm producing protein escargots for the table. It also produces other products, including natural collagen for the beauty industry which is harvested by milking the snails. The company will use the grant to help it with its ongoing recovery from the pandemic and to fund new product development.

“The variety was just amazing,” Sheerin concludes. “The jury was looking for things like what the companies were doing and the impact the grants would have on the business and the community it operates in. I am very pleased to say that the 10 winners rose to the top and the jury members were unanimous in their choices. Having said that, the quality of all 20 finalists was just great. It’s really inspiring to see what’s happening in small businesses around the country.”

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