There was great excitement in Mullingar last Thursday night when Mullingar business Bevcraft Group, were announced as the overall winners of this year’s National Enterprise Awards.
Mobile craft canning company, Bevcraft, who are headquartered at Mullingar Business Park, took home the top prize at the prestigious event after facing stiff competition from 30 finalists nationwide. Established in 2016 by friends Ciaran Gorman and Darren Fenton the company has gone from strength to strength. They now work with over 250 brands to can their produce using their mobile canning technology. They are operating across 5 European countries and in 2021 aim to handle over 50 million cans.
The awards, which are in their 22nd year and run annually by the Local Enterprise Offices, were broadcast online from the Mansion House in Dublin. Bevcraft were delighted to be supported by their Local Enterprise Office Westmeath.
Speaking following their win, Ciaran and Darren said: “This isn’t about us, it’s the incredible story of the Irish craft beer sector where we now have world class breweries in every corner of Ireland including a host of breweries in the midlands including St. Mel’s in Longford, Dead Centre in Athlone, Wide Street in Ballymahon and 12 Acres & Ballykilcavan in Laois.”
“Five years ago we had not canned a single drop; today we employ 18 people with 12 canning lines and facilities in Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands; this wouldn’t have happened without the support of so many people including the Local Enterprise Office,” they said.
Like many start-ups, Ciarán and Darren bootstrapped the business in the early days by investing their life savings, availing of family and bank start-up loans, zero director wages, selling a home to free up equity and start-up grant assistance from LEO Westmeath.
Darren says: “At this stage the business has invested several million in equipment, stocks and working capital and at many crucial times, the LEO assistance has been the key piece to get an expansion across the line as well as signal to the bank that someone else has validated what we are doing.”
Bevcraft secured a priming start up grant from LEO Westmeath in 2016 towards the purchasing of key capital equipment, they received further employment and capital grants as their business expanded in 2018 and 2019. The company was also runner-up in the Best Start up Category of ‘Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur’ in 2018.
They have completed business training with the Local Enterprise Office and availed of a Trading Online Voucher to improve their website, and Technical Assistance Micro Exports grants when they began to explore their export potential.
Darren and Ciarán are optimistic about the future, despite the challenges posed by Brexit and the Coronavirus pandemic. “Over the coming year we will open our 4th and 5th facilities which will greatly expand our can decoration capabilities, the range of products and formats we can package and boost overall capacity. We expect our total headcount to jump from 16 to closer to 25-30 across the business in the coming 12 to 18 months,” Ciarán explains.
Congratulating Bevcraft on their win, Christine Charlton, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Westmeath, said she was very proud to see a Westmeath company bring home the title.
“Bevcraft have achieved so much since they first approached the LEO in 2016 when starting their journey. They had identified a gap in the Irish market previously not served, and have since evolved to include a comprehensive range of solutions for craft beverage producers wishing to package their product – I look forward to following their progress in the years ahead.”
Along with the overall winner, five category winners were announced and a €50,000 investment fund will be shared among them.
