“We knew in order to continue to grow we had to improve and optimise our data management. The LEO explained how they could help with is.”
Blackwater Distillery is a micro-distillery based on the banks of the Blackwater River in Co Waterford. Blackwater Distillery crafts a range of spirits including its award-winning gins and heritage pot still Irish whisky. It initially started operation in Cappoquin, Co Waterford, distilling white spirits, including multi-award winning London Dry Irish gins for home consumption and for export.
Founded in 2014 by Peter Mulryan and Caroline Senior as a labour of love, the business and the brand has grown from strength to strength over the years. Having raised significant capital from funding agencies and private investment, the company also opened a new micro whisky distillery in 2018 in Ballyduff, Co Waterford and started distilling pot still Irish whisky, using historic mash bills (recipes) and heritage Irish grains.
Distiller and Sustainability Manager, Silvia Torresi, joined the business in 2021 and was immediately introduced to the benefits of a close relationship with the Local Enterprise Office, “I was made aware of ongoing communication with the Local Enterprise Office staff and how it had benefited the Distillery right from the start”.
“In the past we had received grants, training and mentoring from the LEO, more recently we received support for our sustainability initiatives. We were delighted when these actions shortlisted us for the GLAS Awards in 2024.
“Most recently, we were made aware of the digital supports from the LEO during one of our regular meetings with them. We knew in order to continue to grow we had to improve and optimise our data management. The LEO explained how they could help with this, in particular with our internal process optimisation and how it could support and enhance our digital experience internally and for our customers.”
Digital for Business is open to small enterprises with between 1 and 50 paid employees who are not currently clients of Enterprise Ireland or the IDA, they must be established and trading for at least 6 months, and operate within County Waterford.
The support the LEO can offer via Digital for Business includes, analysis of existing digital systems in the business to identify potential gaps in meeting business needs, exploration of opportunities to optimise existing systems and to integrate with new solutions to enhance business operations and guidance on the implementation of new or enhanced digital solutions.
Silvia was delighted with the digital supports provided, “This project helped us identify where we were on the digital business journey, it developed a digital adaptation plan based on the identified needs and implemented a training session to all Blackwater staff. The support from the LEO made the process much easier, both financially and physically.”
Local Enterprise Office Waterford is here to help you start a business, expand an existing business or reach new markets. It provides advice, information and supports in starting up or growing your business as part of a network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices across Ireland. See more details on the LEO’s Digital supports, www.localenterprise.ie/Growdigital/GROWDIGITAL.html
Contact your Local Enterprise Office Waterford for their latest training programmes, grants and events schedule on www.localenterprise.ie/Waterford or email info@leo.waterfordcouncil.ie for access to all their training support information.
To learn more about Blackwater Distillery, see www.blackwaterdistillery.ie
