Media Release 12th March 2024
Laura McCarthy, DRINK BOTANICALS IRELAND, IS THE WINNER OF DUBLIN CITY ENTERPRISE AWARD 2024
Dublin City based company; Drink Botanicals Ireland is the winner of the Dublin City Enterprise Award 2024. The prize involves a €5,000 investment in the company and sees it advance to the National Enterprise Award 2024 ceremony, which takes place on 23rd May 2024 in The Round Room, The Mansion House, Dublin 2.
Laura McCarthy from Ranelagh is the entrepreneur behind Drink Botanicals Ireland.
Laura founded Drink Botanicals Ireland in late 2017. It all started when Laura was studying marketing in TU Dublin and noticed a gap in the Irish drinks market.
With the growing interest in luxury drinks, she saw an opportunity to create a product that would allow consumers to make cocktails and mocktails in the company of friends and family. She visited many bars that were serving drinks with botanicals such as juniper berries and hibiscus, but noticed that there was no product available in retail stores for consumers to recreate this product. Laura has further expanded the Drink Botanicals Ireland offering and their range includes; natural based syrups, premium dried garnishes and cocktail/mocktail kits.
With global expansion, they have found success in international markets like the United Kingdom and United States via Amazon, and have secured a UAE distribution contract. Committed to excellence, they stand out by delivering only top-quality products.
Drink Botanicals Ireland employ 5 full time and 2 part time staff members currently and have plans to grow their employees in 2024.
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste, said, “I want to congratulate Laura McCarthy on being the winner of the Dublin City Enterprise Award. Establishing a business takes courage and sustaining it takes resilience. Hundreds of small businesses provide employment in Dublin, enhancing our communities. I wish Laura and her team all the best representing Dublin City in the National Awards Ceremony.”
Greg Swift Head of Enterprise with Dublin City Local Enterprise Office said, “We are delighted that Drink Botanicals Ireland will represent Dublin City at the National Awards Final in May. It was fantastic to see so many great small local businesses applying and I wish Laura and the team from Drink Botanicals Ireland the all the best going forward in the competition.”
Accepting the Award, Laura McCarthy, founder of Drink Botanicals Ireland said, “It’s an absolute honour to be named the Dublin City Enterprise Award winner for 2024! I am so proud to represent Dublin City in the National Enterprise Awards. Opportunities like this inspire me to continue striving for growth for my business and the great support from the Local Enterprise Office helps to make it happen.”
Among the special guests at today’s announcement were the Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste, and Greg Swift, Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office Dublin City.
At the National Enterprise Awards Drink Botanicals Ireland will be competing against 30 other finalists from every local authority area across the country for a share of the €51,000 prize fund. The overall winner receives a cash prize of €10,000, with category prizes of €5,000 and eight regional awards of €2,000.
***Images from today’s Ceremony will be circulated to picture desks by Fennell Photography
ENDS
For further information contact: Dublin City Council Media Relations Office
- info@dublincity.ie T. (01) 222 2170, M. 087 740 0277
https://twitter.com/DubCityCouncil www.facebook.com/DublinCityCouncil
OR
Dublin City Enterprise Awards / Local Enterprise Office Dublin City
- T: (01) 222 5611 E: info@leo.dublincity.ie
Notes to Editor:
About Drink Botanicals Ireland
Further information https://drinkbotanicalsireland.ie/
National Enterprise Awards 2024
The National Enterprise Awards are one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the Student Enterprise Programme and National Women’s Enterprise Day.
Established in 2014, LEOs are an 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. The LEOs work with over 7,200 client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, networking, expert advice and financial supports to small businesses. For more information, see www.LocalEnterprise.ie/awards
Award Categories and Prize Fund
The 2024 National Enterprise Awards take place on Thursday, 23rd May in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin and are organised by the Local Enterprise Offices
- Overall Winner, National Enterprise Awards 2023 (Cash Prize for business: €10,000)
- Best Export Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Best Innovation Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Best Start-Up Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Sustainability / Green Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- One to Watch Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Eight Runner-Up Winners (Cash Prize for business: €2,000 each)
- Runner Up Regions:
- Dublin City, Fingal, Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown and South Dublin
- Kildare, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath
- Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny
- Louth, Meath, Cavan and Monaghan
- Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and Longford
- Galway, Mayo and Roscommon
- Clare, Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary
- Cork City, South Cork, Cork North & West and Waterford
Local Enterprise Office (LEO)
Local Enterprise Office Dublin City is the First Stop Shop for information and support when planning, starting or growing a business. Local Enterprise Office Dublin City promote entrepreneurship, encourage business start-ups and develop existing micro and small businesses to drive job creation and to provide accessible high quality supports for your Business ideas. In 2023, the Local Enterprise Office provided just under 2 million in financial supports, over 1300 hours of mentoring and more than 180 training programmes to the business community in Dublin City. Local Enterprise Office Dublin City offer the following supports:
- Financial supports
- Training Courses
- One to One Business Mentoring
- Networking
Further information: https://www.localenterprise.ie/DublinCity/
