Galway company Grá Chocolates were announced as winners at this year’s National Enterprise Awards which took place at the Mansion House in Dublin.
Grá Chocolates took home the ‘Best in the West Region Award’ at the annual awards organised by the Local Enterprise Offices.
Gráinne Mullins founded Grá Chocolates in her hometown of Kilchreest in 2020, and the business has gone from strength to strength.
Her creations use ethically sourced Valrhona Chocolate, Casa Luker cocoa butter and Irish cream and butter – resulting in decadent, small batch treats.
Grainne overcame the challenges of starting a new business during a pandemic and has built a strong brand and a sustainable business.
“I am so thrilled to have won the West of Ireland Award at the National Enterprise Awards,” said Grainne.
“To be recognised beside all of these incredible businesses is truly an honour after just a few years in business. Massive thanks to Team Grá for their relentless hard work!”
Acting Head of Enterprise at LEO Galway, Caroline McDonagh congratulated Grainne on her success at the National Enterprise Awards, saying that it is a testament to her work and values.
“This will be listed among some of her other accolades which includes having been listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2023 for her innovation and leadership.
“We wish Grainne the best of luck next week in Copenhagen where she will be representing Ireland in the Creative business Cup.”
The overall winner at the National Enterprise Awards was Dreamdev Technologies who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Kildare.
DreamDev was set up by Eoin Barry and Douglas Augiar in 2019 with the aim of utilising online tools and software to enable faster digitalisation for companies.
Their flagship product, ‘the dot-star enterprise’ software platform enables software engineering teams to create their own bespoke software programmes which deliver results with significantly reduced resourcing requirements.
Several other companies won across a range of categories at the Awards, which were established by the Local Enterprise Offices to celebrate the impact and quality of small businesses across the country.
The National Enterprise Awards also celebrated 10 years since the inception of the Local Enterprise Offices in 2014 with several former winners attending on the evening.
