Cream of the Crop in Fingal scoops Fingal Enterprise Award

A food business from Ballycoolin, Dublin 15 is this year’s winner of the Fingal Enterprise Award for 2023, Fingal Local Enterprise Office (LEO Fingal) has announced.

Cream of the Crop Gelatos took the top prize of €5,000 and will now represent Fingal at the 23rd National Enterprise Awards in the Mansion House in Dublin on the 1st of June.

Cream of the Crop Ltd is a Fingal-based food-tech enterprise battling food waste by upcycling and using surplus ingredients to produce natural, delicious and healthy artisanal gelatos, sorbets and snacks. The company operates online and through several retail stockists nationwide including Fallon & Byrne, Fresh and Supervalu. Cream of the Crop aims to process more food and avoid waste by seeking to save 80,000kg of food from being wasted by 2025.

The runner-up at the Fingal Enterprise Awards held in County Hall, Swords was Parenting Institute Ltd T/A Platform55, a digital company from Malahide who offer programmes to managers empowering them to support their employees through key life events which can impact the workplace.

Cream of the Crop Gelatos will now be competing against 30 other finalists from every local authority area for a share of the €35,000 winner’s prize fund as national judging gets underway in May.  Categories this year include ‘Best Export Business,’ ‘Best Start-Up’ and ‘Innovation,’ along with “One to Watch” and a “Sustainability / Green” award in addition to eight regional awards. 

Various companies from Fingal have enjoyed success in the National Enterprise Awards in the past. In 2022, Fingal winner Farmony, clinched the Dublin Region award, while other previous National Winners from Fingal included Kianda in Blanchardstown, Keoghs Crisps in Oldtown, Hope Beer in Howth, flight simulation company “Simtech Aviation”, as well as software companies “Vromo” and “IFS Ltd.” from Dublin 15.

The Fingal Enterprise Awards took place as part of Local Enterprise Week, featuring over 300 physical events across the country, run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices from March 6th to 10th.

Five other local Fingal businesses were also shortlisted this year: Culinary Microherbs (Carol Lopez and Paul Curry, Dublin 11); Lynott Jewellery (Lauren McDonald, Kinsealy); MilkBath (Sandra and Derek Hickey, Lusk); Prints of Ireland (Heather Gilroy and Peter O'Neill, Balbriggan); and The Little Wax Company (Marc and Amy Herbert, Balbriggan).

Announcing the winners and presenting the awards at the ceremony were Mayor of Fingal Cllr Howard Mahony, AnnMarie Farrelly (Chief Executive of Fingal County Council), and Oisín Geoghegan (Head of Enterprise, Fingal).

Congratulating the winner, Mayor of Fingal Cllr. Howard Mahony said:

“Our Local Enterprise Office works hard to help and support businesses in Fingal in many different ways. This competition is particularly valuable as it gives us an opportunity to celebrate some of our greatest local entrepreneurs. I am particularly delighted to see that this year’s Fingal winner, Cream of the Crop Gelatos, a Dublin 15 business, will represent Fingal on the national stage in June and I wish them every success”.

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council AnnMarie Farrelly added:

“We want to ensure that all of our small businesses are given every opportunity to succeed. When they do achieve success, they create local employment and help our communities become stronger. We should always acknowledge and reward the efforts and successes of our business community”.

Head of Enterprise, Oisín Geoghegan from LEO Fingal added: ““Each year, the National Enterprise Awards shines a light on small business from all over Ireland, highlighting their success stories and acknowledging their achievements in both a national and international spotlight. At the 2023 National Enterprise Awards, we are delighted to be represented by Cream of the Crop. We wish them continued success with their future endeavours.”