Athlone entrepreneur encourages other women to apply for business programme
An Athlone entrepreneur who started an innovative food business with her brother during the pandemic is urging other females to follow in her footsteps by applying to take part in the free ACORNS new business development programme.
Niamh Dooley from Athlone, and her brother Ruairi, created BiaSol, a business that upcycles spent grain from breweries into healthy food products.
BiaSol has already had nationwide success, becoming the 2021 Irish Times Innovation Winner for Manufacturing & Design, and a 2022 Blas Na hEireann finalist, among other accolades.
Niamh took part in the seventh ACORNS business development programme and she is encouraging others to apply this month for the ninth cycle of ACORNS.
"I highly recommend ACORNS for any woman in business, whatever stage of their business they are at. The sense of community the programme has built is amazing and it is a brilliant way to connect with other women in business," she said.
Niamh was in Ireland and her brother Ruairi was based in Melbourne when they started BiaSol in October 2020.
Niamh, who had graduated with a degree in Food Science from University of Limerick in 2016, had been working on Food Dudes, Bord Bia’s healthy eating programme for primary schools, but was let go due to the pandemic.
After securing a time-share in a test kitchen, BiaSol succeeded in getting €50,000 from EI's Competitive Start Fund, which enabled the siblings to set up their own premises in Tullamore.
BiaSol has two product ranges which are sold nationwide in over 150 stores. The products include: Protein Pancake Mix, Granny’s Soda Bread Mix, Super Scone Mix and Crafty Cookie Mix and Super Milled Grains, Morning Glory Grains and Whole Fibre Grains.
The company currently employs five full time and three part time employees.
The ACORNS programme sees participants interact with each other in the monthly round table sessions, which are facilitated by a Lead Entrepreneur who has first-hand experience of starting and successfully growing a business in rural Ireland.
Each of the Lead Entrepreneurs give their time to the programme on a voluntary basis, as they believe in the philosophy of ‘entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs’.
Only early-stage female entrepreneurs operating in rural Ireland, and who have had no sales before the end of June 2020, are eligible to apply. The ACORNS programme is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and there is no charge for participants.
There are 50 places available for ACORNS 9 which will run from October 2023 to April 2024. Those wishing to receive an application form for ACORNS 9 should register on the website: www.acorns.ie. The deadline for applications is midnight, September 22.